Physical Society Colloquium
Notes on the History of the McGill Physics Department
Department of Physics
McGill University
The Department of Physics of McGill University has a long history. The
Department was established in 1891 has a split of Department of Natural
Philosophy and Mathematics. The long tradition of research in physics at McGill
goes back to the creation the Department. This talk will include many examples
of the type of research done in the Department up to the 70s. The examples
presented will include, the work Callendar and Barnes that did in 1899 the most
precise measurement of the specific heat of water with thermometers sensitive
to the ten-thousandth part of a degree, the results of Gray on the scattering
of gamma ray that could be considered the first observation of the Compton
effect. At that time there was a strong component of applied research. As an
example of such research, I will also present the work of Eves on the effect of
smoke on the ionization of air, research clearly related to present day smoke
detectors. I will finally give a few examples showing that these were time
before the presence of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committee.
Friday, November 19th 2021, 15:30
Ernest Rutherford Physics Building, Keys Auditorium (room 112)
Colloquium recording
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