Stories and musings about technicians.
Gareth is a sculpture technician at the University of Leeds in the School of Design. He helps students bring three-dimensional fruition to their treasured ideas; ideas that until then have only ever existed in their heads. This is his #TechnicianJourney.
Caroline Herschel (1750-1848) was an assistant to her brother William Herschel and a successful comet hunter in her own right. She was the first salaried female in the history of astronomy.
Clarence Dally (1865-1904) was a glass blower and assistant to Edison in his work on X-rays. His was one of the first deaths attributed to the effects of X-rays.
In 1990 the Blue Book was introduced in an attempt to give university technicians a promotions structure. Here is a short history – I would love to hear from anyone with more information.
Vicky Wilson rescued DNA fingerprinting from the laboratory dustbin of history. Hers was the first DNA in the world to be fingerprinted when she worked for Professor Sir Alex Jeffreys at the University of Leicester.
Trolley days: a technician’s search for meaning in the mundane. As I collect deliveries from reception I sometimes wonder whether all technicians have a favourite trolley. I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I do.
Peter Desaga (1812 – 1879) was an instrument maker from Heidelberg who designed and built the first Bunsen burner.
Michael Faraday (1791-1867) apprenticed to a book binder aged 14 he went on to become an assistant to Humphry Davy and eventually one of the greatest scientific discoverers of all time.
Margaret Flamsteed (c. 1670-1730) was wife and assistant to John Flamsteed, the first Astronomer Royal. Without her his greatest achievements would never have been published.
Christopher White (c.1650-1695?) was the first professional laboratory technician. Working in Oxford he was apothecary, alchemist, experimenter, teacher, and demonstrator.
#technicianjourney 