Christiansen, Wilbur Norman (Chris) (1913 - 2007)

Summary

Chris Christiansen was Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of Sydney 1960-1978, and published in the fields of radioastronomy and radiotelescope design.

Details

Chronology

1934

Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Melbourne

1935

Education - Master of Science (MSc), University of Melbourne

1935 - 1937

Career position - Physicist, Commonwealth X-ray and Radium Laboratory

1937 - 1948

Career position - Research Engineer, Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Ltd

1948 - 1960

Career position - Senior Research Officer to Senior Principal Research Officer, Division of Radiophysics, CSIRO

1953

Education - Doctor of Science (DSc), University of Melbourne

1959

Award - David Syme Research Prize (jointly), University of Melbourne

1959 - 2007

Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Science (FAA)

1960 - 1978

Career position - Professor and Head, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Sydney

1962 - 1968

Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

1968

Career event - Fellow (FIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia [Former Members were designated Fellows on this date.]

1970

Award - Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal - Career Achievement Award in Engineering. Institution of Engineers Australia

1975 - 1979

Career position - President, Astronomical Society of Australia

1978 - 1981

Career position - President, International Union of Radio Science

1979 - 1983

Career position - Visiting Fellow, Mt Stromlo Observatory

1981

Award - Honorary Fellow (HonFIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

1983

Award - Doctor of Engineering (DEng), honoris causa, University of Melbourne

Related entries

Archival resources

Private hands (Christiansen, W.N.)

• Wilbur Norman Christiansen - Records, 1950 - 1978; Private hands (Christiansen, W.N.). Details

University of Sydney, Archives

• Wilbur Norman Christiansen - Records, 1947 - 1981, P 118; University of Sydney, Archives. Details

Published resources

Books

• Bhathal, Ragbir, Australian Astronomers: Achievements at the Frontiers of Astronomy (Canberra: National Library of Australia, 1996), 243 pp. Details
• Frater, Robert H.; Goss, Miller; and Wendt, Harry, Four pillars of radio astronomy: Mills, Christiansen, Wild and Bracewell (Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2017), 199 pp. Details

Book Sections

• Christiansen, W. N., 'The first decade of radio astronomy in Australia' in The early years of radio astronomy: reflections fifty years after Jansky's discovery, Sullivan, W. T., ed. (1984), pp. 113-132. Details
• Christiansen, W. N., 'The first decade of solar radio astronomy in Australia' in The early years of radio astronomy: reflections fifty years after Jansky's discovery, Sullivan, W. T., ed. (Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1984), pp. 113-31. Details
• Wendt, Harry, Orchiston, Wayne and Slee, Bruce, 'An overview of W.N. Christiansen's contribution to Australian radio astronomy, 1948-1960' in Highlighting the history of astronomy in the Asia-Pacific Region: proceedings of the ICOA-6 conference. Astrophysics and space science proceedings, Orchiston, Wayne, Nakamura, Tsuko and Strom, Richard G., eds (New York: Springer, 2011), pp. 547-87. Details

Journal Articles

• Anon, 'Two new Honorary Fellows elected [Sir Bernard Callinan, Prof W.N Christiansen]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 53 (13) (1981), 56. Details
• Christiansen, W. N., 'An omission in radio astronomy histories', Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, 30 (1989), 357-8. Details
• Christiansen, W. N.; and Mills, B. Y., 'Joseph Lade Pawsey', Yearbook of the Australian Academy of Science (1964), 33-40. Details
• Christiansen, W. N.; Mills, B.Y., 'Biographical Memoirs [Joseph Lade Pawsey, including publications]', Australian Physicist, 1 (9) (1964), 137-141. Details
• Christiansen, W.N., 'History and Propaganda in Astronomy', Proceedings of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 8 (1) (1989), 96-101. Details
• Frater, R. H.; and Goss, W. M., 'Wilbur Norman Christiansen 1913-2007', Historical Records of Australian Science, 22 (2) (2011), 215-28, https://doi.org/10.1071/HR11012. Details
• Orchiston, Wayne and Matthewson, Don, 'Chris Christiansen and the Criss Cross', Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 12 (1) (2009), 11-32. Details
• Orchiston, Wayne, Slee, Bruce and Burman, Ron, 'The Genesis of Solar Radio Astronomy in Australia', Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 9 (1) (2006), 35-56. Details
• Orchiston, Wayne; and Wendt, Harry, 'The contribution of the Georges Heights experimental radar antenna to Australian radio astronomy', Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 20 (3) (2017), 313-40. Details
• Wendt, Harry, Orchiston, Wayne and Slee, Bruce, 'W. N. Christiansen and the Initial Australian Investigation of the 21cm Hydrogen Line', Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 11 (3) (2008), 185-93. Details
• Wendt, Harry, Orchiston, Wayne and Slee, Bruce, 'W. N. Christiansen and the Development of the Solar Grating Array', Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 11 (3) (2008), 173-84. Details

Newspaper Articles

• Macey, R., 'Always an eye on the stars - Chris Christiansen 1913-2007', Sydney Morning Herald (2007). http://www.smh.com.au/news/obituaries/always-an-eye-on-the-stars/2007/05/23/1179601487127.html. Details

Reports

• Institution of Engineers Australia, Fifty-first Annual Report [1970] (1971), 7 pp. 'Prizes - Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal (1970 Award), to Professor W N Christiansen, DSc FIEAust', p.3. Details
• Institution of Engineers Australia, Annual Report 1981 [Sixty-second Annual Report] (1982), 16 pp. 'Institution Honours - Emeritus Professor W N Christiansen, FIEAust elected Honorary Fellow', p.11. Details

Resources

• VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/53076018. Details
• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q4241283. Details
• 'Christiansen, W N (1913-)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-492567. Details
• 'Awarded honorary DEng, 1983', Honorary degree holders, University of Melbourne, 2023, https://about.unimelb.edu.au/notable-alumni-staff/honorary-degree-holders. Details

Resource Sections

• 'Christiansen, Wilbur Norman', in Physics in Australia to 1945, R.W. Home, with the assistance of Paula J. Needham, Australian Science Archives Project, June 1995, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/physics/P000309p.htm. Details
• Crompton, Bob, 'Interview with Professor Chris Christiansen', in Interviews with Australian scientists, Australian Academy of Science, 5 June 1997, https://www.science.org.au/learning/general-audience/history/interviews-australian-scientists/professor-chris-christiansen-1913. Details
• Ward, C., 'Wilbur Norman (Chris) Christiansen [1913-2007]', in CSIROpedia, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), 2011, https://csiropedia.csiro.au/Christiansen-Wilbur-Norman. Details

See also

• Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Technology in Australia 1788-1988, Online edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 3 May 2000, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/index_c.html. Details
• Bhathal, Ragbir, 'Australian Astronomers: What Made Them Great?', News and Reviews in Astronomy and Geophysics, 48 (2007), 533-6. Details
• Engineers Australia ed., Wonders never cease: 100 Australian engineering achievements (Barton, Australian Capital Territory: Institution of Engineers, Australia, 2019), 236 pp. pp.212-213. Details
• Mills, B. Y., 'Australian contribution to the science of radioastronomy', Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Australia, 8 (1) (1988), 12-23. Details