National Women in Engineering Day (NWED) - 23rd June

National Women in Engineering Day - 23 June 2016 - a day dedicated to raising the profile and celebrating the achievements of women in engineering.

NWED was set up by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) to celebrate its 95th anniversary. 

On 23 June 2014 WES wanted to focus attention on the great opportunities for women in engineering, at a time when it has never been more important to address the engineering skills shortage. By encouraging girls into engineering careers we will not only be increasing diversity and inclusion – a business imperative – but enabling us to fill the substantial future job opportunities that have been predicted in this sector. 

The idea behind National Women in Engineering Day is to encourage all groups (Governmental, educational, corporate, Professional Engineering Institutions, individuals and other organisations) to organise their own events in support of the day, and link them together for maximum impact through the use of the NWED logo, corresponding website, and supporting resources.

Today WES is a membership organisation which has the following three roles:

1.    Women: Support women to achieve their potential as engineers, applied scientists and leaders and to reward excellence.
2.      Education: Encourage and promote the education, study and application of engineering.
3.     Sustainability: Work with organisations and influencers to promote gender diversity and equality in the workplace and sustain the historic legacy and future effectiveness of the Women’s Engineering Society.

- See more at: http://www.nwed.org.uk/about.html#sthash.5nzPN68R.dpuf

Mumbai: JJ School of Art to throw open its doors for student exhibits

The over century-old haven for budding artists, JJ School of Art, is preparing for an upcoming art exhibition. Called ‘Kala ka Aangan’, which translates to ‘Courtyard of Art’ it will display artwork of current students on four boards erected in the campus. However, the exhibit does not have an inaugural date yet.

“The four boards will display the work of the Fine Arts, Applied Arts, Architecture and Sculpture departments,” said Rajiv Mishra, principal of JJ College of Architecture. “Collectively, the exhibit will be called ‘Kala ka Aangan,’ as it will be held in the garden, as a tribute to the students’ artwork.” Mishra said the idea was conceptualised by state Education Minister Vinod Tawde, who will also be inaugurating the project. “The artworks that will be displayed on these boards have already been selected and we will put them up once we get the inaugural dates finalised by Tawde,” he said. “The project will be open to the public after it is inaugurated, so that passers by can also view it.”

Wall art

While the boards might be blank for now, the institute’s wall facing the courtyard has been completely revamped. “As part of this project, the entire wall was painted by seven of us around 10 days ago. The main artist behind it is Rajat Bhele, a student of the Applied Arts department who graduated this year,” said Uday Kawle, an ex-student of the school from the Fine Arts department. Kawle added the previous painting on this wall was made six years ago. “Now it is time to promote the current students’ work which is why they gave it to us,” he said. “This project has also financially helped students and ex-students as we got paid to paint the wall.”

Inaugural date undecided

When asked why many students weren’t aware of the purpose of these boards, Saket Acharekar, an alumnus, said that since the summer vacation was on till a few weeks ago, some students were out of the loop. “The project has not been discussed openly, but since we are ex-students, we have heard of it from professors. The gallery was supposed to be inaugurated before the college reopened, but currently there is some issue going on with its inaugural date.”

Despite the preparation, ambiguity looms large over the gallery’s inaugural date. “The tentative date for the gallery’s opening was June 9,” said Anil Gandait, an ex-student of the Metal and Fine Arts Department. “Anyway, only half the students know about this project.”

“We cannot really display our artwork in the open during the rainy season,” said Kawle. “The gallery was supposed to have been inaugurated earlier this month but it got delayed.”

Source: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/mumbai-jj-school-of-art-to-throw-open-its-doors-for-student-exhibits/17344192

Personality of the Day: Sir James W. Black

Sir James W. Black was a Scottish pharmacologist who won a share of the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1988. He developed the beta blocker, propranolol, which is used for the treatment of heart disease and also developed cimetidine, a H2 receptor antagonist, a drug to treat stomach ulcers. His discoveries are credited to have changed the practice of cardiology, and the drugs he developed are among the most prescribed in the world. The son of a mining engineer, he grew up to be a carefree and happy youth with no serious ambitions in life. As a teenager, he was persuaded into sitting for the competitive entrance examination for St Andrews University which he easily cleared, winning the Patrick Hamilton Residential Scholarship. He proceeded to study medicine and graduated with an MB ChB in 1946. However, he had no interest in practicing medicine and was more inclined towards academics and research. After spending a few years in Singapore, he joined the University of Glasgow (Veterinary School) in Scotland where he went on to establish the Physiology Department. Eventually he shifted to research and developed propranolol while working for ICI Pharmaceuticals. Another major drug, cimetidine, was developed during his stint at Smith, Kline and French. His pioneering work in drug development earned him several prestigious awards including the Lasker award and the Nobel Prize.

