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James Clerk Maxwell was  hailed as the No 1 Scientist in a National Library of Scotland poll, and the 4th most important topic in Scotland’s History by a BBC poll.

Scottish Parliament Debate on
James Clerk Maxwell
Read Official Report

Reproduced below, by kind permission, are some press articles related to Maxwell Year 2006.  Click on a headline to go to the full text.  (Most recent first.)

Edinburgh Evening News, Friday 17th November 2006
Maxwell's in poll position
EDINBURGH'S "forgotten" scientist seems to be well remembered after all.

The Scotsman, November 8th 2006
'Dafty' genius honoured
Edinburgh Academy's new science centre, named after a famed former pupil

Press Release from Wolfson Microelectronics plc  September 5th 2006
World-Class Award for E-Pioneers
The IEEE/RSE James Clerk Maxwell Award

Hawaii Tribune Herald, Tuesday June 20th 2006
Joint Astronomy Center marks birthday of James Clerk Maxwell

Galloway News, Thursday 15th June 2006
Scientists join Clerk Maxwell celebration

BBC NEWS, Tuesday 13th June 2006
Influential scientist remembered

Edinburgh Evening News, Tuesday 9 May 2006
MPs vote to honour Maxwell

Edinburgh Evening News, Friday 5 May 2006
Scientist history forgot finds place in public equation

Edinburgh Evening News, Friday 28 April 2006
Photo pioneer legacy lives on in statue bid

The Sunday Post, April 23 2006
Brainy young James wasn't so daft after all

The Scotsman, April 15 2006
Spotlight shines on Maxwell's genius 175 years on through special events
This article was originally published alongside Prof Malcolm Longair’s article

Edinburgh Evening News, Friday 24 Feb 2006
Foundations laid for school science block

Edinburgh Evening News, Monday 19 Dec 2005
City set to honour its 'forgotten scientist'

Edinburgh Evening News, Saturday 10 Dec 2005
Campaigners have theory for memorial to city physicist


Edinburgh Evening News, Friday 17th November 2006
Maxwell's in poll position
JANE BRADLEY

EDINBURGH'S "forgotten" scientist seems to be well remembered after all.

James Clerk Maxwell has topped a poll aimed at finding Scotland's top scientist - coming ahead of such luminaries as John Logie Baird and Alexander Graham Bell. It comes after city physicists mounted a campaign for Maxwell to be given the recognition he deserves.

Said to be an inspiration to Albert Einstein, his research has led to innovations such as mobile phones and microwaves.

More than 14,000 people across Scotland voted in the National Library of Scotland's Scottish Science Hall of Fame poll between December 2005 and last month.

A short profile of each contender was featured on the library's website, next to pictures of them drawn by Evening News cartoonist Frank Boyle.

Bruce Borthwick, who has worked with Edinburgh's James Clerk Maxwell Foundation during the past year to promote the scientist's work on the 175th anniversary of his birth, said he was delighted with the poll result.

He said: "It is fantastic that people are starting to realise what Maxwell has actually contributed to our lives. I am just in awe, when I walk through Edinburgh, to be walking on the same streets as him. By being voted number one in the poll, he has shown the amazing importance of his work, as Einstein himself recognised."
 
Born at 14 India Street, New Town, in 1831, Maxwell became the youngest ever member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh - accepted at the age of 14. He studied at Edinburgh Academy, then moved on to work at Cambridge and Aberdeen universities, where he created a set of theories of electricity and magnetic lines of force.

His work paved the way for hundreds of modern inventions, including the mobile phone, television and X-ray machines.

Mr Borthwick said the headline-hitting "invisibility cloak" being created in Scotland as a possible tool for the military would not have been possible without Maxwell's discoveries.

Catherine Booth, curator of science at the National Library of Scotland, said: "We wanted to raise the profile of Scottish scientists and I think it has worked very well. The work to promote Clerk Maxwell has paid off - and people acknowledge the importance of his work."

©The Scotsman Publications Ltd – reproduced here with kind permission.
Original article: http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=1704392006

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The Scotsman, November 8th 2006
Dafty' genius honoured
PAUL RIDDELL explores Edinburgh Academy's new science centre, named after a famed former pupil

EINSTEIN put a picture of him on his study wall - and declared his discoveries about the nature of physical reality "the most profound and the most fruitful that physics has experienced since Newton".

Yet James Clerk Maxwell has always seemed to remain one of science's under-recognised geniuses. Perhaps his own modesty, or the "difficult" nature of his scientific findings, go some way towards explaining this, although Einstein's work is also by no means easy to comprehend.

