Biographical entry Vonwiller, Oscar Ulrich (1882 - 1972)

Summary

Oscar Ulrich Vonwiller spent his whole academic life at the University of Sydney, including 24 years as Professor from 1923-46. He is commemorated by a portrait painted by Erwin Reiner. Vonwiller was a member of the Optical Munitions Panel during World War II. He was a president of many bodies including the Royal Society of New South Wales and a foundation president of the Science Teachers' Association of New South Wales

Details

Events

1902

Career position - Demonstrator in Physics at the University of Sydney

1902

Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc) completed at the University of Sydney

1903 - 1913

Career position - Assistant Lecturer in Physics at the University of Sydney

1913 - 1923

Career position - Assistant Professor then Associate Professor (from 1921) of Physics at the University of Sydney

1923 - 1946

Career position - Professor of Physics at the University of Sydney

1930

Career position - President of the Royal Society of New South Wales

1934 - 1938

Career position - Supervisor of Research at the Cancer Research Commission, University of Sydney

1935

Career position - President of Section A of the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science

Archival resources

University of Sydney, Archives

• Oscar Ulrich Vonwiller - Records, 1963; University of Sydney, Archives. Details

Published resources

Encyclopedia of Australian Science Exhibitions

• Exhibition Papers, A Bright Sparcs Exhibition, Australian Science Archives Project, 1997, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/exhib/papers/exhib_papers.htm. Details
• The Giant's Eye: the Optical Munitions Exhibition, Australian Science Archives Project, 1997, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/exhib/omp/omp.htm. Details

Book Sections

• McCaughan, J. B. T., 'Vonwiller, Oscar Ulrich (1882-1972), Professor of Physics', in John Ritchie (ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 12, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1990, pp. 333-334. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A120373b.htm. Details

Journal Articles

• 'Obituaries: Oscar Ulrich Vonwiller: Clive Melville Harris: Charles Bickerton Blackburn: Lawrence Bragg', Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, vol. 106, no. 3/4, 1973, pp. 130-132. Details

Online Resources

• 'Vonwiller, Oscar Ulrich', in Physics in Australia to 1945, R.W. Home, with the assistance of Paula J. Needham, Australian Science Archives Project, June 1995, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/physics/P000852p.htm. Details
• 'Vonwiller, Oscar Ulrich', in The Giant's Eye: the Optical Munitions Exhibition, A Bright Sparcs Exhibition, Australian Science Archives Project, 1997, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/exhib/omp/people/vonwiller.htm. Details
• 'Vonwiller, Oscar Ulrich', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1467933. Details

See also

• Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Technology in Australia 1788-1988, Online edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 3 May 2000, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/index_v.html. Details
• Bolton, H. C., 'Optical Instruments in Australia in the 1939-45 War: successes and lost opportunities', Australian Physicist, 1990, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/exhib/papers/bolton2.htm. Details
• Mellor, D.P., 'Optical Munitions', Chapter 12 in Australia in the War of 1939-1945, Series 4: Civil, volume 5 'The Role of Science and Industry', Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1958, 1958, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/exhib/papers/mellor.htm. Details