Ernest Rutherford's Personality Traits

One of the most recognized names in the field of science is Ernest Rutherford, who made tremendous contributions to the disciplines of chemistry and physics during the early twentieth century. Every general chemistry or physics textbook describes the work that Rutherford performed and how it has shaped our understanding of atomic structure. However, while the importance of his scientific work is well described, these textbooks make no mention of the personal life of this great scientist. The memoir, Rutherford- Recollections of the Cambridge Days, provides the reader with a picture of Rutherford’s personality and life. The book was written by Mark Oliphant, a graduate student of Rutherford’s who became his close friend and colleague during …show more content…
As the extent of my knowledge of Rutherford prior to reading this book had merely been the ability to identify his name on a multiple choice exam, it was very interesting to learn about the personality of the man who made this great discovery. Oliphant describes Rutherford as having an extremely outgoing personality, a temperament that is commonly thought to be unusual for a scientist. Rutherford had a boisterous laugh and a keen sense of humor, and Oliphant recounts that one could hear him coming down the hall long before he entered the laboratory. One of the most interesting aspects of his character is that he was extremely enthusiastic about both his own work and the work of his students. One story is recounted in which Rutherford and his student Oliphant did not understand the meaning of the results they obtained for a particular experiment. That night, Oliphant’s telephone rang at three in the morning. Worried that something was wrong, Oliphant answered and was surprised to discover that it was Rutherford, who was calling to exclaim that he had figured out the meaning of the strange results. Rutherford was excited by the meaning of his work and had a deep passion for his research. He regarded his career at Cambridge as being much more than simply a job that will pay the bills. His incredible enthusiasm to learn and discover are undoubtedly character traits that allowed him to become one of the greatest scientists in the world. These important character traits cannot be conveyed through textbooks and scientific journals, so science students often do not realize what personal qualities and characteristics allow scientists to be successful. Often, students believe that the greatness of the scientist’s work is entirely due to their immense intelligence. While it is true that Rutherford was extremely intelligent and insightful, after reading this