Slowly, however, ever so slowly, Maxwell is gaining the acclaim that he deserves. Among his principal champions is his alma mater, Edinburgh Academy (he was there from 1841-7), which on Friday opened its magnificent new £4.3 million James Clerk Maxwell Science Centre at Henderson Row: nine state-of-the-art laboratories for the study of biology, chemistry and physics and a modern 172-seat lecture theatre that will make science an extremely attractive prospect indeed for the school's pupils.

The Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, an (''Academical'' himself observed, in his speech before unveiling a plaque to open the building, that Maxwell would have been more proud to have had the centre s named after him than anything else, even though a mountain on Venus is called Maxwell Montes in his honour, there is a James Clerk Maxwell building at Edinburgh University, and the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope is 4,092m up Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
 
The two-storey centre - designed by Sula McEwan of Lorn Macneal Architects, structural engineers SKM, services SI engineers K J Tait and quantity surveyors McLeod & Aitken - has a sandstone, glass and zinc exterior, which means it does not look out of place among the original 1824 buildings.

Inside, all the bright and spacious laboratories have interactive whiteboards and laptop access points, which allow the use is of software in teaching and saves note-taking time, and the most up-to-date equipment, including video cameras linked to microscopes.  Bunsen burners are still strongly in evidence, and some of Maxwell's equations adorn the wall in the in corridor between the main foyer and the lecture theatre.

Dr Alastair MacPherson, the head of biology at the school is keen to extol the virtues of the whiteboard - at the same time emphasising it should be complemented by book-learning.  He says it saves immense amounts of time, allowing him to get through three times as much material in a lesson, it improves teacher-pupil
interaction, and serves to increase the pupils' enthusiasm.

He says recall after note-taking would not be much higher than in this kind of learning and that, in any case, his pupils are expected to use his teaching as a basis for their own individual learning.

With the number of pupils studying science falling dramatically across Scotland, much to the detriment of the country's future, staff at Edinburgh Academy justifiably believe they will buck the trend.

Roger Wightman, the Academy's director of studies, says that the centre will now raise expectations for the rest of the school's buildings, and that was a challenge he was willing to accept, given that in time it was likely to lead to improvements in the quality of the built environment for all pupils.

When Maxwell first arrived at Edinburgh Academy from the family home, Glenlair in Galloway, wearing a tweed tunic, frilly collar and square-toed shoes with brass buckles and talking in a strong Galloway accent, his fellow pupils - it seems strange to relate now - called him "dafty".  But after a difficult first year he quickly demonstrated his remarkable aptitude across all subjects, winning the scripture biography prize in his second year.

He struck what were to be lifelong friendships with two other equally bright boys, Lewis Campbell and Peter Guthrie Tait.

By the age of 14 he had published his first scientific paper, about the types of curves that - using pins, string and a pencil - can be drawn on a piece of paper. The only person to have tackled the subject previously with
as much insight was the French philosopher, Rene Descartes.  Maxwell's work was better, and his paper was read out on his behalf at the Royal Society of Edinburgh. It is an achievement for pupils at the school to aspire to.

A spokesman for the school says: "With the construction of the James Clerk Maxwell Science Centre the Academy is making clear statements about both the importance of science within secondary education and its future at the Academy.

"In October, the academy announced its transformation to a fully co-educational school: the timing of this announcement with the opening of the science centre could hardly be more appropriate.

"For many years subjects like engineering and medicine have featured high on the destinations leaderboard of former pupils and the new science centre should help to increase that flow.

"Generations of boys and girls will benefit from a facility of which they and their teachers can be proud.”

©The Scotsman Publications Ltd – reproduced here with kind permission.
Original article: http://heritage.scotsman.com/news.cfm?id=1651232006

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Press Release from Wolfson Microelectronics plc  September 5th 2006
WORLD-CLASS AWARD FOR E-PIONEERS

Some of the world’s most phenomenal Scientists and Engineers are to be set what many may see as an impossible challenge. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE), Wolfson Microelectronics plc and The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) have teamed-up to create an annual, international award to encourage and reward transforming developments in electronics and electrical engineering or related fields which are profoundly improving people’s lives. The scale of the challenge lies in the identity of the pioneering Scottish Scientist whom the prize commemorates - James Clerk Maxwell. A hero of Einstein’s and the man who laid the foundations for almost all aspects of communications central to the way we live our lives today, Clerk Maxwell will be no easy act to follow.

