Person
De Laeter, John Robert (1933 - 2010)
AO FTSE
- Born
- 3 May 1933
South Perth, Western Australia, Australia - Died
- 16 August 2010
Perth, Western Australia, Australia - Occupation
- Physicist and University Administrator
Summary
John de Laeter was a physicist at the forefront of research in dating the Earth's mantle and exploring the outer reaches of the Solar System. His research was in the fields of geochronology, nuclear physics and cosmochemistry, and he was a leader in the application of mass spectrometry in these areas. At Curtin University of Technology he was Professor of Physics and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Development. De Laeter played a central role in the development and application of technology in Western Australia, including fostering collaboration between government, industry and the universities. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Scitec Discovery Centre, Perth, and the Gravity Discovery Centre, Gingin, Western Australia. Minor Planet 3893 de Laeter named in his honour as is the John de Laeter Centre of Mass Spectrometry, Jack Hills, Western Australia.
Details
Chronology
- 1957
- Career position - Teacher, Perth Technical College
- 1959
- Career position - Science teacher, Bunbury High School
- 1966
- Education - PhD, University of Western Australia
- 1968 - 1974
- Career position - Head, Department of Physics, Western Australian Institute of Technology
- 1974 - 1981
- Career position - Dean of Applied Science, Western Australian Institute of Technology
- 1980 - 1981
- Career position - President, Royal Society of Western Australia
- 1980 - 1991
- Career position - Member, Commission of Atomic Weights and Isotopic Abundances, International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
- 1981 - 1984
- Career position - President, Conservation and Environment Council of Western Australia
- 1981 - 1984
- Career position - Associate Director, Engineering and Science, Western Australian Institute of Technology
- 1983 - 1986
- Career position - Chairman, Advisory Committee for Western Australia, CSIRO
- 1983 - 1987
- Career position - Secretary, Commission of Atomic Weights and Isotopic Abundances, International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
- 1984 - 1986
- Career position - Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Development, Western Australian Institute of Technology
- 1984 - 1987
- Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences (FTS)
- 1984 - 1987
- Career position - Chairman, Western Australian Science, Industry and Technology Council
- 1986 - 1995
- Career position - Professor of Physics, Curtin University of Technology
- 1987
- Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE) [Awarded by AATS 1984]
- 1987 - 1991
- Career position - Chairman, Commission of Atomic Weights and Isotopic Abundances, International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
- 1987 - 1995
- Career position - Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Development, Curtin University
- 1988 - 1996
- Career position - Deputy Chair (later Patron), Scitech Discovery Centre, Perth
- 1988 - 2003
- Career position - Chair (later Patron), Technology Park
- 1989 - ?
- Career position - Governor, Ian Clunies Ross Memorial Foundation
- 1990 - 1995
- Career position - Director, Technical Innovation Management, Curtin University of Technology
- 1991 - 1995
- Career position - Member of the Board, CSIRO
- 1992
- Award - ANZAAS Medal, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science
- 1992
- Award - Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) - in recognition of service to science education.
- 1993
- Award - Medal of the Royal Society of Western Australia
- 1995
- Life event - Retired
- 1995
- Award - Honorary Doctorate of Technology, Curtin University
- 1996
- Award - W. R. Browne Award, Geological Society oif Australia
- 2001
- Award - Centenary Medal - For service to Australian society in environmental science and technology.
- 2006
- Award - Lifetime Achievement Award, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
- 2009
- Award - Inducted into the Western Australian Science Hall of Fame
Related entries
Published resources
Journal Articles
- Anon, 'John de Laeter was one of WA's most noted scientists', Focus, 164 (2010), 46, https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3171713336. Details
- Anon, 'Vale Emeritus Professor John de Laeter, AO, PhD, DSc, BSc (Hons), BEd (Hons), HonDTech (Curtin), HonDLitt W. Aust, FTSE, FAIP 1933-2010', Proceedings of the Royal Society of Western Australia, 2011 (April) (2011), 5-6. Details
- Anon, 'Obituary - John Robert de Laeter, 1933-2010', Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, 96 (2013), 29. Details
- de Laeter, J. R., 'The Role of Physics in Geochronology', Australian Physicist, 17 (8) (1980), 127-129. Details
- de Laeter, J. R., 'The Role Science and Technology Has Played in Australia's 200 Years of European Development', Australian Science Teachers Journal, 35 (2) (1988), 9-15. Details
- de Laeter, J. R., 'The influence of American and British thought on Australian physics education', Science Education, 73 (4) (1989), 445-57. Details
- De Laeter, J. R., 'Geochronology in Australia: an overview', Australian journal of earth sciences, 55 (6/7) (2008), 723-4. https://doi.org/10.1080/08120090802094085. Details
- De Laeter, J. R., 'Geochronology in Western Australia', Australian journal of earth sciences, 55 (6/7) (2008), 769-75, https://doi.org/10.1080/08120090802094127. Details
- De Laeter, J. R.; Putt, G., 'Physics Enrolments in Australian and New Zealand Universities 1994-1999', The Physicist, 37 (1) (2000), 11-15. Details
- Downard, K. M.; and De Laeter, J. R., 'A History of Mass Spectrometry in Australia', Journal of Mass Spectrometry, 40 (9) (2005), 1123-1139. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q16018722. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 19 February 2019, Last modified: 21 March 2023