APS Honors Rutherford and Soddy

On November 30, as part of its Historic Sites initiative, APS presented a pair of plaques (one English, one French) to McGill University in Montréal to honor the achievements of Ernest Rutherford and Frederick Soddy. The English plaque read: "At this location, Ernest Rutherford and Frederick Soddy, during 1901-03, correctly explained radioactivity as emission of particles from the nucleus and established the laws of the spontaneous transmutation of the elements." Representing APS were the Chair of the Historic Sites Committee, John Rigden, and Associate Executive Officer Alan Chodos, a McGill alumnus. The photo of the presentation ceremony shows (l to r): Rigden, McGill Principal Heather Munroe-Blum, Chodos, Chair of the McGill physics department Charles Gale, and McGill Dean of Science Martin Grant. (The Principal of McGill is the equivalent of the President of an American university).