President of The Royal Society of Edinburgh, Sir Michael Atiyah, said:

Maxwell ranks with Einstein as one of the founders of modern Physics and deserves much greater recognition in Scotland that he has previously received. This is the 175th anniversary of Maxwell’s birth and I am delighted that the IEEE is joining forces with the RSE and Wolfson Microelectronics to create this significant new international award which recognises Maxwell’s contribution to the whole of modern technology.

The exceptional winner of The IEEE/RSE James Clerk Maxwell Award will receive a $20,000 prize and a prestigious gold medal. The new award is being funded by Wolfson Microelectronics, a global leader in the supply of high performance mixed-signal chips for the digital consumer market. Wolfson’s global headquarters are in Edinburgh, Maxwell’s place of birth.

David Milne, CEO of Wolfson Microelectronics plc, commented:

Maxwell made a tremendous contribution to maths, astronomy and engineering, and is considered by many to be the father of electromagnetic theory. Wolfson is delighted to pay tribute to his remarkable legacy by supporting this award. It is essential that we encourage and reward the best international work in electronics and electrical engineering in order to encourage potential engineers and support the Maxwells of the future.

Seeking world-class competition, we are spreading the net wide – worldwide and there are no restrictions as to race, gender or age. The IEEE/RSE James Clerk Maxwell Award will be presented at the prestigious IEEE Honors Ceremony in the USA. The winner will also discuss their outstanding work at a high profile event in Scotland.

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Hawaii Tribune Herald, Tuesday June 20th 2006
Joint Astronomy Center marks birthday of James Clerk Maxwell

Famous Scottish physicist discovered theory of electromagnetism, changing man's views on the nature of light

James Clerk Maxwell may have been born 175 years ago, but that didn't stop the staff at the Joint Astronomy Center in Hilo from celebrating his birthday with a barbecue -- complete with a large cake with images of the telescope and its namesake.

June 13 was the 175th anniversary of Maxwell's birth. The famous Scottish physicist discovered the theory of electromagnetism and forever changed man's views on the nature of light. The James Clerk Maxwell Submillimeter Telescope atop Mauna Kea was named after this father of modern physics.

Maxwell was born in 1831 in Edinburgh, Scotland. At 25 he became professor of physics at Marischal College in Aberdeen. From there he moved first to King's College, London, and then to Cambridge to become the first professor of experimental physics and director of the newly created Cavendish Laboratory. It was at the Cavendish, over the next 50 years, that much of the physics of today developed from Maxwell's inspiration. He died in 1879.

His namesake telescope on Mauna Kea opened in 1987. It is the largest telescope of its kind. Its 50-foot dish collects submillimeter radiation, a form of light of wavelengths between infrared light and radio waves. This radiation is used to study the coldest material in the universe, such as interstellar clouds, the birthplaces of stars and planets, and dust rings around young stars.

©Hawaii Tribune Herald – reproduced here with kind permission.

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Galloway News, Thursday 15th June 2006
Scientists join Clerk Maxwell celebration

THE BIRTH of one of the world’s most inventive minds, James Clerk Maxwell, was celebrated in the Stewartry on Tuesday, marking 175 years since the great man was born in Edinburgh - and the years of his life spent in the Stewartry.

A day of events kicked off in the morning at the Baron’s Craig Hotel in Rockcliffe, where Basil Mahon, author of the book about Clerk Maxwell called “The Man Who Changed Everything”, gave an informative lecture on the physicist.

This was followed by lunch and an excursion to Parton, where he was buried in 1879.
At least 50 people gathered there for the next part of the day. Local historian Sam Callander, a noted local expert on the life of Clerk Maxwell, then accompanied visitors to the grave in the Old Kirk building where he was buried, and gave an impassioned, yet suitably light-hearted speech, followed by a minute of respectful silence.

The Kirk dates back the 1500s, and Clerk Maxwell would only have been three years old when the new Kirk was built next door to traditional standards, to accommodate two thirds of the local population which in those days covered a bigger district.

An arrangement of colourful wildflowers, which Clerk Maxwell is believed to have had a particular liking for, was placed on the grave.

The group then made their way down to Parton Hall, where Mr Callander has put together a fascinating exhibition, including a selection of pictures designed to enlighten people to the sheer extent of Maxwell’s inventiveness and give an insight into his family life.

Visitors expressed their belief that Clerk Maxwell should be hailed as an icon in the Stewartry, as a “son of the earth”, and for the way he “changed the world” on a level that matched the achievements of Albert Einstein.

David Mabbs, of the Baron’s Craig, a huge fan of Clerk Maxwell’s work and organiser of the day, said: “I would love to see Sam Callander recognised as a local treasure. In his 40 years of living here he has promoted the work of this great man to people from across the world, showing people around the area including groups from the USA, Russia, Japan and beyond.”

