Norman Frederick Astbury

Norman Frederick Astbury (1 December 1908 – 28 October 1987) was a British physicist and engineer whose career spanned academia, government research, and industry. He graduated with a Double First in Natural Sciences from St John's College, Cambridge, England.

Early in his career, Astbury contributed to the redetermination of the ohm at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in Teddington After the Second World War, he established the central research laboratory for the Guest, Keen and Nettlefold (GKN) group of companies.

Early life and education Astbury was the youngest of seven children, born in Normacot, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent to William Edwin Astbury and Clara (née Dean) Astbury. Astbury attended Longton High School from 1919 to 1926 where he was head boy and the Duke of Sutherland's gold medallist.

He later pursued studies in Natural Sciences at St John's College Cambridge, where he was both a scholar and a prizeman. St John’s College offered entrance scholarships of £60-£100 a year tenable for at least two years: Astbury held one of these as an undergraduate. The college also offered a prize of books to the value of three guineas for performance in examinations: Astbury won prizes for his performance in both Part I and Part II of the Natural Sciences Tripos in 1928 and 1929 respectively. He achieved first class honours in both parts of the natural sciences tripos. in Teddington, England. Collaborating with his senior colleague, Leslie Hartshorn, he contributed to work on primary and secondary electrical standards. His responsibilities included tasks such as re-establishing the primary inductance standard and conducting a redetermination of the ohm.

Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough (1956–1957) The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research institution that operated under various names throughout its history and ultimately became part of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). Following its dissolution, its functions were distributed among various government departments, and its records are now housed with DSTL (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory), FAST (Farnborough Air Sciences Trust) and The National Archives (United Kingdom).

During his two years at the RAE, His research in this latter area was connected to the ceramic materials used in manufacturing processes, linking to his subsequent work at the British Ceramic Research Association (1957–1973).

In 1968, Astbury was appointed a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services to industry in the New Year Honours' List under the government of Prime Minister Harold Wilson.

Personal life and death Upon his retirement from the British Ceramic Research Association (BCRA), he was presented with an early reel-to-reel tape recorder. He utilized this device to record one part of a piano duet and subsequently played it back while performing the second part himself. This practice led to the development of an extensive personal collection of duet recordings.

Astbury died on 28 October 1987. He was survived by four children. Astbury, N. F., Herbert William Harcourt West, H. R. Hodgkinson – British Ceramic Research Association (1972) – Blast Effect Experimental Gas Explosions: Report of Further Tests at Potters Marston

Appointments Fellow, Royal Society of Arts 1948 - 1987 Education and Membership Committee and Council Member, Institute of Physics and Physical Society 1963–1966 Vice President, Parliamentary and Scientific Committee 1965–1968 Governor, North Staffordshire Polytechnic 1969 Advisory Board, Journal of Scientific Instruments Advisory Board, British Journal of Applied Physics Member, Board of Studies, National Council for Technological Awards

Profession qualifications CEng – A Chartered Engineer (CEng) is an engineer registered with the UK's regulatory body for the engineering profession, the Engineering Council. FIEE – Fellow of the Institute of Electrical Engineers (FIEE) was the highest level of membership in the Institute of Electrical Engineers. In 2006, the IEE merged with the Institution of Incorporated Engineers (IIE) to form a new organization called the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). FInstP – Fellow of the Institute of Physics (FInstP) is the highest level of membership attainable by physicists who are members of the Institute of Physics. Hon FICeram – Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Ceramics a professional designation awarded by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3), specifically under its Ceramics Division and is one of the highest levels of professional recognition within the field of ceramics. It indicates that the holder has made a significant contribution to the science, technology, or industry of ceramics and typically requires a combination of extensive experience, leadership, and professional achievement in the ceramics sector.