Career

·         By the time of his graduation from medical school, he was convinced that he did not want to practice medicine. Thus, he stayed at the University College for a short while as an assistant lecturer.

·         He moved to Singapore in 1947 and accepted a position as a Lecturer at the King Edward VII College of Medicine. After three years, he went to London where he met Professor R.C. Garry who helped him in getting an appointment at the University of Glasgow (Veterinary School).

·         The post was a challenging one and Black proceeded to establish the Physiology Department from scratch. During this time, he also built a research laboratory providing the most advanced cardiovascular technology and developed an interest in the effects of the hormone adrenaline on the human heart.

·         In 1958, he joined ICI Pharmaceuticals. His years with the company were very exciting and led to some extraordinary discoveries in medical science. He collaborated with scientists in his team to develop propranolol which is a beta blocker used for the treatment of heart disease. The discovery of propranolol is considered one of the greatest breakthroughs in the treatment of heart disease.

·         Along with the development of propranolol, James W. Black was also working on developing a similar method of treatment for stomach ulcers. However, ICI was not interested in pursuing research in this direction. Thus, Black resigned in 1964 and joined Smith, Kline and French.

·         While working at Smith, Kline and French, he developed the drug, cimetidine, a histamine H2 receptor antagonist, which was launched under the brand name Tagamet in 1975. The drug, used in the treatment of heartburn and peptic ulcers, eventually became the world's largest-selling prescription drug.

·         In 1973, he was appointed professor, and head of department, of pharmacology at University College London. There he established a new undergraduate course in medicinal chemistry.

·         In 1977, he was invited by the prominent English pharmacologist, Sir John Vane, to join the Wellcome Research Laboratories as the director of therapeutic research. There he established a small academic research unit before leaving in 1984.

·         He then joined the Rayne Institute of King's College London medical school as a Professor of Analytical Pharmacology, a post he held until 1992 before becoming the Chancellor of the University of Dundee.

·         He was a popular figure within the University and his retirement in 2006 was marked by the inauguration of the £20 million Sir James Black Centre, intended to promote interdisciplinary research in the life sciences.

Major Works

·         Sir James W. Black developed propranolol, the beta adrenergic receptor antagonist used in treatment of heart disease. His discovery of the drug is considered one of the greatest breakthroughs in heart disease treatments and is counted amongst the most important contributions to medical science and pharmacology of the 20th century.

Awards & Achievements

·         He was the recipient of several prestigious awards: Lasker award (1976), Artois-Baillet Latour Health Prize (1979), and the Wolf Prize in Medicine (1982), among others.

·         He was made a Knight Bachelor in 1981 for services to medical research.

·         Sir James W. Black was awarded the 1988 Nobel Prize in Medicine along with Gertrude B. Elion and George H. Hitchings "for their discoveries of important principles for drug treatment."

Read more at http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/sir-james-w-black-7474.php#B4WEzHMtYAVKBXkp.99

Personality of the Day: Karl Landsteiner

Karl Landsteiner was an Austrian biologist and physician, who is particularly notable for his work in the field of hematology, which revolutionized the process of blood transfusion. His research in the field of immunology is just as significant as his hematology research, as it led to the isolation of previously deadly viruses and the subsequent development of vaccines against them. Due to his groundbreaking work and singular personality, which has been described as being sad and intense, he acquired many nicknames, including the father of immunology, the father of hematology, and the melancholy genius. Despite the financial hardship Dr. Landsteiner faced during the early years of his career in his native Vienna, he never gave up his beloved research, contributing many important scientific findings during these lean times. Dr. Landsteiner was mentored by some of the leading scientific minds of his time, which no doubt helped him to expand his already prodigious intellect and delve further into his research. He was a man of a solitary nature who preferred to live away from other people, and as such never gave any interviews about his revolutionary work and its impact. Possessing high intelligence and a tireless work ethic, Karl Landsteiner was a scientific pioneer who changed the face of medical treatment forever. Hundreds owe their lives to his research; read on to know more about his contribution to the scientific community

Career

·         In 1891, Karl Landsteiner published his first scientific work, a paper about the influence of diet on the composition of blood ash.