He also hopes to see Clerk Maxwell’s home at Glenlair, the next stop on the tour and the place where his great thesis was written, become a Centre of Excellence for physicists, a place to study and meditate.

Indeed a number of esteemed visitors were represented on the day, including David Ritchie of the Clerk Maxwell Foundation, which was set up in 1977 in order to buy his birthplace in Edinburgh’s India Street, which they achieved in 1993. Leading oncologists and radiologists then set up the Clerk Maxwell Cancer Research Fund, which now supports two projects in Aberdeen and Glasgow looking at treatment and early diagnosis.

Coinciding with the campaign is news that an official bid has now been launched to have Clerk Maxwell’s many achievements formally recognised in a local context.
Galloway and Upper Nithsdale MSP Alex Fergusson has put forward a motion in the Scottish Parliament, to be debated on June 28, to ensure due recognition is given to Clerk Maxwell’s life and achievements in his native land as it is in other countries.
Mr Fergusson said following the morning lecture: “He is a truly great Scot and it is time he is recognised as such.

“Clerk Maxwell was undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary scientific minds ever to come out of Scotland and yet there is a shameful lack of recognition of his achievements.”

The day was topped off with a unique evening recital of compositions created in the 1700s by Sir John Clerk, great great grandfather of James Clerk Maxwell, and promises from a number of quarters that further events to celebrate his life and works are on the horizon.

©Trinity Mirror plc – reproduced here with kind permission.

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BBC NEWS, Tuesday 13th June 2006
Influential scientist remembered

A series of events is under way to mark the 175th anniversary of the birth of Galloway physicist James Clerk Maxwell.

He is recognised as a scientist who helped to shape our understanding of many aspects of the modern world.

The most significant of his many achievements was identifying and writing the equations of the electromagnetic field.

That made possible technology such as the mobile phone, satellite communications, radio and television.

Born in Edinburgh on 13 June 1831, Clerk Maxwell's family moved to Glenlair near Corsock when he was a child.

He went on to rank alongside the likes of Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton in the field of scientific discovery.

Clerk Maxwell spent most of his life at the family estate and is buried at nearby Parton Church.

His biographer Basil Mahon is among the speakers at events to mark the anniversary.

Mr Mahon said the man deserved his place alongside the all-time greats.

"He changed almost everything in physics," Mr Mahon said.

"He came up with a number of completely new ideas in physics that were very strange to the people of the time but are completely normal now.

"I think you can certainly put him with Newton and Einstein in the world of physics.

"I think if you speak to any top physicist they would agree those are the top three and he doesn't automatically take the third spot."

Motion tabled

The Galloway and Upper Nithsdale Conservative MSP Alex Fergusson is also an admirer of Clerk Maxwell.

He has tabled a motion to the Scottish Parliament drawing attention to his achievements.

"I look forward to that debate as a first step in getting the recognition that he is due in his native land - a recognition that is already accorded him in many other countries," said Mr Fergusson.

"He is a truly great Scot and it is time he is recognised as such."

© BBC MMVI
Original article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/5075448.stm

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Edinburgh Evening News, Tuesday 9 May 2006
MPs vote to honour Maxwell

EDINBURGH'S "forgotten" scientist is to be remembered by politicians after a Lothians MP passed a motion to have his achievements recognised.

Mark Lazarowicz, MP for Edinburgh North and Leith, has tabled a motion at the House of Commons to note the work of Edinburgh-born James Clerk Maxwell, whose discoveries paved the way for the invention of TVs, mobile phones and microwaves.

The motion notes the 175th anniversary of the scientist's birth and mentions the tributes paid to him by famous scientists such as Max Planck and Albert Einstein, who said: "One scientific epoch ended and another began with James Clerk Maxwell."

The James Clerk Maxwell Foundation is based at the scientist's birthplace at 14 India Street, Stockbridge.

All events to celebrate the anniversary are listed at www.maxwellyear2006.org.

©The Scotsman Publications Ltd – reproduced here with kind permission.

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Edinburgh Evening News, Friday 5 May 2006
Scientist history forgot finds place in public equation
JANE BRADLEY

THE name Albert Einstein is synonymous with his famous formula E+MC², just as Isaac Newton will forever be remembered for discovering that what goes up, must come down. But "forgotten" Edinburgh scientist James Clerk Maxwell is lacking a similar catchy tagline to ensure he is a household name, despite having made discoveries which paved the way for hundreds of modern inventions, including the mobile phone, television and X-ray machines.

