George Samuel Hurst (13 October 1927 – 4 July 2010) was a health physicist and professor of physics at the
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...
.
Early life
Hurst was born on 13 October 1927 in the rural town of
Ponza, Bell County, Kentucky located near
Pineville, Kentucky. His father was James H. Hurst and mother was Myrtle Wright Hurst. As a boy, he had a keen interest in
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventi ...
. Hurst grew up on the family farm and came from a large family with two brothers and two sisters. In 2010, he died of a
brain aneurysm
An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a brain aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel.
Aneurysms in the posterior circ ...
and was buried at Oak Ridge Memorial Park.
Education
Hurst attended high school at
Bell County High School
Bell County High School is one of three public high schools in Bell County, Kentucky, United States, and the only one in the county's school district (the other two, Middlesboro and Pineville, are operated by city-based "independent" districts). ...
in
Pineville, Kentucky. At the age of 15, he enrolled in
Berea College
Berea College is a private liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky. Founded in 1855, Berea College was the first college in the Southern United States to be coeducational and racially integrated. Berea College charges no tuition; every a ...
. In 1947, Hurst received a
B.A.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
degree in physics and a minor in mathematics from Berea College. He attended the
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...
and graduated in 1948 with the
M.S.
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
degree in physics. During registration at UK, he met Rufus Ritchie. Ritchie became a longtime friend and the two worked on several projects together. After graduation, they both went to ORNL.
In 1959, Hurst was awarded a
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
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
from the
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...
with a dissertation titled "Attachment of Low-Energy Electrons in Mixtures Containing Oxygen."
Work
In 1948, Hurst was recruited by
Karl Z. Morgan and landed a research position at
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a U.S. multiprogram science and technology national laboratory sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and administered, managed, and operated by UT–Battelle as a federally funded research an ...
(ORNL) in the
Health Physics
Health physics, also referred to as the science of radiation protection, is the profession devoted to protecting people and their environment from potential radiation hazards, while making it possible to enjoy the beneficial uses of radiation. H ...
Division. His starting salary was $325 per month. He made significant contributions in the development of radiation detectors and instrumentation, neutron dosimetry and spectroscopy, and field sample analysis. While working at Oak Ridge, he earned a PhD in physics from the
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...
in 1959. In 1966, Hurst accepted a position at the
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...
as Professor of Physics.
Hurst and the team of L.J. Deal and H.H. Rossi performed gamma and neutron radiation measurements at the
Nevada Test Site
The Nevada National Security Site (N2S2 or NNSS), known as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a United States Department of Energy (DOE) reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about 65 miles (105 km) northwest of the ...
during
Operation Upshot–Knothole
Operation Upshot–Knothole was a series of eleven nuclear test shots conducted in 1953 at the Nevada Test Site. It followed ''Operation Ivy'' and preceded ''Operation Castle''.
Over 21,000 soldiers took part in the ground exercise Desert Ro ...
for the
Atomic Energy Commission. For
Operation PLUMBBOB
Operation Plumbbob was a series of nuclear tests that were conducted between May 28 and October 7, 1957, at the Nevada Test Site, following '' Project 57'', and preceding '' Project 58/58A''.
Background
The operation consisted of 29 explosion ...
, Hurst was again asked to participate along with Ritchie at the Nevada Test Site to collect radiation dosimetry data for human exposures during the tests.
In the 1960s, Hurst along with L.B. O'Kelly, E.B. Wagner, J.A. Stockdale, James E. Parks, and F.J. Davis investigated
time-of-flight
Time of flight (ToF) is the measurement of the time taken by an object, particle or wave (be it acoustic, electromagnetic, etc.) to travel a distance through a medium. This information can then be used to measure velocity or path length, or as a w ...
electron transport in gases. The group utilized
ethylene,
water vapor
(99.9839 °C)
, -
, Boiling point
,
, -
, specific gas constant
, 461.5 J/( kg·K)
, -
, Heat of vaporization
, 2.27 MJ/kg
, -
, Heat capacity
, 1.864 kJ/(kg·K)
Water vapor, water vapour or aqueous vapor is the gaseous p ...
and
hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic ...
to study and determine time-of-flight electron diffusion coefficients and electron drift velocities for these gases. Hurst led efforts to investigate time-of-flight of electron transport in atomic and molecular gases.
In the mid 1960s, Hurst pursued researches that involved electron swarm measurement, swarm‐beam techniques and swarm drift to determine electron capture cross sections in
heavy water,
chlorobenzene
Chlorobenzene is an aromatic organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5Cl. This colorless, flammable liquid is a common solvent and a widely used intermediate in the manufacture of other chemicals.
