ELEMENTS Heritage
Elements Heritage articles take us on a journey through the lives and careers of individuals who are part of our rich scientific heritage, preserving their stories for future generations.
Proposals for future articles are welcome and should be sent to the Elements Executive Editor.
Professor Rodney C. Ewin: The Consummate Multidisciplinary Scientist and Founding Editor of Elements
Prof. Rodney Charles Ewing of Stanford University passed away on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at age 77. Rod was the inaugural Frank Stanton Professor of Nuclear Security in the Stanford Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) in the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) and was also a professor in the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences in the Stanford-Doerr School of Sustainability, USA (2014–2024). He was a senior fellow at FSI and at the Precourt Institute for Energy and was co-director of Mineral-X. A giant in the fields of mineral sci- ences, geochemistry, nuclear materials and security, and materials science and engineering, Rod Ewing made fundamental contributions to understanding the effects of radiation on minerals, ceramics, and nuclear materials in his more than 50-year career. Rod is also remembered for his great service to and active role in many professional societies, which exempli- fies his strong belief that service is just as important as research. He was beloved by over 100 graduate students and postdocs for whom he served as mentor and by dozens of professional colleagues who had the privilege of working with Rod over his long and extremely fruitful career.
Dr Barbara S. Neumann: Clay Scientist, Industrial Pioneer, Creator of Laponite
By Kirill Shafran, Christopher V. Jeans and Simon J. Kemp | February, 2021
Dr Barbara Zsusanna (Susanna) Neumann was the inventor of the extraordinary product known as Laponite®, which is a synthetic hectorite clay. The range of Laponite® products, developed in the UK during the early 1960s, is one of the first examples of truly nano-dimensional materials manufactured on an industrial scale at the time when the field of nanotechnology was only being hinted at (Feynman 1960). These hectorite-like synthetic nano-clays with very unusual properties have been an enduring commercial success for the UK company that first patented and introduced them to the market, Laporte Industries, and which is now a part of the BYK company.