Now members of the James Clerk Maxwell Foundation have identified an equation which they hope will bring the scientist's work to the attention of the general public.
And the equation which has been chosen is fl=c, or frequency x wavelength = the speed of light.

In a joint project with educational charity the Digital Learning Foundation, the foundation's members have put together a 3D interactive roadshow.
It will tour schools and public places in Scotland in a bid to teach schoolchildren the importance of Clerk Maxwell's work to mark the 175th anniversary of his birth.
Born at 14 India Street, Stockbridge in 1831, he became the youngest ever member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh - accepted at the age of 14.

He studied at Edinburgh Academy, then moved on to work at Cambridge and Aberdeen universities, where he created a set of theories of electricity and magnetic lines of force, known in the world of physics as "Maxwell's Equations".  He also discovered that the speed of the movement of an electromagnetic field is approximately that of the speed of light.

This discovery, explained by the simple equation frequency x wavelength = the speed of light, paved the way for Einstein’s theory of relativity and has enabled the discovery of all modern inventions which use radio waves.
 
David Ritchie, a trustee of the James Clerk Maxwell Foundation, which is based at the scientist's India Street birthplace, said: "Why children don't hear too much about Clerk Maxwell's work is because the form in which it is expressed is very complex.

"All of the complicated theory behind this formula puts children off. We hope that it will become very clear to them when we demonstrate to them through the 3D show how the waves change."

He added: "Everything around us comes from this equation. It is what TV is based on, and radar too. His equation underlies everything from gamma waves to radio waves. They are at opposite ends of the spectrum, but they both use the same equation."

The roadshow, which is to be piloted at Clerk Maxwell's former school, Edinburgh Academy, in June, and is set to be rolled out across Scotland.
It will be visiting a number of schools in the Capital in September and will incorporate the visual 3D display.

Youngsters will be asked to don a pair of polarised 3D glasses, as in an IMAX cinema, and watch a computer-generated presentation on Clerk Maxwell's life and work. Experts on the scientist from the foundation will also be on hand to answer questions.

The show, which will focus on the importance of Clerk Maxwell's famous formula, and demonstrate the theory behind it in a simple way, will also include interactive elements where children can get involved with virtual experiments based on the scientist's theories.

The Foundation is also planning to exhibit the roadshow at public places in the Capital - although venues have not yet been confirmed.

Phil Lavery, trustee of the Digital Learning Foundation, said: "James Clerk Maxwell may well be the most important scientist in the world in terms of what he covered in his short life.
 
"It is a real shame that some members of the Scottish public do not know he existed."

He added: "We try to make the content of the workshop fun, which is important, because you've got to make the kids interested in what's going on."
 
Culture and Leisure leader Ricky Henderson said: "We wish the organisation well in promoting the profile of Clerk Maxwell and taking a greater understanding of his work to the citizens of Edinburgh. Hopefully more and more people will gain a better understanding that this scientist was a pioneer in his field, and of what he has done, that has led to the discoveries that benefit us all today."

©The Scotsman Publications Ltd – reproduced here with kind permission.

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Edinburgh Evening News, Friday 28 April 2006
Photo pioneer legacy lives on in statue bid

PLANS to erect a statue of physicist James Clerk Maxwell in the Capital are being considered by the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Born 175 years ago, Maxwell is internationally acclaimed as the father of modern physics, but has not achieved widespread recognition Edinburgh, his home city.

The physicist pioneered colour photography and his work paved the way for the invention of television, mobile phones and microwaves.

RSE president Sir Michael Atiyah said: "Maxwell ranks with Einstein as one of the founders of modern physics."

©The Scotsman Publications Ltd – reproduced here with kind permission.

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The Sunday Post, April 23 2006
Brainy young James wasn't so daft after all
By Patrick McFall

HIS school pals ribbed him mercilessly for his country accent, his tender years and his ill-fitting clothes.

But the boy they cruelly dubbed "Daftie" at Edinburgh Academy would go on to become one of the greatest scientists who ever lived.

James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) made arguably the most significant discovery of our age - the theory of electromagnetism.

It paved the way for the invention of TVs, mobile phones, microwaves and nuclear energy and earned Maxwell a legacy as the father of modern physics.
His fundamental contributions to maths, engineering and astronomy continue to electrify and shape the world we live in today.

The great Albert Einstein, no less, was openly indebted to the Scot's work and described it as "the most profound and the most fruitful that physics has experienced since the time of Newton."

Maxwell's discovery of electro-magnetic radiation directly led to the development of radio and infrared telescopes.

And today the largest astronomical telescope in the world - the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope - sits near the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii searching out distant galaxies.

His brilliant mind gave birth to many other landmark moments.

