P000585 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

All key entry types: Awards; Concepts; Corporate Bodies (Organisations); Cultural Artefacts; People; etc

These key entries are listed separately below with other indexes and lists.

 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 1993-10-20 human Gavan McCarthy [P004098] and Helen Cohn updated 2026-02-05 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P000585b.htm person Lyle Thomas Ranken Kt FRS AACR2 26 August 1860 31 March 1944 Place of Birth Coleraine, Londonderry, Northern Ireland Place of Death South Yarra, Victoria, Australia Physicist Mathematician Sir Thomas Lyle was Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Melbourne from 1889 to 1914, sharing with his colleagues David Masson and Baldwin Spencer the responsibility of establishing the new science degree on a sound footing. His research on electrical power technology, particularly alternating currents and their associated magnetic effects, earned him considerable recognition. He was a pioneer of the use of X-rays in Australia. Lyle's wider role in public affairs included 40 years as Chairman of the Board of Visitors to the Melbourne Observatory, nearly 20 years as Commissioner of Victoria's State Electricity Commission, and his participation in the conference that resulted in the establishment of the Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology. Following his retirement from the University Lyle served as scientific advisor to the Navy Board and was active in attempts to establish a national laboratory for scientific research and a national system of engineering standards. Lyle was a member of the Australian National Research Council for over ten years and Chairman from 1929 to 1932. The Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal has been awarded by the Council (and later the Australian Academy of Science) since 1935 for outstanding achievement by a scientist in Australia for research in mathematics or physics. 1883 1883 Education - Bachelor of Arts (BA), Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland 1885 1886 Career position - Assistant lecturer in mathematics and mathematical physics, Catholic University College, Dublin, Ireland 1887 1887 Education - Master of Arts (MA), Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland 1889 1914 Career position - Professor of Natural Philosophy, University of Melbourne 1891 1891 Career position - President, Section A (Astronomy, Mathematics and Physics), Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science 1903 1944 Career Position - Chairman, Board, Melbourne Observatory 1904 1914 Career position - Representative of the University of Melbourne, Victorian Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee 1905 1905 Education - Doctor of Science (ScD), Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland 1910 1934 Career position - Representative of the University of Melbourne, Victorian Council of Public Education 1912 1944 Award - Fellow, The Royal Society, London (FRS) 1914 1914 Career position - Local Secretary for Melbourne, Section A (Mathematical and Physical Science), British Association for the Advancement of Science Meeting 1914 1918 Career position - Scientific Advisor, Naval Board 1916 1933 Career position - Member of Council, University of Melbourne 1919 Career position - Foundation Councillor (Physics), Australian National Research Council 1919 1937 Career position - Commissioner, State Electricity Commission 1922 1922 Award - Knight Bachelor (Kt) 1929 1932 Career position - President, Australian National Research Council 1937 1937 Career event - Fellow, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science (ANZAAS) Brown, Edward Byam (1880 - 1966) Melbourne Observatory, Colony and State of Victoria (1863 - 1944)

Chairman, Board of Visitors 1903 - 1944

 The University of Melbourne (1853 - )

Member of Council 1916 - 1933

 State Electricity Commission of Victoria, State of Victoria (1921 - c. 1993)

Commissioner 1919 - 1937

 Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal, Australian National Research Council and Australian Academy of Science (1935 - )

The Medal has been awarded by the Australian National Research Council (1935 - 1953) and the Australian Academy of Science since 1957

 Royal Australian Navy, Commonwealth of Australia (1911 - )

Scientific Advisor to the Naval Board 1914 - 1918

 Australian National Research Council (ANRC) (1919 - 1955)

President 1929 - 1932; Foundation Member (Physics) 1919 -

 Department of Natural Philosophy, The University of Melbourne (1882 - 1944)

Professor of Natural Philosophy 1889 - 1914

 Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science (1888 - 1930)

President, Section A (Astronomy, Mathematics and Physics) 1891

 British Association for the Advancement of Science 84th Meeting (1914)

Local Secretary for Melbourne, Section A (Mathematical and Physical Science) 1914

 Commonwealth Institute of Science and Industry, Commonwealth of Australia (1920 - 1926)

Member, Provisional General Advisory Council 1920 - 1926

 State Committee Victoria, Advisory Council of Science and Industry (1916 - 1920)

