 Gordon
Godfrey was a member of the staff of the NSW University of Technology
(later renamed the University of New South Wales) when it was founded
in 1949. In 1951 he was appointed Associate Professor of Applied Physics,
and remained a member of the staff of the School of Physics until
his retirement in 1958. He was the first representative of theoretical
physics at the University. Subsequent to his retirement he held an
appointment for a time as Honorary Visiting Professor at UNSW, and
until his death that of Honorary Associate of the School of Physics.
Professor Godfrey taught, first in secondary schools and then in
tertiary institutions, throughout his entire career. His research
in theoretical physics encompassed several areas. His MA thesis,
written in 1919, was probably the first paper written in Australia
on special relativity. He also published work on atmospheric radio
propagation and on the reflectance characteristics of multilayer
coatings.
Following the deaths of Professor Godfrey in 1979, and his wife
Mrs Mabel Godfrey in 1980, the Godfrey Bequest was established.
This gift funds a number of initiatives supporting theoretical physics
at UNSW.
The Godfrey Bequest primarily promotes the advancement of theoretical
physics within the University by providing financial support to
assist in the travel and accommodation expenses of academic visitors
to the University in this area. Seven researchers visited UNSW during
2003: Professor Mark Whittle (USA), Dr William Barford (UK), Dr
M. Troyer (Switzerland), Professor Mihkail Kozlov (Russia), Professor
Vladimir Dmitriev (Russia), Professor John Barrow (UK) and Professor
Igor Bartos (Czech Academy of Science).
Another area of support is the undergraduate prize recognising
outstanding performance in third year theoretical physics, which
was awarded to Anthony Tedesco in 2003. There are also Gordon Godfrey
scholarships awarded to outstanding students pursuing postgraduate
study in theoretical physics. Two students received these scholarships
in 2003: Julian Berengut and Alex Von Brasch.
In 2003 the 13th Gordon Godfrey Workshop was held. This year’s
workshop was focussed on the theoretical aspects of soft condensed
matter and nanoscale physics and was combined with the ATSE funded
“Frontiers of Science and Technology Workshop on Soft Condensed
Matter and Nanoscale Physics”, which looked at experimental
aspects of this area.
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