Using red, green and blue filters, for example, he produced the first colour photograph - of a tartan ribbon - a process that was the forerunner for today's technology.

But although his legacy remains huge, his undoubted genius has gone largely unacknowledged in Scotland.

To redress the balance, 2006 - the 175th anniversary of the great man's birth - has been officially declared Maxwell Year.

Events are taking place all across the country to bring his fantastic achievements home to the general public.

Dr Basil Mahon, the author of the acclaimed book The Man Who Changed Everything, gives the first in a series of public lectures on Maxwell on Tuesday at the University of Aberdeen.

"In the grand scale of things, if you had to pick out the three most important figures from the Physical Sciences you'd get Newton, Einstein - and Maxwell, " said Dr Mahon. "And you can't get much higher company than that.

"It's certainly a puzzle why he didn't get so much attention.

"He died when he was quite young (48) and he was still in full flow at the time, whereas Newton lived to quite a great age, as did Einstein.

"They became more famous as they grew older despite doing much of their creative work when they were young."

Maxwell, he says, was simply ahead of his time.

"The verification of his ideas only came about some while later, after he was dead.

"He was a very modest chap and, very unusually for a genius, a delightful man as well.

"He was full of fun and really enjoyed life."

Maxwell was appointed Professor of Physics at Marischal College in Aberdeen at the age of 25, where he met his wife Katherine, the daughter of the college principal.

They would have no children.

A post at King's College London followed before he moved to Cambridge to become the first Professor of Experimental Physics - lofty positions that, as Dr Mahon explains, were a far cry from his early school days.

Although born in Edinburgh, Maxwell spent much of his early years at the family estate near Dumfries.

"He had a very rough time when he first went to Edinburgh Academy at the age of 10", says Dr Mahon.

"He was new, the boys in his class were a year and a half older than him and he had a country accent which was odd to them.

"Worse, he was wearing rather strange clothes that his father had designed for him so he had a real ribbing at first and was given the name ‘Daftie'.
"He was a tough little fellow, though, and rode it out, and within a couple of years he'd shown himself to be the most brilliant pupil in the school."
And he adds, "Maxwell was one of the best known scientists in Britain during his lifetime.

"But what wasn't acknowledged was that he was far and away the greatest.

"Part of the reason was that his ideas were thought by some to be a bit outrageous, but the rest of the world just hadn't caught up with him yet."

© D.C. Thomson & Co Ltd 2006. Used with kind permission

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The Scotsman, April 15 2006
Spotlight shines on Maxwell's genius 175 years on through special events
By Ian Johnston


JAMES Clerk Maxwell's genius may have gone largely uncelebrated, but this year the 175th anniversary of his birth will see several events designed to put this right.

The Royal Museum in Edinburgh plans to host two keynote lectures by Professor Graeme Ackland - one for schools and another for the general public - in June. And there is currently a small display about arguably Scotland's greatest scientist at the museum in the history of science gallery.

However while Maxwell is ranked alongside Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein, his work failed to capture the popular imagination in the same way.

And as he was largely a theorist, there are few actual physical artefacts left which are associated with him.

Tacye Phillipson, science curator at the National Museums of Scotland, said: "James Clerk Maxwell was one of the key theoretical thinkers of his time and a great experimental teacher who was constantly looking for the best way to teach graduates.

"As a brilliant ideas man with highly developed experimental skills, his greatest scientific contributions were theoretical, so his legacy is less associated with material objects than some of the other great scientists."

The two objects held by the museum are a three-dimensional plaster model of the thermodynamic surface of water - based on mathematical equations that describe how substances pass from a solid to liquid and then gaseous state - and a spinning top built to show the stability of rotating objects.

The lectures by Prof Ackland, of Edinburgh University, will be held on Tuesday, 20 June, in the Chambers Street lecture theatre. The talk for schools is at 11am and the public lecture starts at 6:30pm. Both are free but tickets are required.

Maxwell biographer Dr Basil Mahon will give four talks about the great man in Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh later this month.

The first event at Aberdeen will be held on 25 April at 7:30pm in the Fraser Noble Building in Old Aberdeen, the second on 26 April at 7pm at Dundee University's Tower Extension lecture theatre, the third at Glasgow Science Centre on 27 April at 7:30pm, with the final talk in the James Clerk Maxwell Building in Edinburgh University's Kings Buildings on Friday, 28 April, at 7:30pm.

From 11 to 18 June, an exhibition about Maxwell will be held in Parton village hall, in Dumfries and Galloway near Glenlair, the scientist's family home, and the cemetery at Parton Kirk, where he is buried.