Uses
Historical
The major use of chlorob ...
,
bromobenzene
Bromobenzene is an aryl halide, C6H5Br. It is a colourless liquid although older samples can appear yellow. It is a reagent in organic synthesis.
Synthesis and reactions
Bromobenzene is prepared by the action of bromine on benzene in the presenc ...
,
ethylene and ethylene mixtures.
Awards and honors
*
IR-100 Award, 3 awards
*
Union Carbide
Union Carbide Corporation is an American chemical corporation wholly owned subsidiary (since February 6, 2001) by Dow Chemical Company. Union Carbide produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers befo ...
, Corporate fellow
*
American Physical Society, fellow
*
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...
, Alumni Association Hall of Distinguished Alumni, member
*
Berea College
Berea College is a private liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky. Founded in 1855, Berea College was the first college in the Southern United States to be coeducational and racially integrated. Berea College charges no tuition; every a ...
,
D.Sc.
Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...
, honorary degree
*
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...
, Physics Department, Distinguished Alumni Award, 2005
*University of Tennessee, Physics Department, G. Samuel and Betty P. Hurst Scholarship Fund; support for physics majors
*
Bell County High School
Bell County High School is one of three public high schools in Bell County, Kentucky, United States, and the only one in the county's school district (the other two, Middlesboro and Pineville, are operated by city-based "independent" districts). ...
,
Pineville, Kentucky, notable alumni
Professional affiliations
*
Florida State University, visiting professor
*
Health Physics Society
The Health Physics Society (HPS) is a nonprofit scientific professional organization whose mission is excellence in the science and practice of radiation safety. It is based in the United States and the specific purposes of the society's activit ...
*Scientists and Engineers for Appalachia (SEA), founder
*
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...
, Institute of Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy, founder, director 1985–1988
Patents (15 total)
*Resonance ionization for analytical spectroscopy, 1976.
*Method and apparatus for noble gas atom detection with isotopic selectivity, 1984.
*Method of analyzing for a component in a sample, 1984.
*Method and apparatus for sensitive atom counting with high isotopic selectivity, 1987.
*Double pulsed time-of-flight mass spectrometer, 1987.
*Sensitive, stable, effective at low doses and low energy, 1987.
*Ionizing radiation detector system, 1990.
*HVAC system. Radon monitor and control system based upon alpha particle detection, 1991.
*System for determining health risk due to radon progeny and uses thereof, 1993.
*Instrument simulator system, 1994.
*Instrument simulator system, 1995.
*Touch screen based topological mapping with resistance framing design, 2003.
[Hurst, G. Samuel, Ritchie, Rufus, Bouldin, Donald W. & Warmack, Robert. (18 November 2003). Touch screen based topological mapping with resistance framing design. U.S. Patent No. 6,650,319. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.]
*Touch sensor with non-uniform resistive band, 2007.
[Hurst, G. S., Ritchie, R. H., Warmack, R. J., Bouldin, D. W., & Kent, J. C. (4 September 2007). Touch sensor with non-uniform resistive band. U.S. Patent No. 7,265,686. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.]
*Touch screen with relatively conductive grid, 2010.
[Hurst, G. S., Ritchie, R. H., Bouldin, D. W., & Warmack, R. J. (21 September 2010). Touch screen with relatively conductive grid. U.S. Patent No. 7,800,589. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.]
*Multiple-touch sensor, 2011
[Hurst, G. S., Warmack, R. J., Richie, R. H., Bouldin, D. W., & Ritchie, D. (31 May 2011). Multiple-touch sensor. U.S. Patent No. 7,952,564. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.]
Private enterprise
Hurst founded or co-founded five businesses:
*Elographics, 1971. Developed a version of resistive touchscreen technology. Several patents secured. Electrical Sensor of Plane Coordinates.
[
*Atom Sciences
*Pellissippi International, 1988.
*Consultec Scientific, 1990.][Hurst, G. S. (1990). Assessment of research needs for laser technologies applied to advanced spectroscopic methods (No. DOE/ER/30131-T9). Consultec Scientific, Inc., Knoxville, TN (USA).]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurst, George Samuel
1927 births
2010 deaths
People from Bell County, Kentucky
20th-century American inventors
21st-century American inventors
20th-century American physicists
21st-century American scientists
Berea College alumni
Fellows of the American Physical Society
Florida State University faculty
Health physicists
Health Physics Society
Mathematicians from Kentucky
Nevada Test Site nuclear explosive tests
NASA people
Oak Ridge National Laboratory people
Touchscreens
University of Kentucky faculty
University of Tennessee alumni
University of Kentucky alumni
Inventors from Kentucky