Bertram Vivian Bowden, Baron Bowden (; 18 January 1910 – 28 July 1989) was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
scientist
A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences.
In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosoph ...
and
education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...
ist, particularly associated with the development of
UMIST
The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) was a university based in the centre of the city of Manchester in England. It specialised in technical and scientific subjects and was a major centre for research. On 1 Oct ...
as a successful
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
.
Life
Born,
Chesterfield,
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
, he attended
Hasland Junior School
Hasland is a suburb in the Borough of Chesterfield in the town of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. Hasland is located south of Spital, east of Birdholme and north of Grassmoor. Hasland is a ward of the Borough of Chesterfield. The ward popu ...
as a child and graduated in
natural sciences from
Emmanuel College, Cambridge (1931), taking his
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
in
nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter.
Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...
. From 1934-1935 he was sponsored by
ICI to undertake research at the
University of Amsterdam
The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...
.
[Entwistle (2004)]
After a period in teaching, in 1940 he was conscripted to the
Telecommunications Research Establishment
The Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE) was the main United Kingdom research and development organization for radio navigation, radar, infra-red detection for heat seeking missiles, and related work for the Royal Air Force (RAF) ...
to work on
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...
, including
an improved system to distinguish between friend and foe. From 1943, he continued his work at the
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
The United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. It was founded in 1923 and conducts basic scientific research, applied research, technological ...
, establishing himself as an able and effective administrator. From the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
to 1953 he held a series of jobs, including selling early
computers manufactured by
Ferranti
Ferranti or Ferranti International plc was a UK electrical engineering and equipment firm that operated for over a century from 1885 until it went bankrupt in 1993. The company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
The firm was known ...
. His prescient forecasts of the impact that the technology would have on daily life were published in his 1953 book ''Faster than Thought''.
In 1953, Bowden became principal of the Manchester College of Science and Technology, a
vocational education
Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education given to an i ...
college in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. The post-war expansion in university education in Britain, coupled with Bowden's energy, creativity and lobbying soon entailed the college's transformation into UMIST (University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology).
On 18 January 1964, he was created a
life peer as Baron Bowden, ''of
Chesterfield in the
County of Derby'' and later in this year,
Harold Wilson appointed him
Minister for Education and Science. However,
Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...
and the labyrinths of the
civil service were ill-matched to Bowden's direct approach and, in 1965 he returned to UMIST. He retired in 1976.
Bowden was married four times and had three children. He died in
Bowdon,
Cheshire.
Islamic finance
Bowden was interested in
Islamic finance and economics, enough to suggest an Institute for the History of Islamic Science and Commerce, though this never materialised. His interest in the subject continued and he once mentioned the subject at length in the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
.
[FTSC (2006]] His interest in the subject was spurred by his colleague
Salim Al-Hassani
Salim T. S. Al-Hassani is Emeritus Professor of Mechanical Engineering and currently an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Manchester. He is President of the Foundation of Science, Technology and Civili ...
.
Honours
*
Distinguished Fellow of the
British Computer Society (1976)
*Honorary Fellow of the
Institution of Civil Engineers
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters are located in the UK, whi ...
(1975);
*Pioneer Award of the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (1973).
References
Bibliography
*
Papers of Lord Bowdenat the
University of Manchester Library
The University of Manchester Library is the library system and information service of the University of Manchester. The main library is on the Oxford Road campus of the university, with its entrance on Burlington Street. There are also ten other ...
.
*Entwistle, K.M. (2004)
(Bertram) Vivian, Baron Bowden (1910-1989), rev., ''
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'', Oxford University Press, accessed 17 June 2005
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowden, B.V.
1910 births
1989 deaths
Academics of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology
Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge
English educational theorists
English physicists
Fellows of the British Computer Society
Life peers
Ministers in the Wilson governments, 1964–1970
People educated at Chesterfield Grammar School
People from Chesterfield, Derbyshire
Life peers created by Elizabeth II