·         From 1891-1893, Landsteiner immersed himself in the study of chemistry, studying under Arthur Rudolf Hantzsch, Hermann Emil Fisher, and Eugen Bamberger in their labs in Zurich, Wurzburg and Munchen, respectively.

·         In 1896 he became an assistant to well-known bacteriologist Max von Gruber at the ‘Hygienic Institute of Vienna’, where he concentrated his studies on the natures of immunity and antibodies.

·         From November 1897 to 1908, he was an assistant under Anton Weischelbaum at the pathological-anatomical institute of the ‘University of Vienna’.

·         In 1901, Karl made his groundbreaking discovery that, contrary to the previously held belief that all humans’ blood was the same, there are actually four different blood groups and three different blood types.

·         In 1911, he became an associate professor of pathological anatomy at the ‘WIlhelminenspital’ in Vienna. During this time, he and his partner Erwin Popper also discovered and isolated the polio virus, making the development of a vaccine possible.

·         In 1922, he accepted a position at the ‘Rockefeller Institute’ in America, which remained his place of employment for the remainder of his life.

·         In 1927, he revised the blood group work he had done over 25 years before by discovering 20 new blood groups, which led to the development of modern paternity tests.

·         During the period of 1930-1932, Landsteiner and his research partner, Clara Nigg, successfully cultured the causative agent of typhus.

Major Works

·         He published his groundbreaking paper detailing the different human blood groups in 1901, which was entitled ‘On agglutination phenomena of normal human blood’.

·         In 1936, he published his seminal work about the immune system entitled ‘The Specificity of the Serologic Reactions’, a book which is still considered a classic in its field.

Awards & Achievements

·    In 1927, Karl Landsteiner received an honorary degree from the ‘University of Chicago’, and two years later was named president of the ‘American Association of Immunologists’.

·       He won the ‘Nobel Prize’ in 1930 in the category of ‘Physiology and Medicine’ for his work in detecting different human blood groups.

·     He received honorary degrees from both ‘Cambridge’ and the ‘Free University of Brussels’ in 1934, as well as an honorary degree from ‘Harvard’ two years later.

Source: Read more at http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/karl-landsteiner-6356.php#MKcplBChkCXE4sHe.99

Personality of the Day: Henry Hallett Dale

Sir Henry Hallett Dale was a British physiologist and pharmacologist who shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1936 with German pharmacologist Otto Loewi “for their discoveries in the chemical transmission of nerve impulses”. Shortly after specializing in physiology and zoology from Trinity College, Cambridge he embarked on his research career at the Wellcome Physiological Research Laboratories. He received his medical degree from Cambridge in 1909 and eventually became the Director of the National Institute for Medical Research, London. He also served as Secretary and later President of the Royal Society. In his research career, he identified the compound histamine in animal tissues and determined that the chemical’s physiological effects such as the dilation of blood vessels and contraction of smooth muscles were similar to the symptoms of some allergic and anaphylactic reactions. He successfully isolated acetylcholine, established its occurrence in animal tissue, and confirmed its presence at nerve endings. His research established the role of acetylcholine in the chemical transmission of nerve impulses. He played a crucial role in promoting international standards for active biological substances like hormones, antitoxins, and vaccines. During his lifetime, he was honoured with Knighthood, the Order of Merit, and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire.

Career

·         In 1904, Henry Hallett Dale became a pharmacologist at the Wellcome Physiological Research Laboratories. Two years later in 1906, he became Director of these laboratories and continued in the post for the next six years. Meanwhile, he received his M.D. from Cambridge in 1909.

·         In 1914, he became Director of the Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology at the National Institute for Medical Research, London. The same year, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and served as Secretary from 1925 to 1935.

·         In 1928, he became Director of the National Institute for Medical Research London, a post he held till 1942. Meanwhile, he was honoured with a knighthood in 1932 and four years later, he and Otto Loewi jointly won the prestigious Nobel Prize in Medicine.

·         During World War II, he served on the Scientific Advisory Committees of the cabinet. He also served as President of the Royal Society from 1940 to 1945.

·         In 1942, he became Fullerian Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Davy-Faraday Research Laboratory at Royal Institution, London. He was appointed to the Order of Merit in 1944.

