Michael John Seaton
(16 January 1923 – 29 May 2007) was an influential British mathematician, atomic physicist, and astronomer.
He was born in
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, and educated at
Wallington County Grammar School
Wallington County Grammar School (WCGS) is a selective state boys' grammar school with a coeducational Sixth Form located in the London Borough of Sutton. From 1968 to the mid-1990s the school was known as Wallington High School for Boys. One ...
(WCGS), a
grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
in
Surrey, where he won prizes for his achievements in chemistry.
From 1941 to 1946 he served in the wartime
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
as a
Flight Lieutenant. In this capacity he served first in
RAF Bomber Command, navigating
Avro Lancasters, and later in one of the elite
Pathfinder
Pathfinder may refer to:
Businesses
* Pathfinder Energy Services, a division of Smith International
* Pathfinder Press, a publisher of socialist literature
Computing and information science
* Path Finder, a Macintosh file browser
* Pathfinder ( ...
squadrons, such was his capacity to apply his understanding of mathematics to the task before him.
After demobilisation, he returned to his studies, and the start of a long career at
University College London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = ...
. Gaining a First Class
BSc
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...
in physics just two years later, he continued, obtaining his
PhD on ''Quantal Calculations of certain reaction rates with applications to Astrophysical and Geophysical problems'' in 1951. He later did important work on the
Quantum Defect Theory.
With a break as Chargé de Recherché at the
Institut d'astrophysique de Paris The Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris (translated: Paris Institute of Astrophysics) is a research institute in Paris, France. The Institute is part of the Sorbonne University and is associated with the CNRS Centre national de la recherche scientifi ...
from 1954 to 1955, he rose through the ranks at the Department of Physics at UCL, becoming a Reader in 1959, and Professor of Physics in 1963. He was made a Fellow of the College in 1972, the year in which the Departments of Physics and Astronomy merged. He held the status of
Professor Emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
and Honorary Research Fellow from 1988 until his death.
In 1964 he became Fellow-Adjoint at the
Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics
JILA, formerly known as the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics, is a physical science research institute in the United States. JILA is located on the University of Colorado Boulder campus. JILA was founded in 1962 as a joint institute of ...
(JILA) in
Boulder, Colorado, a combined venture between the American
National Institute of Standards and Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical s ...
and the
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...
.
In 1967 he was elected Fellow of the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
.
He held Honorary Membership of the
American Astronomical Society, awarded in 1983, and was made Foreign Associate of the
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...
in 1986.
Seaton held the Presidency of the
Royal Astronomical Society
(Whatever shines should be observed)
, predecessor =
, successor =
, formation =
, founder =
, extinction =
, merger =
, merged =
, type = NG ...
ASbetween 1979 and 1981, and was awarded its
Gold Medal in 1983. This was followed by the
Guthrie Medal and Prize
The Michael Faraday Medal and Prize is a gold medal awarded annually by the Institute of Physics in experimental physics. The award is made "for outstanding and sustained contributions to experimental physics." The medal is accompanied by a pr ...
, from the
Institute of Physics
The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, research and application.
It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide membership of over 20,000. The IOP is the Physic ...
in 1984, and the
Hughes Medal
The Hughes Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of London "in recognition of an original discovery in the physical sciences, particularly electricity and magnetism or their applications". Named after David E. Hughes, the medal is awarded with ...
of the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
in 1992.
Seaton served as Senior Fellow to the Science and Engineering Research Council
EPSRC
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is a British Research Council that provides government funding for grants to undertake research and postgraduate degrees in engineering and the physical sciences, mainly to univers ...
, 1984–88.
Other honours include: Honorary Doctorate,
Observatoire de Paris, 1976; Honorary
DSc DSC may refer to:
Academia
* Doctor of Science (D.Sc.)
* District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India
* Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine
Educational institutions
* Dalton State Col ...
QUB, 1982.
References
External links
Obituary, The Times, 7 June 2007Obituary, UCL, September 2007Obituary, Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 31 December 2007Biographical Notes, Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, August 2006Atomic Physics & Astrophysics Group - "Research B - Theoretical" section in: From Lardner to Massey, by JW FoxAtoms and Astrophysics: Mike Seaton's legacy - Research meeting held at UCL, April 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seaton, MJ
1923 births
2007 deaths
20th-century English mathematicians
Royal Air Force officers
Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
Alumni of University College London
Academics of University College London
Fellows of the Royal Society
Scientists from Bristol
Recipients of the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
People educated at Wallington County Grammar School
Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences
English nuclear physicists
20th-century British astronomers
Presidents of the Royal Astronomical Society