In Memoriam

(PO76).  Rafael Navarro was born in the middle of the last century in Teruel, a small city south of Zaragoza, northern Spain. His passion for science brought him to the University of Zaragoza, first as a student and later as a teacher and researcher. He was a Professor with strong convictions about how the University should evolve. He was always faithful to these ideas, taking a step forward and trying to put them into practice from numerous management positions at all levels: Director of the Department of Materials Science and Technology and Fluids, Director of the former Engineering School, member of the Governing Council and the University Senate, and, more recently, as an Academician at the Zaragoza Royal Academy of Sciences.

His research career began in the Low Temperature Physics group, together with Professor Domingo González and with the group of Professor Jos De Jongh, at the University of Leiden, where he received his Ph.D. in the field of magnetism. Years later he was instrumental towards the establishment of the Institute of Materials Science of Aragon (CSIC-University of Zaragoza), where he started a research group in the field of superconductivity, with initial activity linked to the development of advanced processing and characterization methods for low and high Tc superconducting materials, as well as cryogenic instrumentation applications. The development of mechanical and laser texturing methods of high Tc superconductors, as well as the interpretation of their physical properties, are among his outstanding contributions to the Superconductivity and Materials Science disciplines. He was a foremost, recognized expert in the knowledge of the mechanisms that explain the behaviour of materials and showed great versatility to approach the development of applications, starting from a sound theoretical point of view. Even in this last year, while struggling with his illness, he was intensely involved in contributing to the fundamental and practical understanding of the processes that drive the interaction of power lasers with the surface of materials.

Rafael, Rafa for the people who have come across him, was, above all, a close person of superb human quality. Outside of his professional duties, he had a great interest in culture, cinema and mountain hiking. He was very special, someone that always received you warmly, would listen to you and with whom it was possible to have transcendental conversations about life. In essence, those of us who were fortunate enough to interact with Rafa, are profoundly influenced by his wisdom, tolerance and great human qualities. These have helped improve our professional and personal character for the better.

Great friend and colleague, you will remain in our memories, we will always miss you.

Prof. Hisao Hayakawa passed away on July 12, 2020.

A European Perspective of Prof. Hayakawa’s Scientific Life

After some informal contacts with Prof. Hayakawa in the early 1990s, a more frequent exchange of opinions about the future of Superconducting Electronics, especially digital electronics, started after the European Network of Excellence in Superconductivity (SCENET) of the European Community was founded in 1996. I headed the Superconducting Electronics activities and advised the European Community about projects and new developments in the field. Starting from that point in time, the communication with Prof. Hayakawa intensified and his advice was essential for a creating a number of European research projects for Superconducting Electronics. On the other hand, the European effort also stimulated projects in Japan, at that time primarily in High-Tc Electronics. Laboratory visits and project quality assessments were done mutually in the following years. Eventually, we tried to come to a longer-standing formal cooperation between Japanese Superconductivity Research programs and European ones, but due to the lack of industry interest in Digital Superconducting Electronics, only the materials-related part was granted by the European community. This about started the downhill trend of HTS-electronics research in Europe and Japan.

Apart from his activity in research management in the cooperation between Europe and Japan, Prof. Hayakawa was also a gifted speaker and pleasant colleague, open for serious discussions and fun – with colleagues and students equally. He presented the Japanese activities in digital superconducting electronics on various occasions in Europe. One meeting was especially memorable, the SCENET Superconducting Electronics Workshop which took place from 20 - 22 March 2003 in Tenerife, Spain. I cite from my report to the European Community:

“The opening talk by Prof. Hayakawa was an excellent overview over the current METI-financed activities in digital superconducting electronics in Japan. It became clear that we arrived at a very important decision point in digital superconducting electronics in Europe. We are still able to compete with Japanese activities, but we will for sure fall behind if no major funding will become available soon to intensify this type of research and technology development in Europe. Especially activities like the SCENET-initiated FLUXONICS initiative for a European foundry for superconducting electronics are essential for the technological future of Europe in superconducting electronics. As one of the results following the discussions after the talk, we agreed to investigate the possibility to cooperate with Japan in a number of areas, such as materials technology for superconducting electronics and the design of digital circuits for fast data processing. We intend to realize such a co-operation in first instance via Japanese/European workshops.”