·         After 1946, he took an active interest in the administration of the Wellcome Trust, for the support of medical research and scholarships. He served as Chairman of the Board for twenty two years, from 1938 until 1960.

·         He was honoured with the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire in 1948 and served as President of the Royal Society of Medicine from 1948 to 1950.

·         In later years, he supported the international campaign to standardize drugs and vaccines. He also promoted the peaceful use of nuclear energy and the value of scientific research

Major Works

·         Sir Henry identified the compound histamine in animal tissues in 1911 and determined that the chemical’s physiological effects such as the dilation of blood vessels and contraction of smooth muscles were similar to the symptoms of some allergic and anaphylactic reactions.

·         In 1914, he successfully isolated acetylcholine and established its occurrence in animal tissue. Later in the 1930s, he confirmed its presence at nerve endings. His research established the role of acetylcholine in the chemical transmission of nerve impulses.

·         Apart from frequent articles and papers published in medical and scientific journals, he authored ‘Adventures in Physiology’ in 1953 and ‘An Autumn Gleaning’ in 1954.

Awards & Achievements

·         The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1936 was awarded jointly to Henry Hallett Dale and Otto Loewi “for their discoveries relating to chemical transmission of nerve impulses”.

·         He received several other honours such as the Knight Grand Cross, Order of the British Empire in 1948, Medal of Freedom (Silver Palm), U.S.A. in 1947, the Grand-Croix de l'Ordre de la Couronne, Belgium in 1950, and l'Ordre pour le Mérite, Western Germany in 1955.

·         He received fellowships of numerous learned societies and institutions of the world, including the Royal Society of Edinburgh and Trinity College, Cambridge. He received over twenty honorary degrees in his lifetime

Source: Read more at http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/henry-hallett-dale-7325.php#06zjacSwcaYmMB1F.99

Personality of the Day: Tim Berners-Lee

Sir Tim Berners-Lee is a British computer scientist who invented what is undoubtedly one of the most revolutionary inventions of the 20th century—the World Wide Web (WWW). A qualified software engineer who was working at CERN when he came up with the idea of a global network system, Sir Tim is also credited for creating the world’s first web browser and editor. He founded the World Wide Web Foundation and directs the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Both of his parents worked on the Ferranti Mark I, the first commercial computer, and thus it is not surprising that he too chose the field of computers. But what is surprising is the phenomenal impact his idea of a global network has had on the world of information and technology. An alumnus of the University of Oxford, he realized the need for a global communication network while working at CERN as the researchers from all over the world needed to share their data with each other. By the late 1980s he had drawn up a proposal for creating a global hypertext document system using the internet. A few more years of pioneering work in the field led to the birth of the World Wide Web making Berners-Lee one of the most significant inventors of the modern era.

Career

·         He was appointed as an engineer at the telecommunications company, Plessey in Poole after completing his studies. He remained there for two years, working on distributed transaction systems, message relays, and bar code technology.

·         He left Plessey in 1978 and joined D. G. Nash Ltd. In this job he wrote typesetting software for intelligent printers and a multitasking operating system.

·         In the late 1970s he began working as an independent consultant and worked for many companies, including CERN where he worked from June to December 1980 as a consultant software engineer.

·         While at CERN he wrote a program called “Enquire” for his own personal use. It was a simple hypertext program which laid the conceptual foundation for the development of the World Wide Web in future.

·         He started working at John Poole’s Image Computer Systems, Ltd. in 1981. For the next three years he worked on the company’s technical side which enabled him to gain experience in computer networking. His work included real time control firmware, graphics and communications software, and a generic macro language.

·         He returned to CERN in 1984 after receiving a fellowship there. During the 1980s thousands of people were working at CERN and they needed to share information and data with each other. Much of the work was done by email and the scientists had to keep track of different things simultaneously. Tim realized that a simpler and more efficient method of data sharing had to be devised.

·         In 1989, he wrote a proposal for a more effective communication system within the organization which eventually led to the conceptualization of the World Wide Web—an information sharing system that could be implemented throughout the world.

·         The world’s first ever website, Info.cern.ch, was built at CERN and put online on 6th August 1991, ushering in a new era in the field of communication and technology. The site provided information of what the World Wide Web was and how it could be used for information sharing.

·         He established the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Laboratory for Computer Science in 1994. The W3C decided that its technologies should be royalty-free so that anyone could adopt them.

·         He became a professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of Southampton, UK, in December 2004. There he worked on the Semantic Web.

