Memories of the Bureau, 1946 to 1962
Foreword
Terminology
Prologue
Preface
Chapter 1: The Warren Years, 1946 to 1950
Chapter 2: International Meteorology
Chapter 3: The Timcke Years, 1950 to 1955
A Period of Consolidation
Aviation Services
Services for the General Public
Rockets and Atomic Weapons
Instruments and Observations
Climate and Statistics
International Activities
Training
Publications
Research
Central Analysis and Development
CSIRO
The Universities
The Meteorology Act
Achievements of the Timcke Years
Chapter 4: A Year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Chapter 5: The Dwyer Years, 1955 to 1962
Chapter 6: A Springboard for the Future
Appendix 1: References
Appendix 2: Reports, Papers, Manuscripts
Appendix 3: Milestones
Appendix 4: Acknowledgements
Appendix 5: Summary by H. N. Warren of the Operation of the Meteorological Section of Allied Air Headquarters, Brisbane, 1942–45
Endnotes
Index
Search
Help
Contact us
CSIRO
The CSIRO Section of Atmospheric Physics had a program of research into turbulence in lower levels of the atmosphere, and was gradually adding other areas of research. In the Bureau we benefited from their participation in joint colloquia and from visits to their and our offices.It was interesting to note that in contrast to the pressure for scientific investigation of a wide variety of subjects within the Bureau and in other areas, Bill Priestley was able to shape his research program along particular lines without having deadlines for completion of particular projects. We envied his unhurried approach to research and his insistence on maintaining the highest scientific level in the work of his section. Bill Priestley and his staff were eager participants in the joint Bureau-CSIRO-University of Melbourne colloquia.
The group in Taffy Bowen's CSIRO Division of Radiophysics concerned with rain-making continued their experiments attempting artificial stimulation of rainfall by seeding clouds with dry ice or silver iodide. Taffy received considerable publicity for his claims of successful rain-making. Taffy also made it clear that he had not changed his critical attitude to what he saw as a lamentably unscientific Bureau.
The Universities
Our main contact with the University of Melbourne was with Uwe Radok, a particularly stimulating person with whom to share meteorological discussions from which I and many others in the Bureau gained much benefit.In 1952, after working for five years on the analysis of data from radiosonde observations, Uwe gained his Ph.D. He used a sorter and tabulator located at IBM's Melbourne office in preparing his thesis, presumably using cards punched by the Bureau's Statistical Section.
Uwe and Fritz Loewe had ceased lecturing in the Bureau's Training School but a number of Bureau meteorologists were interested in securing higher degrees with Uwe and Loewe as supervisors. Keith Morley gained an M.Sc. in 1952 and others achieved that degree or Ph.D. in later years.
People in Bright Sparcs - Bowen, Edward George (Taffy); Loewe, Fritz; Priestley, Charles Henry Brian (Bill); Timcke, Edward Waldemar
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© Online Edition Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre and Bureau of Meteorology 2001
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