The combination of his excellence, openness, and friendly and relaxed contact with everyone made him a giant in the international superconducting electronics field. After his retirement, he fully stopped working in superconducting electronics. In the following years, I had contact with him from time to time, but then on a strictly personal basis. We will miss him badly.

Horst Rogalla

May 1, 2020 (PO75). Professor John "Jack" F. Mc Donald was the loving husband of Karen (Knapp) McDonald of Clifton Park, New York. Jack was the son of Francis Patrick and Lulu Ann (Hegedus) McDonald. He was born on January 14, 1942, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He also lived in Narberth, Pennsylvania, Norfolk, Virginia, Trumbull, Connecticut, Troy and Clifton Park, New York. His nearest relative is a brother Robert Charles and his wife Gay Gibson McDonald of Stow, Massachusetts, and a nephew, Gavin Gibson McDonald of Santa Barbara, California. Karen's brother is David and his wife Heleen (Wells) Knapp of Ballston Lake, NY, her sister, Merrilyn (Knapp) Cournoyer of Fruitland, FL. and a niece, Kate Knapp. The McDonald's were friends with two former foster children, Abby and Michael.

Jack received his BSSE from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his MS and Ph.D in Engineering from Yale University. He was an Assistant Professor at Yale University. At Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute his office was located in the Electrical, Computer, and System Engineering Department in the Jonson Engineering Center. He was a Founding member of the Rensselaer Center for Integrated Electronics. He was a Contributor to more than 300 articles to professional publications. His Memberships were Computing Machinery, IEEE (he was a life senior member), Associate Editor Transactions on VSLI Design. He was an educator by heart. He loved teaching his students and preparing them for their future careers. He taught courses in Communication Theory, Coding and Switching Theory, Computer Architecture, Integrated Circuit Design, High Frequency Packaging and Digital Signal Processing over his career of 45 years at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. He had 12 patents and numerous grants. John was a consultant to the United States Government and private companies. He was in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World. John provided papers at conferences in England, France, Portugal, Italy, Holland, and Germany. His current focus was in Chip Design and Integrated Circuit Design.

February 25, 2020. Award-winning engineer and physicist Alvin Tollestrup, who played an instrumental role in developing the Tevatron as the world’s leading high-energy physics accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and founding member of the Collider Detector at Fermilab collaboration, died on Feb. 9 of cancer. He was 95.

Tollestrup led the pioneering work of designing and testing 1,000 superconducting magnets used in the Tevatron, which operated from 1983 until 2011 and for 25 years was the world’s most powerful particle collider. This was the first large-scale application of superconductivity worldwide.

“Alvin’s impact on the laboratory and on high-energy physics was just exceptional, and the development of technology with regard to the superconducting magnets had a tremendous impact on accelerators,” said Fermilab senior scientist emeritus Herman White. “All who knew him, socially and professionally, found him to be engaging, thoughtful and someone with a long, important history of working in the research community and here at Fermilab.”

The Tevatron led to the discovery of two fundamental particles — the top quark and the tau neutrino. The top quark, discovered in 1995, was the last undiscovered particle of the six-member quark family that explains the composition of protons, neutrons and other particles. Scientists worldwide had sought the top quark since the discovery of the bottom quark at Fermilab in 1977. The discovery of the tau neutrino with the Tevatron accelerator followed in 2000.

Tollestrup was born March 22, 1924, in Los Angeles, California. He received his bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Utah in 1944. After service in the U.S. Navy, he entered graduate school at the California Institute of Technology, where he earned his Ph.D. in physics in 1950. His doctoral adviser was William A. Fowler, who shared the 1983 Nobel Prize in physics. Tollestrup then took a position at Caltech to build the electron synchrotron, a type of particle accelerator. At the time it was the highest-energy synchrotron in the world, starting at 500 million electronvolts, or MeV, finally reaching 1,300 MeV.

