Frederick Gardner Cottrell
Encyclopedia
Frederick Gardner Cottrell (January 10,1877 - November 16, 1948) was an American
physical chemist and inventor. A native of Oakland, California
, his immense curiosity gained him notice as a prodigious reader. But his achievements were also an ambitious response to economic necessity. He finished high school, entered the University of California, Berkeley
at age 16 and graduated in 3 years. He also went into Harvard, but dropped out in three weeks because of overloaded stress. Pursuing graduate work in Germany
, he received an advanced degree from the University of Berlin in 1901 and a Ph.D. from the University of Leipzig
in 1902.
Returning to a professorship at the University of California
, he embarked on work which would culminate in 1908 with a patent for the electrostatic precipitator
. It remains a principal technology for pollutant removal from industrial waste flows to this day.
Cottrell recognized the business potential of his invention and decided to use it to fund scientific research through the creation of the Research Corporation in 1912 to which he assigned his and other patents. Among the first established in the U.S., this foundation continues to provide vital funding to many scientific projects. Past beneficiaries include the following:
Cottrell later served as director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines and was instrumental in helium
production during World War I
. In 1921 he began work with the National Research Council
, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture
’s Fixed Nitrogen Laboratory. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences
in 1939.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physical chemist and inventor. A native of Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, his immense curiosity gained him notice as a prodigious reader. But his achievements were also an ambitious response to economic necessity. He finished high school, entered the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
at age 16 and graduated in 3 years. He also went into Harvard, but dropped out in three weeks because of overloaded stress. Pursuing graduate work in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, he received an advanced degree from the University of Berlin in 1901 and a Ph.D. from the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
in 1902.
Returning to a professorship at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, he embarked on work which would culminate in 1908 with a patent for the electrostatic precipitator
Electrostatic precipitator
An electrostatic precipitator , or electrostatic air cleaner is a particulate collection device that removes particles from a flowing gas using the force of an induced electrostatic charge...
. It remains a principal technology for pollutant removal from industrial waste flows to this day.
Cottrell recognized the business potential of his invention and decided to use it to fund scientific research through the creation of the Research Corporation in 1912 to which he assigned his and other patents. Among the first established in the U.S., this foundation continues to provide vital funding to many scientific projects. Past beneficiaries include the following:
- GoddardRobert H. GoddardRobert Hutchings Goddard was an American professor, physicist and inventor who is credited with creating and building the world's first liquid-fueled rocket, which he successfully launched on March 16, 1926...
's rocketry experiments - LawrenceErnest LawrenceErnest Orlando Lawrence was an American physicist and Nobel Laureate, known for his invention, utilization, and improvement of the cyclotron atom-smasher beginning in 1929, based on his studies of the works of Rolf Widerøe, and his later work in uranium-isotope separation for the Manhattan Project...
's cyclotronCyclotronIn technology, a cyclotron is a type of particle accelerator. In physics, the cyclotron frequency or gyrofrequency is the frequency of a charged particle moving perpendicularly to the direction of a uniform magnetic field, i.e. a magnetic field of constant magnitude and direction... - Production methods for vitamins AVitamin AVitamin A is a vitamin that is needed by the retina of the eye in the form of a specific metabolite, the light-absorbing molecule retinal, that is necessary for both low-light and color vision...
and B1
Cottrell later served as director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines and was instrumental in helium
Helium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
production during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In 1921 he began work with the National Research Council
United States National Research Council
The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
’s Fixed Nitrogen Laboratory. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
in 1939.