Rudolf Kingslake (born Rudolf Klickmann; August 28, 1903 – February 28, 2003)
[http://www.osa-opn.org/Content/ViewFile.aspx?id=2425] was an English academic, lens designer, and engineer.
Kingslake was born in London, England in 1903 as Rudolf Klickmann. The latter is in all probability a re-transcription from Cyrillic of the traditional German-Jewish "Glückmann" meaning "lucky man". Kingslake studied optical design at the
Imperial College of Science and Technology
Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
, under the eminent optical designer and theoretician
Alexander Eugen Conrady, earning a master's degree, subsequently marrying Professor Conrady's daughter,
Hilda Conrady Kingslake, a prominent English-American researcher in the field of
optics
Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultraviole ...
.
In 1929, Kingslake was invited to come to the United States to teach at the
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees.
The University of Roc ...
, where he founded the Institute of Applied Optics, now known as
The Institute of Optics
The Institute of Optics is a department and research center at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. The institute grants degrees at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels through the University of Rochester School of Enginee ...
. In 1937, Kingslake became the head of Optical Design department of
Eastman Kodak
The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...
while continuing his teaching at the university.
In 1958, Kingslake and wife Hilda edited an unfinished manuscript by Conrady and published a sequel to Conrady's book, ''Applied Optics and Optical Design''.
Since 1974,
SPIE
SPIE (formerly the Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers, later the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers) is an international not-for-profit professional society for optics and photonics technology, founded in 1955. It ...
has awarded the Rudolf Kingslake Medal to recognize the most noteworthy original paper published in the society's journal, Optical Engineering.
Rudolf Kingslake died on February 28, 2003, in Rochester, NY, at age 99, two weeks after the death of his wife, Hilda.
Books by Kingslake
* ''Applied Optics and Optical Engineering''
* ''Lenses in Photography: The Practical Guide to Optics for Photographers ''
* ''Optics in Photography''
* ''Lens Design Fundamentals''
* ''A History of the Photographic Lens''
* ''Applied Optics and Optical Design, Part II'' by A.E. Conrady, edited by Hilda and Rudolf Kingslake
References
External links
The Rudolf Kingslake Medal and Prizeof the
SPIE
SPIE (formerly the Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers, later the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers) is an international not-for-profit professional society for optics and photonics technology, founded in 1955. It ...
*1973
Frederic Ives Medalby the
OSAA comprehensive history of the first 75 years of the Institute of Optics
Optical engineers
Alumni of Imperial College London
University of Rochester faculty
Kodak people
Engineers from London
English emigrants to the United States
1903 births
2003 deaths
20th-century British engineers
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