Gerasimos Danilatos
Encyclopedia
Gerasimos D. Danilatos (born circa 1953) is a Greek-Australian physicist
and inventor of ESEM
, the environmental scanning electron microscope.
He was born in Cefalonia, Greece. After the 1953 Ionian Earthquake
, his family moved to Patras
, where he attended elementary and high school.
After high school and military service, he graduated from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
and completed his physics degree with distinction. In 1972, he emigrated to Australia, and got married in 1979. He received his Ph.D. from the University of New South Wales
in January 1978 after completing his Thesis on "dynamic mechanical properties of keratin fibres". As a scientist at the same university, he then developed the environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM), after prior attempts by other workers to examine wet specimens under the electron beam. For the most part, he received financial support from the Australian Wool Corporation until 1986. In 2003, he received the Ernst Abbe Memorial Award from the New York Microscopical Society for his lifetime achievements.
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and inventor of ESEM
ESEM
The environmental scanning electron microscope or ESEM is a scanning electron microscope that allows for the option of collecting electron micrographs of specimens that are "wet," uncoated, or both by allowing for a gaseous environment in the specimen chamber...
, the environmental scanning electron microscope.
He was born in Cefalonia, Greece. After the 1953 Ionian Earthquake
1953 Ionian Earthquake
The Great 1953 Ionian Earthquake struck the southern Ionian Islands in Greece on August 12, 1953. In mid-August 1953, beginning on 8 August there were over 113 recorded earthquakes in the region between Kefalonia and Zakynthos, but the most destructive was the earthquake of August 12th...
, his family moved to Patras
Patras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
, where he attended elementary and high school.
After high school and military service, he graduated from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens , usually referred to simply as the University of Athens, is the oldest university in Southeast Europe and has been in continuous operation since its establishment in 1837. Today, it is the second-largest institution of higher learning in Greece,...
and completed his physics degree with distinction. In 1972, he emigrated to Australia, and got married in 1979. He received his Ph.D. from the University of New South Wales
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in January 1978 after completing his Thesis on "dynamic mechanical properties of keratin fibres". As a scientist at the same university, he then developed the environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM), after prior attempts by other workers to examine wet specimens under the electron beam. For the most part, he received financial support from the Australian Wool Corporation until 1986. In 2003, he received the Ernst Abbe Memorial Award from the New York Microscopical Society for his lifetime achievements.