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Hello fellow students and Professor Clement,
I believe my Wikipedia needs some more work, but for the most part it’s completed. I need to find comparison charts showing the amount of women in the nuclear science field over time (from 1940 to at least 2000). I also want to add more pictures of his family or himself, there isn't anything like that on the existing wikipedia page. I believe I did a good job of elaborating on the existing information on Wikipedia. The only other thing I can think of working on is providing better reasons for my alterations.
Thank you for checking my page out, please feel free to leave criticism,
Ronak Misson
Percival A.F. White | |
|---|---|
| Born | Percival Albert Frederick White 16 July 1916 |
| Died | 8 January 2013 (aged 96) |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupations | |
| Known for | Nuclear weapons development and advocacy of civilian nuclear technology |
Percival Albert Frederick White OBE (16 July 1916 – 8 January 2013) [1] was a British chemist, metallurgist and nuclear scientist who was involved in the creation and testing of Britain's first nuclear weapon during Operation Hurricane in 1952. He also made significant contributions to the advancement of explosives manufacturing, chemical engineering and civilian nuclear technology, and authored numerous books on engineering.
Early life and education
White was born in London in 1916 and moved to southern Wales at an early age. The child of a seamstress and tent-maker, he chose a different career path by studying chemistry at University College, Swansea and graduating at the age of 19 with first-class honours. He went on to study chemical engineering at University College London with a full scholarship, and then began a career in industrial metallurgy. [1]
Second World War
During the Second World War, White was recruited by the Ministry of Supply where he worked for the British government as a specialist in ammunition and chemical warfare. He focused on finding antidotes for chemical weapons, but very soon the factory needed a solution to their problem of low ammunition. While working for the Royal Ordnance Factories, he patented a method of efficiently manufacturing high explosive shells, thereby solving the factory's problem. [1] After the war, White worked in military research at the Defence Research Establishments at Waltham Abbey and Porton Down, before moving to the Woolwich Arsenal which was part of the ARD, or Armament Research Department, headed by William Penney. [1]
Nuclear weapons research and later career
In 1949, White joined the secret High Explosives Research (HER) project, which was tasked by Lord William Penney with producing Britain's first nuclear bomb. [2] In 1950, HER was moved to Aldermaston, where White served as the chief chemical engineer and helped create a crucial radioactive liquid treatment plant. [1] White, as the first scientist on-site, was tasked with laying the framework and foundation for the liquid treatment plant; nothing could move forward until the base had been designed and built. [1] The HER project culminated in the successful Operation Hurricane, Britain's first nuclear test, on 3 October 1952. Lord Penney described white as "an extremely able chemical engineer, self-confident, energetic, with an inquiring mind and the ability to express himself with extraordinary clarity" [1]. [3]
Thereafter, White continued to work in nuclear science, collaborating with American researchers and contributing to the development of the Dounreay civilian nuclear reactor. He was appointed OBE in 1966, and retired in 1972, though he continued to advise the British government and private companies on the use of chemical engineering and nuclear technology. [1] He also authored a number of books on chemical engineering and air filtration. [4]
Personal life
White married Jean Bracey in 1940; they had two children, and remained married until her death in 2007. At the time of White's death in 2013, he had two children, four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. [1] White was a keen amateur artist, training as an enameller at Southampton College of Art in his retirement, and exhibiting his artworks in London and Winchester. [1]
Changes in STEM Fields During White’s Lifetime
Percy White lived a long life and witnessed firsthand the changes in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields for both men and women. The following graphs highlight the change in the number of women and men in such fields during his lifetime: The graph on the left shows the rising number of women in STEM fields during White’s lifetime. The graph on the right shows the number of PhD degrees awarded to both women and men from 1970 to 2000. The right hand graph shows a very close number of degrees for men and women from 1990 to 2000.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Percy White obituary". The Guardian. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ "Our History". AWE.co.uk. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ "3 October 1952 – First British Nuclear Test". CTBTO.org. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ "White, P. A. F. (Percival Albert Frederick)". WorldCat.org. 2010. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
External links
- "Great minds: alumnus Percy White". Swansea University. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
Category:1916 births Category:2013 deaths Category:Alumni of University College London Category:Alumni of Swansea University Category:British chemists Category:British chemical engineers Category:British metallurgists Category:British nuclear physicists Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:Scientists from London