He joined the Caltech faculty as an assistant professor of physics in 1953. While on sabbatical at CERN, the European particle physics laboratory, from 1957-58, he helped plan and execute the first experiments on the lab’s 600-MeV cyclotron particle accelerator. The work led to the first observations of the electron decay mode of the pion (a subatomic particle consisting of up and down quarks and antiquarks). He became an associate professor at Caltech in 1958 and a full professor in 1962.

Tollestrup arrived at Fermilab in July 1975 on another sabbatical, intending to stay only six months. He ended up stretching the sabbatical to two years, during which time he worked on superconducting accelerator technology.

He joined the Fermilab staff following his sabbatical and in 1978 became head of the newly created Collider Detector Facility. He later became a founding member of the CDF collaboration, serving as its co-spokesperson from its inception in 1983 until 1992. He was instrumental in organizing the CDF collaboration, which initially consisted of 13 institutions and 87 physicists from the United States, Italy and Japan. His recruiting strategy included producing an “Uncle Alvin Wants You!” poster (see page 5).

During the 1990s Tollestrup also became a founding member of the Neutrino Factory and Muon Collider collaboration, which today is known as the Muon Accelerator Program. MAP is devoted to developing and testing the demanding technologies and innovative concepts needed to discover and explore exciting new regions of fundamental physics.

In 2009, along with Florida State University’s David Larbalestier, Tollestrup successfully launched and led the Very High Field Superconducting Magnet Collaboration. Its purpose was to study the applications of high-temperature superconductors to accelerator superconducting magnets.

After only two years and $4 million in funding, the collaboration significantly increased the current density of a bismuth-based superconducting material that would be needed for the potential next-generation of accelerators and new cutting-edge technologies for applications in industry and medicine.

Tollestrup received many honors during his career, including the National Medal of Technology — the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement — and election to the National Academy of Sciences. Tollestrup received the Robert R. Wilson Prize of the American Physical Society for Achievement in the Physics of Particle Accelerators in recognition of his contributions to the development of the Tevatron’s superconducting magnets. Other honors include Caltech’s Distinguished Alumni Award and the 2011 IEEE Award for Continuing and Significant Contributions in the Field of Applied Superconductivity from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Council on Superconductivity for significant and sustained contributions in the field of large-scale applications of superconductivity.

Well-known for nurturing students and young scientists, he also is the namesake of the Tollestrup Award for Postdoctoral Research, which the Universities Research Association Inc. has presented annually since 2003. The award recognizes outstanding work conducted by a postdoctoral researcher at Fermilab or in collaboration with Fermilab scientists.

“While the research community is well aware of Alvin’s scientific contributions, I think one of the greatest legacies he leaves is his devotion to nurturing young people in the field,” said Brookhaven National Laboratory scientist Mark Palmer, who worked with Tollestrup in the Muon Accelerator Program. “Numerous young researchers were beneficiaries of his patience and incisive approach to problem-solving as he mentored them.”

Photographed - The 1989 National Medal of Technology recipients, from left: Richard A. Lundy, J. Ritchie Orr, Helen T. Edwards, Alvin V. Tollestrup. (Photo credit: Janine Tollestrup)

December 02, 2019. It is with great sadness that we inform the scientific and cryogenic communities that Professor Archie Campbell died on Thursday, 21 November 2019. Archie passed away peacefully at home after a short illness. He is survived by his wife, Anne, his children Frances, Emily, and Diarmid, and his eight grandchildren.

Archie was appointed a University Lecturer in the Department of Engineering in 1974 and was a Professor of Electromagnetism at the University of Cambridge, also serving the University as Pro-Proctor from 1985 to 1986, and then Proctor from 1986 to 1987. He had been a Fellow of Christ’s College since 1966 and celebrated 50 years in this role three years ago.

