Athelstan Spilhaus
Encyclopedia
Athelstan Frederick Spilhaus (November 25, 1911 – March 30, 1998) was a South Africa
n-America
n geophysicist and oceanographer
. He was born in Cape Town
, South Africa
. He became a US citizen in 1946. Among other accomplishments, Spilhaus is credited with proposing the establishment of Sea Grant Colleges
at a meeting of the American Fisheries Society in 1963 as a parallel to the successful land-grant colleges
, which he claimed was "one of the best investments this nation ever made. The same kind of imagination and foresight should be applied to the exploration of the sea."
In 1936 Spilhaus joined the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
in Massachusetts, where he developed the bathythermograph
, which made the measurement of ocean depths and temperatures
from a moving vessel possible, a device which proved indispensable to submarine warfare
. This invention established his international reputation.http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utcah/00500/cah-00500.html
Later he became Dean of the University of Minnesota's
Institute of Technology
.http://it.umn.edu/news/inventing/1998_Spring/retrospect.html
Spilhaus was also chair of the scientific advisory committee of the American Newspaper Publishers Association. He became known by the public for his "Our New Age" Sunday feature, which appeared in the color comics section of 93 newspapers (1957–1973). http://seagrant.uaf.edu/news/fishlines/Apr98.html http://www.sandsmuseum.com/misc/spillhaus/about/autospil.html (Image of 11/28/71 strip) He apparently enjoyed authoring the feature; in response to a question about its broad scope in a mid-sixties TV interview, Spilhaus modestly replied he'd learned quite a lot by writing it.
He also served on the board of trustees of Science Service, now known as Society for Science & the Public
, from 1965 to 1978.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n-America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n geophysicist and oceanographer
Physical oceanography
Physical oceanography is the study of physical conditions and physical processes within the ocean, especially the motions and physical properties of ocean waters.Physical oceanography is one of several sub-domains into which oceanography is divided...
. He was born in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. He became a US citizen in 1946. Among other accomplishments, Spilhaus is credited with proposing the establishment of Sea Grant Colleges
Sea grant colleges
The National Sea Grant College Program is a program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration within the U.S. Department of Commerce...
at a meeting of the American Fisheries Society in 1963 as a parallel to the successful land-grant colleges
Land-grant university
Land-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....
, which he claimed was "one of the best investments this nation ever made. The same kind of imagination and foresight should be applied to the exploration of the sea."
In 1936 Spilhaus joined the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of all aspects of marine science and engineering and to the education of marine researchers. Established in 1930, it is the largest independent oceanographic research...
in Massachusetts, where he developed the bathythermograph
Bathythermograph
The bathythermograph, or BT, is a small torpedo-shaped device that holds a temperature sensor and a transducer to detect changes in water temperature versus depth. Lowered into the water from an underway ship, the BT records pressure and temperature changes as it is dropped through the water...
, which made the measurement of ocean depths and temperatures
Thermocline
A thermocline is a thin but distinct layer in a large body of fluid , in which temperature changes more rapidly with depth than it does in the layers above or below...
from a moving vessel possible, a device which proved indispensable to submarine warfare
Submarine warfare
Naval warfare is divided into three operational areas: surface warfare, air warfare and underwater warfare. The latter may be subdivided into submarine warfare and anti-submarine warfare as well as mine warfare and mine countermeasures...
. This invention established his international reputation.http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utcah/00500/cah-00500.html
Later he became Dean of the University of Minnesota's
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
Institute of Technology
University of Minnesota Institute of Technology
The College of Science and Engineering is one of the colleges of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. On July 1, 2010, the college was officially called the College of Science and Engineering , renamed from the Institute of Technology...
.http://it.umn.edu/news/inventing/1998_Spring/retrospect.html
Spilhaus was also chair of the scientific advisory committee of the American Newspaper Publishers Association. He became known by the public for his "Our New Age" Sunday feature, which appeared in the color comics section of 93 newspapers (1957–1973). http://seagrant.uaf.edu/news/fishlines/Apr98.html http://www.sandsmuseum.com/misc/spillhaus/about/autospil.html (Image of 11/28/71 strip) He apparently enjoyed authoring the feature; in response to a question about its broad scope in a mid-sixties TV interview, Spilhaus modestly replied he'd learned quite a lot by writing it.
He also served on the board of trustees of Science Service, now known as Society for Science & the Public
Society for Science & the Public
Society for Science & the Public , formerly known as Science Service, is a 5013 non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of science, through its science education programs and publications, including the weekly Science News magazine.Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the organization...
, from 1965 to 1978.
External links
- Biographical Memoir by William A. Nierenberg (Proceedings Of The American Philosophical Society Vol. 144, No. 3, September 2000)
- Retrospect: Athelstan Spilhaus at University of Minnesota Institute of TechnologyUniversity of Minnesota Institute of TechnologyThe College of Science and Engineering is one of the colleges of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. On July 1, 2010, the college was officially called the College of Science and Engineering , renamed from the Institute of Technology...
- Oral History interview transcript with Athelstan Spilhaus 10 November 1989, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives