THE NOBEL PRIZE WINNER

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 6678, 28 November 1908, Page 9

THE NOBEL PRIZE WINNER

INTERVIEW WITH PROFESSOR BIOKEBTON.

CHATS ABOUT BIS PUPIL.

PBEOB ASSOCIATION. OHJMSTOHXT.RCH, November 27. It was at Canterbury College that Professor Ituthorlord, tho latest recipient of the Nobel prize, first entered on that course of research work which led to such brilliant results. His studies in tho fields of chemistry and physics were directed and supervised by Professor Bickorton, who was in charge of those departments of the (college work at that time. In the course of a chat with a "Press” reporter yesterday, Professor Bickorton gave some interesting information relating to tho student days of his pupil. “Professor Rutherford,” ho Said, “was all through a brilliant student and showed a good deal of resourcefulness in his investigations. Ho had also a splendid physical and mathematical ability. Of course, tho great trouble that wo bad in connection with tho laboratory work was tho want of suitable apparatus and a place to use it, and wo fitted up the den in order to carry on some branches of tho work. When Professor Rutherford was last in Christchurch ho mado tho remark that, doubtless, a good deal of his resourcefulness was due to tho. fact that he had to make shift with much less complex apparatus than ho would have used in a better equipped laboratory end he looked upon it as having done him no harm in working with apparatus not quite up to tho standard of work he was doing.” In a recent letter to Professor Biokorton, ho states that ho has had an exceedingly buoy year at tho Manchester XJiiivorsity. “I have managed,” ho adds, “to got through a groat deal of research work. I have recently mado an excursion into new chemical attractions and have purified tho radium emanations and determined its spectrum, which consists of more than aiighty bright lines.”