In the autumn of this year, the James Clerk Maxwell Centre will be opened at Edinburgh Academy, where Maxwell was a pupil. The centre is described as a "first-class new science facility".

Summing up Maxwell's contribution, the president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Sir Michael Atiyah, said: "After Isaac Newton, Maxwell was the greatest physicist that Britain has produced. He ranks with Einstein as one of the founders of modern physics.

"While Newton laid down the laws of mechanics, Maxwell produced the laws of electromagnetism. These underpin all of modern technology, from electric power to television and computers," Sir Michael said.

©The Scotsman Publications Ltd – reproduced here with kind permission.

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Edinburgh Evening News, Friday 24 Feb 2006
Foundations laid for school science block
JANE BRADLEY

A CITY school was today set to mark the laying of foundations for a £4.2 million science block.

Students from Edinburgh Academy, joined by former pupil and chief executive of the King's Fund Niall Dickson, are to bury a time capsule in the building as part of the ceremony.

Pupils Chris Allen, Donald Inwood and Gavin Duncan won a competition to come up with the best photograph to depict the school to go in the capsule.

The two-storey building, due to open in September 2006, will boast a dramatic glass main entrance, nine laboratories, with associated preparation areas and a 172-seat auditorium.

The new science block will be called the James Clerk Maxwell Centre, named after the former Edinburgh Academy pupil who became one of the world's greatest scientists. Maxwell, who was admired by Einstein and is internationally acclaimed as the father of modern physics, gave the world's first demonstration of colour photography.

©The Scotsman Publications Ltd – reproduced here with kind permission.
Original article: http://news.scotsman.com/education.cfm?id=287352006

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Edinburgh Evening News, Monday 19 Dec 2005
City set to honour its 'forgotten scientist'
JANE BRADLEY

A BANK note, a new musical work and a city museum are set to honour Edinburgh's forgotten scientist.

James Clerk Maxwell, who was greatly admired by Einstein and is internationally acclaimed as the father of modern physics, has until now been shunned in the city where he was born.

But now the physicist, who gave the world's first demonstration of colour photography and paved the way for the invention of TVs, mobile phones and microwaves, is the focus of a string of events in the Capital to mark the 175th anniversary of his birth next year.

The James Clerk Maxwell Foundation has co-ordinated a programme of events, from a parliamentary motion marking his achievements to the naming of a science block at his former school in his honour.

The Royal Bank of Scotland is considering proposals to print a bank note with Maxwell's portrait on it, ranking him alongside such famous faces as author Robert Louis Stevenson and golfer Jack Nicklaus.

And the Museum of Scotland, which has so far excluded Maxwell from its permanent Famous Scot exhibition, is to host a series of lectures to commemorate the physicist.

Born at 14 India Street, Stockbridge, Maxwell became the youngest ever member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, accepted at the age of 14.

Edinburgh Academy, where Maxwell was a pupil, is to name its new science block after him as part of the celebrations.

The opening of the block will be marked with a "Son et lumière" of the scientist's achievements accompanied by a specially written piece of music by a Glasgow composer.

The show, which will feature images of Maxwell's work, will then tour schools throughout Scotland.

Bruce Borthwick, who is working with the foundation to plan the celebrations, said: "I have been going to the Museum of Scotland for years and I couldn't believe they had not included James Clerk Maxwell in their line-up of Famous Scots.

"I have spoken to them about it and they will include him over the coming year and are also thinking about holding an exhibition.

"He is one of the most amazing scientists the world has ever seen - and should be one of Scotland's greatest heroes."

He added: "Einstein very rarely did any kind of public talk or lecture, but it is a true story that when the Royal Society of Edinburgh asked him to speak here, he agreed only on the condition that he would be allowed to walk on the same floorboards as James Clerk Maxwell had years before. That is how highly respected he was.

"What he did 150 years ago is impacting massively on what we have now - in areas such as telecommunications and even cancer research. This celebration of his life and work is extremely important. We want everyone to know who he is and what he has done for the heritage of all Scots."

A spokeswoman for the National Museums of Scotland said: "We are actively working with a number of organisations in Edinburgh to explore the ways in which the anniversary of the birth of James Clerk Maxwell will be marked next year.

"Our plan for 2006 is to host two lectures at the Royal Museum on his life and work."

She added the Museums were in discussion with the Federation over the possibility of a temporary exhibition about his life and work, but had no firm plans as yet.

MSP Sarah Boyack, who is to put forward a motion before the Scottish Executive honouring the scientist's work, said: "Not everyone knows about James Clerk Maxwell and his contribution to science.

"The main thing we want to do is raise his profile and emphasise the great things he has done that benefit us in everyday life."

A spokeswoman for the Royal Bank of Scotland added: "We have had a request for a commemorative bank note for James Clerk Maxwell and are currently considering it."

The Facts
James Clerk Maxwell's work has paved the way for  hundreds of everyday inventions.

His discoveries in the field of electromagnetism and light led to the invention of TV and a wide range of other telecoms devices including mobile phones, radio and wireless internet connections,

Maxwell analysed colour perception, which led him to invent the "trichromatic" process. Using red, green and blue filters, he produced the first colour photography - of a tartan ribbon,

Also a keen astronomer, his discovery of electromagnetic radiation led to the development of radio and infrared telescopes, which are currently exploring deepest space.  His theoretical study of Saturn's rings provided a physical explanation of the planet which was only recently confirmed by a space probe.

His main contribution to the development of science was a comprehensive theory of electromagnetism, which he summed up in a series of 20 equations, later simplified into the four basic laws now known as Maxwell's Equations.

©The Scotsman Publications Ltd – reproduced here with kind permission.
Original article: http://heritage.scotsman.com/people.cfm?id=2430282005

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Edinburgh Evening News, Saturday 10 Dec 2005
Campaigners have theory for memorial to city physicist
JANE BRADLEY

HE HAS been honoured with his own mountain range on Venus and a telescope named after him in Hawaii.

But there is no major public memorial in the Capital to city-born James Clerk Maxwell - one of the greatest theoretical physicists the world has ever known.

Now campaigners are lobbying to have a square planned for a new development in the heart of the Old Town named in honour of the scientist.

Clerk Maxwell, who made the world's first colour photograph, is best known for his work on electromagnetism and light, which paved the way for the invention of the television and even breakthroughs in cancer research.

His research was used as a basis for luminaries such as Albert Einstein and Max Planck.

Residents and scientists want the square, proposed as part of the Caltongate development behind the Canongate, to be called the James Clerk Maxwell Square.

They have also unveiled plans for a piece of art representing Maxwell's greatest discoveries - chosen through a Scotland-wide design competition and funded by the James Clerk Maxwell Foundation - to be exhibited in the square, alongside a plaque detailing his life and work.

The suggestion, put forward by Clerk Maxwell enthusiast Bruce Borthwick, is backed by the Foundation, the Old Town Residents' Association and local councillors.

Mr Borthwick said: "Clerk Maxwell is the greatest mind that Edinburgh, and indeed Scotland, has ever produced, yet he is more or less ignored.

"When I saw the plans for the development, it struck me that this is a wonderful idea. A lot of people will pass through this square and it would be a fantastic way of exposing his name."

He added: "If he was in any other country, people would be worshipping him.

"If he was a musician, people would be writing about him and talking about him like they do about Mozart - but they don't. This square would be a fitting public tribute to a great genius."

The final decision on the name of the square would be made by the council once planning permission for the development has been granted.

A council spokeswoman said names were usually chosen based on historical associations with the area.

A small engraved stone at 14 India Street, Stockbridge - where the scientist was born - and the James Clerk Maxwell building at King's Buildings in Edinburgh University, are the only city acknowledgements to his connection to Edinburgh.

Holyrood councillor Bill Cunningham said: "I am quite happy with the idea. Clerk Maxwell is an Edinburgh scientist and it would be nice to honour someone like that in naming the square. I will support the local residents in trying to make this happen. I think it would be a great idea if there was a plaque about Maxwell too."

A spokesman for the developers behind Caltongate, Mountgrange, said: "We have been in touch with the Old Town Association and the James Clerk Maxwell Foundation and the talks are ongoing."

The Facts
James Clerk Maxwell was one of the greatest theoretical physicists the world has ever known. Born on June 13, 1831 at 14 India Street, he was brought up in Edinburgh, was schooled at Edinburgh Academy (where he was known as "Dafty"), then became a student at Edinburgh University at the age of 16.

He was the youngest ever member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, being accepted at the age of 14. He went on to Trinity College, Cambridge, later becoming a fellow, and in 1856 was appointed professor of natural philosophy at Aberdeen's Marischal College.

Albert Einstein described his work as the "most profound and the most fruitful that physics has experienced since the time of Newton".

He said of Clerk Maxwell: "One epoch changed for mankind and another started with James Clerk Maxwell."

Clerk Maxwell died on November 5, 1879 of a form of hereditary cancer.

©The Scotsman Publications Ltd – reproduced here with kind permission.
Original article: http://heritage.scotsman.com/greatscots.cfm?id=2382542005

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