Stanley G. Mason - 1969 Bingham Medalist

Microrheologist

Awarded Bingham Medal 1969

Dr. Stanley G. Mason was born in Montreal, Canada on March 20, 1914. He graduated from McGill University in Canada with a BE in chemical engineering in 1939 and a PhD in physical chemistry in 1939. Right after graduation he took a position as a lecturer in physical chemistry at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut for two years. During World War II from 1941-1945, Mason worked as a research engineer and the head of the munitions division for the Department of National Defence in Alberta, Canada. In 1945 he started work as an associate research chemist for the newly created Canadian Atomic Energy Division. In 1946, he returned to his alma mater of McGill University where he remained on the faculty until his death in 1987.

Dr. Mason’s main research focused on the physics and chemistry of paper and cellulose. Specifically, he focused on the development of microstructure in flowing suspensions and dispersions which led to the concept of “microrheology”- a term coined by Mason himself (although independently anticipated and discussed by M. Reiner). Mason and his collaborators showed that the rheological response of macroscopic collections of large (non-Brownian) particles suspended in a liquid matrix could be understood through microscopic descriptions of the local arrangements and configurations of the underlying constituent particles. This theoretical framework could be applied to many areas of industrial and applied rheology- from paper-making to mammalian blood flow. Mason was awarded the Bingham Medal “…in recognition of his brilliant experimental studies and their theoretical interpretation in the broad area of the microrheology of suspensions.” (Rheology Bulletin Aug 1969). The biannual award of the Canadian Society of Rheology is named in Mason’s honor.

Sources

Rheology Bulletin Aug 1969, 38(2) . Also, Box 6, Folder 6. Niels Bohr Library & Archives, American Institute of Physics. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740.

Brenner, Howard. Stanley G. Mason 1914-1987. Memorial Tributes: National Academy of Engineering; National Academies Press: Washington, D.C., 1991; Vol. 4, pp 228-233. Go to link .

Photo Credit

AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives.