8/19/2010
"Spark of Genius: The Story of John Bardeen," premiered August 26 on the Big Ten Network. Sponsored, in part, by the College of Engineering, the half-hour feature examines the spark of genius that fired in Bardeen throughout his life and while he worked as a professor of physics and of electrical engineering.
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"Spark of Genius: The Story of John Bardeen," premiered August 26 on the Big Ten Network. Sponsored, in part, by the College of Engineering, the half-hour feature examines the spark of genius that fired in Bardeen throughout his life and while he worked as a professor of physics and of electrical engineering.
Imagine, if you can, a world without computers, cell phones or all modern electronics. This would be a world without John Bardeen. In 1947, Bardeen and Bell Labs' colleague Walter Brattain invented the transistor which amplifies and switches electronic signals. The “solid state” transistor replaced vacuum tubes as the building block of modern radios and other small electronic devices.
In 1951, Bardeen left Bell Labs to enjoy the freedom of pursuing his own research at Illinois. Here he would become the first person to win two Nobel Prizes in Physics. Bardeen shared his first Nobel with William Shockley and Walter Brattain for the transistor. Bardeen’s second prize was shared with Leon Cooper and J. Robert Schrieffer for their explanation of the theory of superconductivity, known as the BCS Theory. They were the first to explain on a microscopic level how a metal has zero electrical resistance at very low temperatures.
During his 60-year scientific career, Bardeen made significant contributions to almost every aspect of condensed matter physics--from his early work on the electronic behavior of metals, the surface properties of semiconductors and the theory of diffusion of atoms in crystals to his most recent work on quasi-one-dimensional metals. In his eighty-third year, he continued to publish original scientific papers.
In "Spark of Genius," Bardeen's first electrical engineering graduate student Nick Holonyak and his first physics post-doc David Pines share their memories of his groundbreaking work done at Illinois. Other esteemed scientists such as Nobel Laureate Tony Leggett and U.S, Medal of Science winner Charlie Slichter remember Bardeen as a hard working scientist who was also a loving father and dedicated golfer.
Following its network debut, "Spark of Genius" will also air on September 2, 16, and 30. See the Big Ten Network website for schedule.
To learn more about John Bardeen and his accomplishments, visit the John Bardeen Memorial page on the Department of Physics website.
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If you have any questions about the College of Engineering, or other story ideas, contact Rick Kubetz, Engineering Communications Office, 217/244-7716, editor.