Archie had a long and distinguished career in his field, spanning over 40 years. He pioneered the so-called "Campbell technique" for investigating the penetration of flux in bulk superconductors and, together with late Prof. Jan Evetts, authored in 1972 the subject-defining monograph “Flux pinning in Type II superconductors” (Adv. Phys. 21, 199, 1972). Upon his retirement from the Department of Engineering in September 2007, the ‘Campbell Conference’ was held to recognize his significant contributions to studies of flux pinning in Type II superconductors, ac losses, and understanding of the critical state in superconducting materials. Archie remained an active member of the Cambridge Bulk Superconductivity Research Group and the Department of Engineering following his retirement and continued to play a key role in the development and understanding of applied superconductivity right up to his death. He was a much-loved and highly regarded colleague and collaborator, and his loss will be felt by the entire international superconductivity community.
- David Cardwell

Archie Campbell was one of the few exceptionally knowledgeable and globally respected colleagues in the field of applied superconductivity with deep insight in all aspects of flux pinning in superconductors, low Tc as well as high Tc. My memory goes back to our first encounter during the 11^th International Conference on Low Temperature Physics, St. Andrews, 1968, and continues with our International Discussion Meeting on Flux Pinning in Superconductors in 1974 (Sonnenberg, Germany), followed thereafter by a larger number of joint Europe-Japan-US workshops. Archie always contributed creative, often unconventional and novel ideas to these discussion workshops. Now, after his passing, he leaves an enormous gap, which is difficult to bridge.
- Herbert C. Freyhardt

May 4, 2020 (PO74).  Prof. Francesco Negrini, who was full professor of Electrotechnics at the University of Bologna, Italy, from 1986 to 2010, passed away on August 20, 2019.

Prof. Negrini’s research interests have focused on the Electrodynamics of continuous media, Applied magnetohydrodynamics, Applied superconductivity and Magnet Technology. He contributed to these sectors with experimental activities, theoretical investigations and numerical modeling studies.

Two research groups stemmed from his research activities at the University of Bologna: one on Magnet Technology and Applied Superconductivity, and the other on Magnetohydrodynamics and Plasma Engineering.

Professor Negrini led the Italian CNR Project “Superconducting and Cryogenic Technology”, to develop a 52 MJ superconducting saddle magnet for MHD applications. He continuously served the community by organizing and chairing eight international conferences. He held conferences, seminars and Invited Lectures at public and private Universities and Research Institutes in Japan, United States, Russia, China and Europe.

On May 26, 2005 he was awarded in Moscow with the "ILG-MHD Faraday Prize" with the following citation: “For outstanding achievements in Magnetohydrodynamics as an Academic and Research Leader of the University of Bologna, for creation of the school on MHD Science and Technology which is a Center of Excellence in Europe and in the world, for contributions in fostering International Cooperation through Distinguished Activities in Europe, the United States, Russia and Japan, for the pioneering development of MHD Retrofitting of existing Power Stations, superconducting MHD magnets and Essential Activity as the Architect of the Italian Program on MHD Power Generation, for his Leadership Contributions to the International Liaison Group on MHD Electric Power Generation.” 

On September 19, 2005, at the International Magnet Technology Conference, MT-19, in Genova, Italy, he was awarded the "Special Award for Magnet Technology and Large Scale Superconductivity in Italy" with the following citation: “For his leadership of the Superconducting MHD project in Italy and for his constant pursuing of superconductivity for power applications”.

Prof. Negrini played a prime role in advancing Applied Superconductivity in Italy. He put great enthusiasm in his research and always paid great attention at involving young people in this field. His colleagues and friends at the University of Bologna are very indebted to him for his vision and for his continuous support and encouragement.

Submitted by Prof. Marco Breschi

August 7, 2019). John Robert Schrieffer, who along with John Bardeen and Leon Cooper shared the 1972 Nobel Prize in Physics for the BCS theory, passed away on July 27, 2019.

In an account prepared by the American Physical Society, an important idea came to Dr. Schrieffer while riding the New York City subway to a physics meeting early in 1957.  He realized that all Cooper Pairs in a superconductor could be described by just one of the “wave functions” that characterize quantum mechanics. At that time Schrieffer was a graduate student of John Bardeen.

The three protagonists of BCS then blended all of their ideas creating a complete theory. Their work was submitted for publication to the Physical Review, where it appeared in December 1957 under the straightforward title “Theory of Superconductivity.”

Dr. Schrieffer received his undergraduate degree from MIT and his doctorate from the University of Illinois in 1957.  He did post-docs at the University of Birmingham and at the Niels Bohr Institute.

Schrieffer was on faculty at the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois, and the University of Pennsylvania. In 1980, he joined the University of California at Santa Barbara as director of the Institute for Theoretical Physics. In 1992, he joined the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Florida State University where he was Chief Scientist and retired from that position in 2006.

Edited obituary based on the obituary listed in The Washington Post

May 5, 2020 (PO73). Dr. Kamel Salama, 87, Professor Emeritus at the University of Houston, died Friday, 12 July 2019 at MD Anderson Hospital in Houston, TX following an extended illness.

He leaves his wife of 48 years, Gwendolyn (Doucet), his daughter, Emilie Hudson and her husband Adam Hudson, his son, Joseph Salama and his wife April (Scott) Salama, his two sisters, Dawlat and Faika, and many close friends. He was the beloved Giddo to his four grandchildren, Evangeline and Addison Hudson, and Garrett and Maximilian Salama.

Born in Souhag, Egypt, he studied Physics and Mathematics at Cairo University, where he received his doctorate. Following research appointments at Uppsala University, Sweden and the Ford Scientific Laboratory, Dearborn, Michigan, he joined Rice University as a Research Scientist. As his career expanded and included the training of young scientists, he joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Houston, where he led an active research program and taught for over 35 years. Shortly after joining the faculty at U of H, he established the Materials Engineering Program, which he directed his entire career. He mentored more than 60 Masters and Doctoral candidates. He received the Engineering Faculty Research Excellence Award, chaired international conferences, was chosen as an Honorary Fellow of the International Congress on Fracture, and was frequently invited to speak and teach internationally. Kamel advanced the scientific literature of materials, and was awarded 10 patents. He quietly influenced the work and discovery of many young scientists.

Dr. Salama had limitless passion for science, his family, and his friends. He was an early immigrant from Egypt to Houston and welcomed many who came after. Throughout his life, he traveled tirelessly, setting foot on six continents. He was one of the first members of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Houston and was always an active member of the community. He shared his life with generosity of spirit.

April 13, 2020. Al was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he was the youngest son of Fred and Martha Clark. Al received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Wisconsin and his PhD in nuclear physics from the University of Michigan. He moved to Boulder in 1964 to pursue post-doctoral studies at the Bureau of Standards, now NIST. A cryogenic and materials physicist, Alan was with NIST, in both the Boulder and Washington DC labs, from 1964 -2004. He held several positions there, published over 150 papers and held one patent, and worked in a collaborative capacity in England for several years. He was inducted into the NIST Portrait Gallery. Following his retirement from the federal government, he served as chairman of the Department of Physics at the University of Colorado – Denver.

Al received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Wisconsin and his PhD in nuclear physics from the University of Michigan. He moved to Boulder, Colorado in 1964 to pursue post-doctoral studies at the Bureau of Standards, now NIST. A cryogenic and materials physicist, Alan was with NIST, in both the Boulder and Washington DC labs, from 1964 -2004. He held several positions there, published over 150 papers and held one patent, and worked in a collaborative capacity in England for several years. He was inducted into the NIST Portrait Gallery. Following his retirement from the federal government, he served as chairman of the Department of Physics at the University of Colorado - Denver.

Al was the first chair of the IEEE Superconductivity Committee, the predecessor of the IEEE Council on Superconductivity. He also served as the Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity from 1994 to 1997. He was a founder and past Chairman, International Cryogenic Materials Conferences (1975-1987). Al was a member of the board of directors of the Applied Superconductivity Conference and served as Chairman of the 1990 Applied Superconductivity Conference held in Snowmass, CO. He was a prolific author with over 150 peer reviewed papers.

Hans-Georg Meyer Passed Away

January 4, 2019 (PO68). Prof. Hans-Georg Meyer, one of the European leaders in the field of applied superconductivity, tragically passed away on December 25th, 2018 at the age of 69 after a three-month fight for his life.

In 1973 he received his undergraduate diploma in physics from the Friedrich-Schiller-University (FSU) of Jena (Germany) in 1973 and his PhD in physics at the same university in 1981. From 1981 until 1993 Hans-Georg worked at the Institute of Solid-State Physics at the University of Jena. In 1985 he became Head of the Superconductor Theory group at that University. In his early career, he focused on the behavior dynamics of Josephson junctions under microwave radiation. These results made important contributions to the voltage standard in metrology. In particular, he made key contributions to voltage standard circuits based on Josephson tunnel junctions, which remain one of the successful applications of superconducting technologies originating from Jena.

In 1988, Hans-Georg earned his Facultas docendi and in 1991 his Habilitation (venia legendi) at the University of Jena. In 2009, the Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena appointed him Professor Extraordinary for Applied Physics/Solid State Physics.

In 1993 he became Head of the Research Department of Cryoelectronics, later named Quantum Detection, at the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz IPHT), Jena, Germany. Together with Prof. Hoenig and with the support of Prof. Christoph Heiden from the University of Giessen (Germany), he developed the new research field of Cryoelectronics at Leibniz-IPHT, organized as a joint research focus by IPHT and the University of Jena, Siemens AG, PTB Braunschweig, and Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH.

Hans-Georg, a very capable physicist with a broad theoretical background, devoted himself to basic research topics as well as to the transfer of research results into high sensitivity-tailored instruments and their application for everyday use. He laid the foundation for the application of SQUID sensors to exploration of natural resources, quantum-limited radiation detectors, such as the passive THz safety camera, that is applicable for standoff detection of hidden weapons and explosives and quantum technologies. These activities prospered and grew in the Leibniz IPHT under his leadership. In the past few years, he supported the research on thermal sensors which were developed and produced in his department and are now a reliable component in numerous NASA and ESA space missions.

As Head of the Quantum Detection Department at the Leibniz IPHT, he played a decisive role in shaping the research profile and strategic orientation of the Institute, especially in 2005, when he focused on photonic technologies. In particular, he supported research in the field of micro- and nanotechnologies and the establishment of the clean room which, under his leadership, developed into a technological core competency of IPHT. The research results in this area have often been published in high-impact journals, are internationally recognized and have played a significant part in the excellent status of the Leibniz-IPHT.

In 2001, he co-founded Supracon AG, a spin-off company from the Department of Quantum Detection at Leibniz-IPHT and thereby helped to bring SQUID magnetometry and Josephson Voltage Standards into successful industrial applications. After his retirement from the Leibniz-IPHT in 2017, he joined Supracon AG as Head of Business Development.

Hans-Georg served the research community of applied superconductivity as member of the Advisory Committee of the International Workshop on Low-Temperature Electronics (WOLTE), as a member of the Program Committee of Applied Superconductivity Conference (ASC), and as a member of the Scientific Committee of National Conference “Kryoelektronische Bauelemente (KRYO)” in Germany. He devoted substantial time to the European Association for Superconductor Electronics (FLUXONICS) as long-standing Vice Chairman.

Hans-Georg Meyer was honored with prizes for his outstanding achievements in the research field of applied superconductivity. These include the "International Mining Research Award" and the "Thüringer Forschungspreis" in the category "Applied Research".