·         In 2006, he became the Co-Director of the Web Science Trust which was launched to analyze the World Wide Web and devise solutions to optimize its usage and design. He also serves as the Director of the World Wide Web Foundation, started in 2009.

·         Along with Professor Nigel Shadbolt, he is one of the key figures behind data.gov.uk, a UK Government project to make non-personal UK government data more accessible to the public.

Major Works

·         His invention, the World Wide Web, is counted among the most significant inventions of the 20th century. The web revolutionized the world of information and technology and has opened up several new avenues.

Awards & Achievements

·         He was presented with The Software System Award from the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) in 1995.

·         He was named as one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th century by the Time Magazine in 1999.

·         He was made the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the New Year Honours "for services to the global development of the Internet" in 2004.

·         In 2013, he became one of five Internet and Web pioneers awarded the inaugural Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.

Read more at http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/tim-berners-lee-5475.php#44qLlLDlGLYSvGUs.99

Personality of the Day: John Smeaton

John Smeaton was an English engineer and a physicist, famously known as the ‘Father of Civil Engineering’. He was a master at his work and a self-proclaimed Civil Engineer, an eminent forerunner of his profession. Although initially he pursued the legal profession like his father, later he decided to be an instrument maker. He gained most of his training and scientific knowledge through reading and attending the meetings of Royal Society of London. He constructed bridges, canals and harbors in addition to his works of mechanical engineering. He devised new ways for construction; whether it was the material he used for building or the technique to strengthen the rigidity of the object. Through his dedication and genuine efforts, his every project emerged as a masterpiece, a passionate work of art. He transformed the work of engineering, which was considered as a handicraft work, to a scientific process of experimenting and devising mechanisms in architectural work. He was the first person to coin the term ‘civil engineers’ and also established the first ever engineering society in the world. His earnest work is an inspiration for everyone; to be fearless of the choices they make in life and work with dedication for their dreams to come true.

Career

·         In 1748, he opened his own shop in Great Turnstile in London with a little knowledge of science and tool-making under his sleeve. His friend, Henry Hindley, helped him to understand the art of making instruments.

·         In 1750, he collaborated with Dr. Gowin Knight to develop a mariner’s compass, which later became a Royal Navy standard issue. Along with the compass, he also invented a prototype machine to measure the speed of ships, which was not very accurate in heavy seas.

·         In 1751, he moved his shop from Great Turnstile to a larger place in Furnival Inn Court and employed three craftsmen under his supervision.

·         In 1752, he conducted some experiments related to power of windmills and water wheels which were successful and proved his expertise in the knowledge of science and engineering.

·         In 1756, he was chosen to build the new lighthouse for Eddystone Rocks near Plymouth, England. It was his first and one of his most acknowledged engineering projects.

·         In 1759, he published a paper concerned with watermills, the major source of power at that time. His work was honored with the Copley Award.

·         In 1760, he showed his mechanical engineering skills and developed a water pressure engine that pumped water which was later superseded by James Watt’s steam engine. He also developed a pyrometer to study material expansion

·         During his professional career, he engineered the construction of various canals, bridges and harbors including the Coldstream Bridge, Ripon Canal, Aberdeen Bridge, Peterhead Harbour and Forth and Clyde Canal in Scotland. He also contributed in building 43 mills including his most significant one at Carron Company ironworks in 1769.

·         In 1782, he built the Chimney Mill at Spital Tongues in ‘Newcastle upon Tyne’, the first 5-sailed smock mill in Britain. He is also recognized for improving the Edmund Halley’s diving bell by adding an air pump to it, so that it can be used underwater as well.

·         He was member of Lunar Society and a co-founder of the ‘Society of Civil Engineers’ in 1771 which was renamed ‘Institution of Civil Engineers’ in 1818.

·         From 1759 to 1782, he conducted some experiments which supported the theory of formulation of conservation of energy by Gottfried Leibniz. But his discovery was opposed by followers of Isaac Newton, who believed his formulation was inconsistent with Newton’s theory of conservation of momentum

Major Works

·         One of his most notable works is of the construction of the lighthouse on Eddystone Rocks from 1756 to 1759. After the destruction of two previous lighthouses due to storms, he was selected to construct a rigid one which he did successfully. He was the first to use ‘hydraulic lime’ for its steady foundation and also developed a technique involving dovetailed blocks of granite for its construction.

