Talk:Gladys Mackenzie/draft

Gladys Mackenzie
Born	May 2nd 1903 Edinburgh, Scotland
Education	University of Edinburgh 1919-1924
Spouse	Wallace Russell Harper
Parents	Lachlan Paterson Mackenzie (father) Helen Macgregor Martin (mother)

Gladys Mackenzie

Gladys Isabel Harper (née Mackenzie; born May 2, 1903) was a British physicist. She conducted research in X-ray physics, focusing on topics such as the alpha particles, X-ray monochromatization, and spectroscopy. Her research of alpha particles proved that the theory of Gaunt can also be applied to molecular hydrogen. She also developed through her research of crystal and slit systems a quantitative general theory for analysis of composite radiation and production of monochromatic beams. She attended University of Edinburgh and graduated with an M.A. and B.Sc. in Mathematics and Natural Philosophy. She worked as an assistant at the University of Edinburgh for two years before being appointed to a Lectureship in Physics at Newnham College in Cambridge. She was also a physics lecturer at Bristol University and later a part-time lecturer in physics at Queen Elizabeth College in London, where she was named an honorary lecturer in 1970.

Early life

Gladys Mackenzie was born on May 2nd, 1903 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Her father, Lachlan Paterson Mackenzie, was an ironfounder and her mother, Helen Macgregor Martin was a teacher. As a child, Mackenzie attended Craigmount School in Edinburgh from 1913 to 1919. She showed an early aptitude for mathematics after taking the Scottish Leaving Certificate Examinations. The first time she took the exam, she obtained a pass in Lower Mathematics. However the next year, she received passes in Higher Level Mathematics, as well as in English, French, and Latin.

College

Mackenzie began her higher education at the University of Edinburgh in 1919. When she joined the university, she identified Church of Scotland as her religious denomination. While attending the university, she took a wide range of classes, both at the Ordinary and Honours levels. She studied Ordinary 1st and 2nd Mathematics, Chemistry, Natural Philosophy, and Philosophy. She also took many Honours level courses, such as Natural Philosophy, Mathematics, Final Natural Philosophy, Final Mathematics, Calculus, General Analysis, Heat, Electricity I and II, General Physics, Higher Algebra and Geometry. She gradated on July 17th 1924 with an M.A. and B.Sc. in Mathematics and Natural Philosophy. Because of the large number of Honours level classes she took, she graduated with First Class Honours.

Career and research

Early career

Following her graduation in 1924, Mackenzie worked for the University of Edinburgh as an assistant in the Department of Natural Philosophy. While working as an assistant, she collaborated with Charles Glover Barkla. The two conducted research on the J phenomenon together. She was also a demonstrator in the physics laboratory during this time.

In August of 1926, Mackenzie left the University of Edinburgh and began working at Newnham College. She was appointed as a Lecturer in Physics. She resigned from her position at Newnham College in 1930 to continue her research at Bristol University.

Mackenzie worked part time at Bristol University from 1933 to 1939. She taught classes while focusing primarily on her research. In 1939, she was appointed as a full time lecturer for the Department of Physics, which she held until 1947.

Independent X-ray research

Alpha particles

Gladys Mackenzie was a Bristol University scholar from 1929 to 1930 before becoming a Research Fellow. From the beginning of her time at Bristol University in 1929 to her resignation in 1947, Mackenzie conducted her most note-worthy research. She started by researching methods of measuring the ranges of alpha particles. She tested ranges of alpha particles at varying initial velocities as they traveled through gases such as air, oxygen, nitrogen, argon and hydrogen and observed the stopping power of these gases as the particles traveled through them. She discovered a relationship between the range of the alpha particles and its initial velocity and proved that the theory of Gaunt for the stopping power of hydrogen atoms is also applicable for molecular hydrogen. This research was published in 1930.

X-ray monochromatization and spectroscopy

Following this publication, she shifted her focus to the usage of crystal and slit systems for the purpose of X-ray monochromatization and spectroscopy. In regards to X-ray physics, crystal and slit systems are used for analysis of crystal structure, wave-length determination, spectroscopic analysis of composite radiation, and the production of monochromatic beams. The former two usages had already been thoroughly researched, so Mackenzie focused on the latter two which had not received as much attention. Her research developed a quantitative general theory for using crystal and slit systems for production of monochromatic beams and for analysis of composite radiation. She studied the effect of slit breadth, slit height, and crystal setting and determined that, according to her findings, the ideal design of slit systems is very different from the design most commonly used.

Later career

Mackenzie worked as a part time teacher at the Channing School in Highgate, London from 1952 to 1958. She left this position when she was offered a part time lectureship in physics at Queen Elizabeth College in London. She retired in 1970 following her husbands death.

Awards and Professional Membership

Gladys Mackenzie joined the Edinburgh Mathematical Society while working at the University of Edinburgh. She was elected to the society on March 6th 1925 and left in 1930.

Mackenzie was named and honorary lecturer at Queen Elizabeth College in 1970.

Publications

Notes on the superposition of x-rays and on scattering: the J phenomenon (Part III)

Notes on scattered x-rays: the J phenomenon (Part V) .

G I Harper and E Salaman, Measurements on the Ranges of Alpha-Particles

G I Harper, On Crystal and Slit Systems for X-Ray Monochromatization and Spectroscopy in 1935..

Private life

Mackenzie married physicist Wallace Russell Harper, Ph.D. on March 14 1929. They had one son together. She died after 1972.