Bennett Lewis
Encyclopedia
Wilfrid Bennett Lewis, (June 24, 1908 – January 10, 1987) was a Canadian
nuclear scientist and administrator, and was centrally involved in the development of the CANDU reactor.
Born in Castle Carrock, Cumberland, England, he earned a doctorate
in physics
at Cavendish Laboratory
, University of Cambridge
in 1934, and continued his research in nuclear physics there until 1939. From 1939 until 1946, he was with the Air Ministry
, becoming Chief Superintendent of the Telecommunications Research Establishment
. In 1946, he moved to Canada, to become director of the division of Atomic Energy Research at the National Research Council of Canada
in Chalk River, Ontario
. From 1952 until 1963, he was Vice President, Research and Development of the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
, and was Senior Vice President, Science from 1963 until 1973.
Starting in the mid-1940s, Lewis directed the development and championed the CANDU system, with its natural uranium
fuel moderated by heavy water
(deuterium oxide) to control neutron flux. The CANDU has proven its value for commercial power applications, showing outstanding efficiency and safety records. AECL also became a world leader in the production of radioisotopes for medical purposes.
From 1973 until his death in 1987, Lewis was a Distinguished Professor of Science at Queen's University
.
From 1955 until 1987, he was the Canadian Representative on the United Nations Scientific Advisory Committee.
In 1994 a biography of Lewis entitled Nuclear Pursuits was put out by Ruth Fawcett
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
nuclear scientist and administrator, and was centrally involved in the development of the CANDU reactor.
Born in Castle Carrock, Cumberland, England, he earned a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at Cavendish Laboratory
Cavendish Laboratory
The Cavendish Laboratory is the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge, and is part of the university's School of Physical Sciences. It was opened in 1874 as a teaching laboratory....
, University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in 1934, and continued his research in nuclear physics there until 1939. From 1939 until 1946, he was with the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
, becoming Chief Superintendent of the Telecommunications Research Establishment
Telecommunications Research Establishment
The Telecommunications Research Establishment was the main United Kingdom research and development organization for radio navigation, radar, infra-red detection for heat seeking missiles, and related work for the Royal Air Force during World War II and the years that followed. The name was...
. In 1946, he moved to Canada, to become director of the division of Atomic Energy Research at the National Research Council of Canada
National Research Council of Canada
The National Research Council is an agency of the Government of Canada which conducts scientific research and development.- History :...
in Chalk River, Ontario
Chalk River, Ontario
Chalk River is a Canadian rural community part of the Laurentian Hills municipality in Renfrew County, Ontario. It is located in the Upper Ottawa Valley along Highway 17 , 10 km inland from the Ottawa River, approximately 21 km northwest of Petawawa, and 182 km northwest of Ottawa...
. From 1952 until 1963, he was Vice President, Research and Development of the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited or AECL is a Canadian federal Crown corporation and Canada's largest nuclear science and technology laboratory...
, and was Senior Vice President, Science from 1963 until 1973.
Starting in the mid-1940s, Lewis directed the development and championed the CANDU system, with its natural uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
fuel moderated by heavy water
Heavy water
Heavy water is water highly enriched in the hydrogen isotope deuterium; e.g., heavy water used in CANDU reactors is 99.75% enriched by hydrogen atom-fraction...
(deuterium oxide) to control neutron flux. The CANDU has proven its value for commercial power applications, showing outstanding efficiency and safety records. AECL also became a world leader in the production of radioisotopes for medical purposes.
From 1973 until his death in 1987, Lewis was a Distinguished Professor of Science at Queen's University
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
.
From 1955 until 1987, he was the Canadian Representative on the United Nations Scientific Advisory Committee.