·         In 1759, he published a paper ’An Experimental Enquiry Concerning the Natural Powers of Water and Wind to Turn Mills and Other Machines Depending on Circular Motion’ addressing the relationship between pressure and velocity for objects moving in air and his concepts were subsequently developed to devise the 'Smeaton Coefficient'.

·         He coined the term ‘civil engineers’ to distinguish them from military engineers of that time and was also a co-founder of ‘Society of Civil Engineers’ in 1771.

Awards & Achievements

·         In 1753, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society through his published papers on instrument making.

·         He was honored with the Copley Award in 1759 for his extraordinary research in the mechanics of waterwheels and windmills.

·         In 1834, the Society of Civil Engineers, which he was a co-founder of, was renamed as the ‘Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers’ in his honor.

Read more at http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/john-smeaton-5400.php#w5MCbwsz1lDGJqfa.99

Personality of the Day: Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright was an architect and interior designer credited to have revolutionized American architecture and interior designing. Over his long and productive career he designed more than 1000 structures and 500 works including different types of buildings like offices, schools, hotels, museums, churches and skyscrapers. He is best remembered for his innovative designs which were in harmony with nature and humanity. As an interior designer he also designed furniture and stained glass. His interest in architecture began when he assisted famous architect Joseph Silsbee with the construction of the Unity Chapel as a college student. He also worked under the architect Louis Sullivan who was known as the ‘father of skyscrapers’. This experience had a profound influence on the young Wright and motivated him to develop a unique American style of architecture. He later developed his own practice and became a much sought after architect famous for his unique and stylish designs. His residential designs were known as “Prairie Style” and reflected the influence of Japanese architecture. In spite of being highly talented, his scandalous private life and affair with a married woman jeopardized his career and he could never gain back the reputation of his hey days.

Career

·         He went to Chicago in 1887 in search of employment. He found work as a draftsman with the architectural firm of Joseph Silsbee with whom he had worked as a college student.

·         Even though this work helped him earn his livelihood but he was not satisfied with that. Soon he started looking for a new job and was hired by the firm of Adler & Sullivan.

·         Working with the legendary architect Louis Sullivan had a profound influence on Wright’s creativity and designing abilities. Sullivan granted him a five year contract. However, due to financial troubles Wright began accepting independent commissions as well. He was fired by Sullivan in 1893 for breach of contract.

·         He established his own practice after leaving Sullivan. His first independent commission was the Winslow House which was simple yet elegant and characterized by open, expansive interior spaces. This design soon came to be called the “organic style”.

·         Determined to develop an architectural style that was uniquely American, he designed several residential and public buildings over the next several years that came to be known as “prairie style”.

·         The prairie houses had extended low buildings with shallow, sloping roofs, suppressed chimneys, overhangs and terraces. These houses are an example of the “open plan”, with long and low windows that connect the interiors with nature.

·         He was a lifelong Unitarian. After the Unitarian church was burned down in 1905, he offered to build the Unity Temple on which he worked till 1909. The temple was built with only one material, reinforced concrete, and was hailed as the world’s first modern building.

·         In spite of being married with children, he fell in love with a married woman and left for Europe in 1909. This scandal marred his reputation and he was finding it difficult to get significant commissions. His lover and several others were killed by a deranged man which shook the architect emotionally.

·         He was commissioned by the Japanese Emperor to design the Imperial hotel in Tokyo in 1915. It took him a full seven years to build the project which he claimed was earthquake proof. This claim proved to be a fact as the hotel was the only large structure to survive the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.

·         His career as an architect slowed down due to the Great Depression during the 1930s. He focused on writing and teaching at this time. His books ‘An Autobiography’ and ‘The Disappearing City’ were published in 1932.

·         One of his most significant works was built during his later years. It took him 16 years (1943-1959) to design the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City which rises as a spiral with its interiors similar to the inside of a sea shell.

Major Works

·         The Fallingwater, a house designed by him was named the "best all-time work of American architecture” in 1991 by the American Institute of Architects. The home was partially built over a waterfall which adds to its aesthetic appeal.

·         He designed the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum which is a cylindrical museum building considered to be one of the most important landmarks of the 20th century

Awards & Achievements

·         He received Gold Medals from The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the American Institute of Architects in 1941 and 1949 respectively.

·         In 1953 he received the Franklin Institute’s Frank P. Brown Medal

Read more at http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/frank-lincoln-wright-1417.php#R10KxAqqVjMl4y8s.99