Chairman 1916 - 1920

 Advisory Council of Science and Industry, Commonwealth of Australia (1916 - 1920)

Member, Executive Committee 1916 - 1920; Chairman, State Committee Victoria 1916 - 1920

 Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science (ANZAAS) (1930 - )

Fellow 1937 -

Wikidata

VIAF - Virtual International Authority File

 Lyle, Thomas Ranken (1860-1944)

Trove

 'Lyle, Thomas Ranken', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Lyle, Thomas Ranken Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Book: The Origins of CSIRO: Science and the Commonwealth Government, 1901-1926 Currie, George; Graham, John The Origins of CSIRO: Science and the Commonwealth Government, 1901-1926 Melbourne CSIRO 1966 Report: Report of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Advisory Council of Science and Industry: for the year ended 30th June 1918 Advisory Council of Science and Industry Report of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Advisory Council of Science and Industry: for the year ended 30th June 1918 Melbourne Government of the Commonwealth of Australia 1918 Report: Report of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Advisory Council of Science and Industry: covering the period from the date of the appointment of the Executive Committee (14th April, 1916) to the 30th June 1917 Advisory Council of Science and Industry Report of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Advisory Council of Science and Industry: covering the period from the date of the appointment of the Executive Committee (14th April, 1916) to the 30th June 1917 Melbourne Commonwealth Government Printer 1917 Resource Section: Lyle, Thomas Ranken Lyle, Thomas Ranken Australian Science Archives Project 1995 Physics in Australia to 1945 R.W. Home, with the assistance of Paula J. Needham Resource Section: Lyle, Thomas Ranken - Ms 24 Lyle, Thomas Ranken - Ms 24 Australian Academy of Science 1994 Listing of Adolph Basser Library holdings Journal Article: Obituary: Sir Thomas Ranken Lyle Grant, Kerr Obituary: Sir Thomas Ranken Lyle 1944 Australian Journal of Science 6 6 174-176 Book Section: Lyle, Sir Thomas Ranken (1860-1944), mathematical physicist Home, R. W. Lyle, Sir Thomas Ranken (1860-1944), mathematical physicist Melbourne Melbourne University Press 1986 Australian dictionary of biography, volume 10: 1891 - 1939 Lat-Ner Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle 172-174 Resource: Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal Australian Academy of Science Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal Canberra Australian Academy of Science 2023 Journal Article: Thomas Ranken Lyle, 1860- 1944 Grant, Kerr Thomas Ranken Lyle, 1860- 1944 1945 Biographical memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 5 14 33-49 Book Section: Learning and Teaching Science: Women Making Careers 1890-1920 Kelly, Farley Learning and Teaching Science: Women Making Careers 1890-1920 Melbourne Text Publishing Company 1993 On the Edge of Discovery: Australian Women in Science Farley Kelly 35-75 Resource: Federation and Meteorology Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre Federation and Meteorology 2001 Resource: Technology in Australia 1788-1988 Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Technology in Australia 1788-1988 Online Melbourne Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre 2000 Audio of interview with Thomas Rankin Lyle Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, University of Melbourne Audio of interview with Thomas Rankin Lyle P000585 1 Tape Audio Thomas Ranken Lyle - Records State Electricity Commission of Victoria Archives Thomas Ranken Lyle - Records 1919 - 1937 Information and records in State Electricity Commission of Victoria files relating to Lyle's work as a part-time commissioner 1919-37, particularly the meetings he chaired at which policies of far-reaching importance were broadly settled. Thomas Ranken Lyle - Records Private hands (Lyle, T.R.) Thomas Ranken Lyle - Records 1860 - 1944 Family papers c1860-1944. Thomas Ranken Lyle - Records University of Adelaide, Physics Department Thomas Ranken Lyle - Records 85.174 (1426) 1944 Aluminium recording on cylinder of a lecture by Sir Kerr Grant orSir Thomas Lyle 1944 [85.174 (1426)]. 1 item Thomas Ranken Lyle - Records Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science Thomas Ranken Lyle - Records MS 024 1896 - 1944 Reprints of papers by Lyle c1914; Royal Society obituary by Kerr Grant c1944 and an X-ray photograph of a hand taken by Lyle c1896, one of the earliest taken in Australia [5 cm, MS 24]. 0.05 m