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While attending Ripon College, Dr. Meggers formed a dance
orchestra and played violin, trumpet, and slide trombone.
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After
retiring at the age of 70 from the National Bureau of
Standards, the tireless Meggers still continued to contribute
to the NBS as a guest worker. |
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Both
literature and music were of interest to Meggers. He was
particularly fond of the writings of Mark Twain and the
compositions of Richard Wagner. |
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Dr.
Meggers' contributions to the field of spectroscopy were
so numerous and innovative that he is often called the
"dean of American spectroscopists." |
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Although
you won't find his work on many bestseller lists, Dr.
Meggers published over 200 scientific papers in his career,
the bulk of which dealt with spectroscopy. |
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At
the end of World War II, he used neutrons from an atomic
reactor to change gold into a mercury isotope. The lamp
he used to do so is now called the Meggers lamp. |
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His
interest in photography led Meggers to compile a series
of pictures of Nobel Prize winners in physics. His collection
is the basis for the American Institute of Physics gallery
of Nobel laureates. |
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If
you are planning a trip to the moon, be sure to stop by
24.3°N latitude and 123.0°E longitude, where you
will find the Meggers lunar crater. It is on the far side
of the moon and measures 52 kilometers in diameter. |
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In
his spare time Meggers was an avid collector. He had everything
from geological specimens to examples of classic Americana
- cameras, music boxes, phonographs, and radios. Not to
mention his stamp and coin collection responsible for
funding the Meggers Project Award. |