In 1994 a biography of Lewis entitled Nuclear Pursuits was put out by Ruth Fawcett
Ruth Fawcett
Ruth Fawcett is the daughter of British-Canadian physicist Eric Fawcett, and the sister-in-law of historian Roger Sarty. She is the author of Nuclear Pursuits, the biography of Canadian nuclear-industry pioneer Wilfrid Bennett Lewis.Fawcett currently lives with her family in Ottawa, Canada...
.
Honours
- In 1945 he was made a Fellow of the Royal SocietyRoyal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
of London. - In 1946 he was made a Commander of the British Empire
- In 1964 he received an honorary Doctor of Science from the University of SaskatchewanUniversity of SaskatchewanThe University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
. - In 1966 he was the first recipient Outstanding Achievement Award of the Public Service of Canada.
- In 1967 he was made a Companion of the Order of CanadaOrder of CanadaThe Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
. - In 1967 he received the United States Atoms for Peace AwardAtoms for Peace AwardThe Atoms for Peace Award was established in 1955 through a grant of $1,000,000 by the Ford Motor Company Fund. An independent nonprofit corporation was set up to administer the award for the development or application of peaceful nuclear technology. It was created in response to U.S. President...
- In 1972 he won the Royal MedalRoyal MedalThe Royal Medal, also known as The Queen's Medal, is a silver-gilt medal awarded each year by the Royal Society, two for "the most important contributions to the advancement of natural knowledge" and one for "distinguished contributions in the applied sciences" made within the Commonwealth of...
of the Royal SocietyRoyal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
of London - In 1981 he received the United States Department of EnergyUnited States Department of EnergyThe United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
Enrico Fermi AwardEnrico Fermi AwardThe Enrico Fermi Award is an award honoring scientists of international stature for their lifetime achievement in the development, use, or production of energy. It is administered by the U.S. government's Department of Energy...
Further reading
- Canada and the Atomic Revolution, by D.M. LeBourdais, TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, McClelland and Stewart Limited, 1959. - Canada's Nuclear Story, by Wilfrid Eggleston, TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Clarke, Irwin & Company, 1965. - Science and Politics in Canada, by G. Bruce Doern, MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, McGill-Queen's University Press, 1972. - Canadian Nuclear Policies, edited by G. Bruce Doern and Robert W. Morrison, MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, The Institute for Research on Public Policy, 1980, ISBN 0-920380-25-5. - Nucleus: The History of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, by Robert BothwellRobert BothwellRobert Bothwell is a professor of Canadian history, and the foremost scholar on Canadian Cold War participation, as well as a frequently published author.-Career:...
, TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, University of Toronto Press, 1988, ISBN 0-8020-2670-2. - Nuclear Pursuits: The Scientific Biography of Wilfrid Bennett Lewis, by Ruth FawcettRuth FawcettRuth Fawcett is the daughter of British-Canadian physicist Eric Fawcett, and the sister-in-law of historian Roger Sarty. She is the author of Nuclear Pursuits, the biography of Canadian nuclear-industry pioneer Wilfrid Bennett Lewis.Fawcett currently lives with her family in Ottawa, Canada...
, MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, McGill-Queen's University Press, 1994. - Canada Enters the Nuclear Age: A Technical History of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, project coordination by Eugene Critoph, MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, McGill-Queen's University Press, 1997, ISBN 0-7735-1601-8. - Isotopes and Innovation: MDS Nordion's First Fifty Years, 1946-1996, by Paul Litt, MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, McGill-Queen's University Press, 2000, ISBN 0-7735-2082-1. - Canadian Nuclear Energy Policy: Changing Ideas, Institutions, and Interests, edited by G. Bruce Doern, Arslan Dorman, and Robert W. Morrison, TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, University of Toronto Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8020-4788-2. - Risky Business: Nuclear Power and Public Protest in Canada, by Michael D. Mehta, Lanham, Maryland, USA, Lexington Books, 2005, ISBN 0-7391-0910-3.
- The Politics of CANDU Exports, by Duane Bratt, TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, University of Toronto Press, 2006, ISBN 0-8020-9091-5.