IEEE Milestone in Electrical Engineering and Computing
Callan's Pioneering Contributions to Electrical Science and Technology
Reverend Nicholas Callan (1799 - 1864)
The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (The IEEE), the world's largest professional association for the advancement of technology, initiated a Milestones program in 1983 to honour significant achievements in the history of electrical and electronics engineering. In March of this year the IEEE accepted a proposal to have the scientific contributions of Irish Scientist, Rev Nicholas Callan, recognised as an IEEE historic milestone in electrical engineering.
To mark the occasion a permanent display will be placed in the foyer of the Electronic Engineering and Bio-Sciences Building at NUI Maynooth, together with a bronze plaque presented by the IEEE. The plaque will be unveiled by Michael Lightner, President of the IEEE, at a dedication ceremony on the evening of the 5th September 2006.
The citation on the plaque will read:
Callan's Pioneering Contributions to Electrical Science and Technology 1836
Reverend Nicholas Callan (1799 - 1864), professor of Natural Philosophy at Saint Patrick's College Maynooth, contributed significantly to the understanding of electrical induction and the development of the induction coil. He did this through a series of experiments that made the inductive transient phenomena visibly clear. The apparatus used in these experiments was replicated in other laboratories.
Reverend Nicholas Callan (1799 - 1864), the first Irish Scientist to achieve this recognition, was a priest and professor of Natural Philosophy at Saint Patrick's College Maynooth in the 1800s. He was a pioneer in the development of electrical science and made many significant contributions to the field including the invention of the induction coil, the forerunner to the modern day transformer and a key component in many electronic devices such as car ignition systems and camera flashes.
For a brief account of Callan's research see the History of Electrochemistry, Electricity and Electronics website developed by Prof. E. Katz at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. You can view a pdf version of the page here.
Additional information on Callan can be found in the various documents and links listed below. These were compiled as part of the Milestone nomination process.
Downloadable
documents
i. Letter of support from NUI Maynooth - pdf
ii. Extracts from P.J. McLaughlin, Nicholas Callan, Priest-Scientist (1799-1864), Dublin: Clonmore & Reynolds, 1965: Chapter 5 - pdf-, pp. 88-91- pdf, and pp.98-99 - pdf
iii. Extract from C. Mollan and J. Upton, The Scientific Apparatus of Nicholas Callan and other Historic Instruments, Sr. Patrick's College Maynooth and Samton Ltd, 1994 - pdf
iv. M.T. Casey, Nicholas Callan, Priest Professor and Scientist, Physics Education, Vol.17, 1982, pp.224-234 - pdf
v. Extract from C. Mollan, W. Davis and B. Finucane, (editors) Irish Innovators in Science and Technology, Publ. Royal Irish Academy, 2002 - pdf
vi. Extract from E. Katz, The history of electrochemistry, electricity and electronics website: http://chem.ch.huji.ac.il/~eugeniik/history/callan.html - pdf
vii. D.P. Currier, A Biographical History of induction coils, Essay by Dean P. Currier (dpcurr@aol.com) posted on www.radiantslab.com/quackmed/Deanbio.html - pdf
viii. Rev N. Callan, On the Induction Apparatus, Philosophical Magazine, Nov 1857 - pdf
ix. Encyclopaedia Britannica 1910 (11th edition), 'The induction coil' Vol. 14, pp. 502-503 - pdf
x. Extract from Fleming J.A., The Alternative Current Transformer in Theory and Practice, Vol.2, London: The Electrician Printing and Publishing Co. Ltd., 1903 - pdf
Additional Materials and Links on Callan
National Science Museum Maynooth
Induction coil entry on the Instruments for Natural Philosophy Website at http://physics.kenyon.edu/EarlyApparatus/index.html
Chapter 9 of Steven Lehrer's Explorers of the Body website http://stevenlehrer.com/explorers/
Mollan C., A New use for trainee priests, Europhysics News, Sept/Oct 1998. - pdf
Nicholas Callan entry on the Princess Grace Irish Library Website at http://www.pgil-eirdata.org