In his private life, Hans-Georg was dedicated to German history and, in particular, of the provinces Saxonia, Thuringia and his home region “Vogtland” and took great interest in the preservation of his mother dialect spoken in this region. He was a great lover and connoisseur of classical music with a special interest in Baroque music, e.g. Bach, and took great pleasure in researching the origins of names (Onomastics) and their distribution within Germany.

Hans-Georg is survived by his son Matthias and his wife Ning, the two grandchildren Luke and Mathilde, his current life partner, Beate Pommer, and relatives. He also leaves behind many old companions with whom he jointly walked the path throughout their professional careers, many old and new colleagues, scientific and business partners, and friends from all over the world.

Dr. Ronny Stolz, Leibnitz Institute of Photonic Technology Jena

Prof. Dr. Michael Siegel, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

December 19, 2018. Kyoji Tachikawa was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. He received his BEng (1950) and Dr. Eng. (1961), both on Permanent Magnets, from the Faculty of Engineering, University of Tokyo, and joined the scientific staff of the University of Tokyo as a research associate in 1954. His first scientific papers date back to that year and refer to cold working studies of permanent magnet alloys and later on to high-C and high-Zr steels. In 1962 Tachikawa moved to the National Research Institute of Metals (NRIM) in Tsukuba, where he spent almost his entire scientific career until his “first” official retirement in 1987. He began there as the Head of the Electric and Magnetic Materials Laboratory in 1962, became Director of the Electric and Magnetic Materials Division in 1974, Director of the Superconducting and Cryogenic Materials Division in 1980, and Director of the entire Tsukuba Laboratories in 1985.

His first paper on superconducting materials appeared in 1964 and dealt with the Nb-Zr system. Only three years later he developed V₃Ga tapes with a very attractive high-field performance using Cu as a catalyst for the diffusion reaction. Again, three years later, he made an epoch-making invention of the so-called bronze process enabling the production of multifilamentary type V₃Ga conductors starting from V/Cu-Ga composites. He constructed the first magnet wound from multifilamentary type A-15 conductors in 1974, which was quite stable under time-varying fields. The bronze process was then successfully applied to the production of multifilamentary Nb₃Sn conductors, a workhorse for present-day high-field applications of superconductivity. The next seminal improvement came in 1982 when he developed Nb₃Sn conductors, doped by a few at% of Ti, which is incorporated into the Nb₃Sn layer and enhances the upper critical field from 20 to 25 T at 4.2 K by the mean-free-path effect. These materials are being used for one of the most demanding magnets ever designed, i.e. the toroidal field coils of the ITER nuclear fusion device.

After his retirement from the Tsukuba Laboratories, Tachikawa started his second career as a full professor at the Faculty of Engineering of Tokai University in April 1987. Substantial improvements of the A-15’s by new processing techniques, the development of other high-field superconductors, such as V₂Hf, the development of ultra-thin filaments for ac applications, substantial contributions to the processing of Bi and Tl-based high temperature superconductors, and finally research on the enhancement of critical currents in MgB₂ superconductors represent the highlights of Tachikawa’s work in “retirement”.

Professor Tachikawa’s scientific achievements are documented by four books and the editing of seven conference proceedings, around 400 scientific publications in refereed journals (among them 47 in CEC/ICMC Proceedings), and frequent seminar and conference presentations all around the world. He spent sabbaticals at the Francis Bitter National Magnet Lab at MIT, the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, and the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Numerous awards and honors bear testimony of the esteem and the international reputation gained by Tachikawa over the years, among them numerous best paper awards from the Japan Institute of Metals and from ICMC, the National Decoration from the Emperor of Japan in 1997, and the Prize for Distinguished Achievements in Research from the Cryogenic Society in Japan in May 2008. In 2000, along with Prof. David Larbalestier, he was one of the first two recipients of the award for lifetime achievement in Materials from the IEEE Council on Superconductivity Additionally, in 2009, Prof. Tachikawa was the third ever recipient of the ICMC Lifetime Achievement Award. The citation read: “The Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding work and contributions to the science and technology of superconducting materials achieved during a distinguished career is presented to Kyoji Tachikawa”.

