Author of 'Chemistry of the Elements', Emeritus Professor Norman Greenwood shares his video life story with Web of Stories

Greenwood and Earnshaw’s Chemistry of the Elements has today been translated into several European and Asian languages, and is widely regarded around the world as being one of the most influential chemistry bibles of our time. Web of Stories is delighted to share Professor Norman Greenwood’s video life story from his childhood in Australia, followed by his time as a PhD student at Cambridge University under the direction of Harry Emeléus, to his present status of Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at Leeds University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a Foreign Member of the French Academy of Sciences.

More Information

Norman Greenwood was born in Australia in 1925 and graduated from Melbourne University before going to Cambridge. His wide-ranging researches in inorganic and structural chemistry have made major advances in the chemistry of boron hydrides and other main-group element compounds. He also pioneered the application of Mössbauer spectroscopy to problems in chemistry. He is a prolific writer and inspirational lecturer on chemical and educational themes, and has held numerous visiting professorships throughout the world.

Among the many stories that Professor Greenwood recounts is how his philosophy of teaching influenced his approach to writing his important textbook Chemistry of the Elements.

“The first thing that I wanted to emphasise was that chemistry was exciting, wondrous even, that when properly understood a lot of it is very straightforward, it is accessible, but it has to be presented in a reasonable form. That the facts of chemistry are astounding often, but also we have to remember that a compound might be beautiful to look at, it may be readily made or difficultly made, but might also be useful. And so I wanted to join the idea of the actuality rather than just an abstract idea of chemistry.”

Web of Stories hosts a video archive of Professor Greenwood's most vivid memories. We invite the public to watch these stories, which include detailed accounts of the scientific work that he undertook during his PhD research at Cambridge University, his later study of Mössbauer spectroscopy which gained him worldwide recognition, and his role as principal investigator, appointed by NASA, for the study of lunar rocks. Approximately six hours of footage has been divided into individual stories which viewers can watch, listen to, comment on, and share with their friends and colleagues. The videos are also free for embedding into personal blogs and websites.

We also invite the public to record and share their own video stories, not just about how Professor Greenwood's work may have influenced their lives and views on some of the topics raised, but on any other topic.

http://www.webofstories.com/people/norman.greenwood

Core Facts

Professor Norman Greenwood was born in Australia in 1925 and graduated from Melbourne University before going to Cambridge.
Pioneered the application of Mössbauer spectroscopy to problems in chemistry.
detailed accounts of the scientific work that he undertook during his PhD research at Cambridge University, his later study of Mössbauer spectroscopy which gained him worldwide recognition, and his role as principal investigator, appointed by NASA, for the study of lunar rocks.
http://www.webofstories.com/people/norman.greenwood