Scientist of the day - Douglas Mawson

Sir Douglas Mawson was an Australian explorer, geologist and academic. An alumnus of the University of Sydney, Mawson developed interest in expeditions early in his life. As a lecturer at the University of Adelaide, he became interested in rocks left by melting glaciers and therefore, when he got the chance to join Nimrod Expedition to Antarctica he readily agreed. Soon after returning, he organized his own Australian Antarctic Expedition. The data collected by the expedition were later edited and published in twenty-two volumes. However, the expedition also highlighted his survival capacity. After the death of his two companions he traveled for almost a month all by himself and reached the base camp only to find that the ship had left just few hours before his arrival. Much later, he led another expedition to the Antarctic. It enabled Australia to claim some 2,500,000 square miles of the continent. 

Childhood & Early Years

Douglas Mawson was born on May 5, 1882, in Shipley, West Yorkshire, England. His father, Robert Mawson, was a cloth merchant from a farming background. His mother’s name was Margaret Ann née Moore.

Major Works

• Mawson is best known for his expeditions to Antarctica. They enabled Australia to claim some 2,500,000 square miles of that continent. These expeditions also collected huge amount of scientific data, which helped to carry on further investigation.
• Mawson also made major contributions to Australian geology. In later years, he worked on the 'Adelaide System' of Precambrian rocks in the Flinders Ranges and identified its two groups. His findings have been documented in his report ‘Geological investigations in the Broken Hill area’.
• Mawson also discovered a new mineral and named it Davidite after his mentor Professor TW Edgeworth David.

  Awards & Achievements

  • Mawson was knighted in 1914 for his achievements as an explorer and scientist.
  • In 1915, the Royal Geographical Society awarded him with Founder's Gold Medal.
  • In 1916 the American Geographical Society awarded him the David Livingstone Centenary Medal.
  • In 1919, he received Bigsby Medal from the Geological Society of London.
  • In 1923, Mawson was made a Fellow of the Royal Society
  • In 1936, he received the Clarke Medal from the Royal Society of New South Wales.

Scientist of th day - Thomas Henry Huxley

Thomas Henry Huxley was a renowned English biologist who rose to prominence in the 19th century. Born in a poor family, his father could not afford to send him to school. So, he began to educate himself. He excelled in science as he was blessed with an open mind and free thinking. He was recognized for his contribution and honored by the Royal Society when he was only twenty six years old. He was unwilling to believe the Biblical theory of creation and instead he supported Darwin’s theory of Evolution. His contribution to the study of marine biology, geology and the study of invertebrates, based on research and reason, is invaluable. He made biology a discipline in the universities, elevated the status of the School of mines and zoology and brought the issue of adult education to the fore. For his services to scientific learning, he was conferred honorary degrees and titles in many European countries. He will always be remembered as one of the pioneers of scientific thought. 

Major Works

• In his famous essay, ‘On the Physical Basis of Life’, 1869, Huxley insisted that life and even thought were at bottom of molecular phenomena. He invented the word ‘agnostic’ to express his theological position.
• In 1893, his ‘Collected Essays’ was published in nine volumes including, ‘Method and Results’, ‘Darwiniana’, ‘Science and Education’, ‘Science and Hebrew Tradition and Christian Tradition’, and ‘Evolution and Ethics and Other Essays’.

  Awards & Achievements

  • A Fellow of the Royal Society, he was awarded the Royal Medal in 1852, the youngest to receive such a recognition.
  • Between 1876 and 1894, he was awarded the Copley Medal, the Darwin Medal, the Geological Society’s Wollaston Medal, and the Linnean Medal for the study and dissemination of taxonomy and natural history.
  • He was conferred with doctorates and awards for his public services and appointed the Privy Councilor in 1892, while the King of Sweden made him a Knight of the Order of the Polar Star.