August 29, 2018 (PO66).  Roger Wright Boom died on August 8, 2018, in La Jolla, California, following a long bout with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 95 years old at the time of his death.

Roger was born in 1923 to Frank and Gladys Boom, in Bladen, Nebraska. He attended grade school and high school in Bladen and then attended the University of Nebraska, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Physics in 1944, Phi Beta Kappa, Pi Mu Epsilon, and Sigma Xi. He was then a research associate in the Harvard Underwater Sound Research Lab. He joined the Navy in 1945 and taught electronics at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center.

He continued his education after WWII at University of Minnesota (M.S.-1950). In 1951 he married LaVerne Backdahl. He earned his Ph.D. in Physics at UCLA in 1958. Along with Profs. Kenneth R Mackenzie, Byron T. Wright, other graduate students and technicians, Roger helped bring up the new UCLA 49 inch cyclotron. He then did post-doctoral research at the University of Bonn for two years before joining Oak Ridge National Lab in 1960. In 1963 he returned to California to work for Atomics International where he received the prestigious IR100 award for his work in cryogenics and superconductivity.

In 1968 Roger joined the faculty of the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. There he continued his research in cryogenics and superconductivity and established the Applied Superconductivity Center which is now located at Florida State University in Tallahassee. His projects included early work in Superconductive Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES), a development of his and his longtime collaborator and friend, Professor Harold Peterson. Numerous researchers and leaders in the field today were doctoral candidates and postdocs in this program. He retired and became Distinguished Professor Emeritus in 1993. In July 1993, the Cryogenic Engineering Conference presented Boom with the Samuel C. Collins Award for outstanding contributions to cryogenic technology.

Roger was awarded 12 patents, primarily in the design of systems for cryogenic superconductivity.

Recognizing his accomplishments and his keen interest in nurturing new talent in the field, the Cryogenic Society of America established the Roger W. Boom Award in 2008. It is awarded biannually to a young professional who “shows promise for making significant contributions to the fields of cryogenic engineering and applied superconductivity.” The spirit of the R.W. Boom Award is to recognize young people for their pursuit of excellence, demonstration of high standards and clear communications.

During his tenure at UW he received the Byron Bird Award from the School of Engineering in 1986.

Roger was an avid golfer and was a member of Blackhawk Country Club while living in Madison. He continued to play golf in retirement, and would often frustrate younger players on the course with his capacity to chip accurately and usually leave only a short putt.

Roger’s love for the quest of knowledge was indeed tangible, including support for family members’ education, and the establishment of a scholarship fund through the University of Wisconsin Foundation for both men and women pursuing advanced degrees in Engineering. He and LaVerne were members of the Bascom Hill Society.

As Roger lost ground to the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease, he was fortunate and very appreciative to have the assistance of his grandniece Jennifer (McKenzie) Mannino living nearby as he progressed from independent living and playing golf to becoming a resident in the dementia care unit at White Sands of La Jolla. Her frequent visits, car trips, attention, and companionship helped him enjoy as much as possible those years, as he remained sociable, affable, and never faltered before a good meal with good company.

Roger died without issue, and was preceded in death by his wife LaVerne Boom in 2001; his parents, Frank and Gladys Boom; his sister, Lurye McKenzie, and his brother-in-law and high school physics teacher, Ronald J. McKenzie, Jr. He is survived by nephews, Ronald (Margot) McKenzie III, and Rodney (Paula) McKenzie, as well as nieces, Roine (Chas) Thomsen, and Marilyn Calhoun, and nephew Gary Ripley, as well as grandnieces and grandnephews.

Interment was August 13, 2018, at El Camino Memorial Park in San Diego, CA, beside his beloved wife, LaVerne.

Contributors: Steve van Sciver, Peter Lee, David Larbalestier, Bruce Strauss, and Rodney McKenzie