John Alexander McClelland FRS (1 December 1870 – 13 April 1920) was an Irish physicist known for pioneering work on the scattering of β rays, the conductivity of gases, and the mobility of ions.[1]

Biography

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McClelland was the son of William McClelland of Dunallis, Coleraine and received his education at Queen's College, Galway. In 1895 he received a fellowship from the Royal University of Ireland and spent 1896–1900 at Cavendish Laboratory, while pursuing a research degree at Cambridge.[2][1]

In 1900 he was appointed Professor of Experimental Physics at University College, Dublin.[3] Among his other posts McClelland served as a Commissioner of National Education, a member of the Senate of the National University of Ireland and, in 1907, secretary to the Royal Irish Academy. During World War I he served as a member of the Inventions Committee and the Committee for Organisation in Industrial Research.

In 1909 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society[4] and in 1917 was awarded the Boyle medal of the Royal Dublin Society.[5]

In 1901 married Ina Esdale. They had five children.[3]

John A. McClelland died on 13 April 1920.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b The Scientific Work of John A. McClelland: A Recently Discovered Manuscript Physics in Perspective, September 2010, Volume 12, Issue 3, pp. 266-306
  2. ^ A history of the Cavendish laboratory 1871-1910: With 3 portraits in a … A history of the Cavendish laboratory By University of Cambridge. Cavendish Laboratory, p. 325
  3. ^ a b John A. McClelland: The Scientific Work and Legacy of a Physics Pioneer Aerosol Science and Technology: History and Reviews, Edited by David S. Ensor; Chapter 4
  4. ^ List of Fellows of the Royal Society: 1660 – 2007
  5. ^ Boyle Medal Laureates
  6. ^ "At Home". The Guardian. 14 April 1920. p. 16. Retrieved 6 January 2020 – via Newspapers.com.