There are two files in the Churchill Archive Centre with material relating to the early years of CSAR (they are in Sir John Cockcroft’s papers, in files CKFT AS 7/1 and CKFT 20/69).
CSAR started (as SAR – no “Cambridge” at that time) on 14th October, 1963, in the Mill Lane Lecture Rooms. An article in an unidentified newspaper reports the chairman Sir John Cockcroft calling for greater “financial nourishment” for existing research, and vice-chair Prof. Alan Cottrell calling for easier interchange of scientists between industry and universities.
Who were the participants in that early organization? Sir John Cockcroft was the first Master of Churchill College - a Nobel-Prize-winning physicist who first split the atom (with Ernest Walton); who sat on the MAUD committee that worked on UK nuclear weapons development; was director of the Atomic Energy Research Establishment, building the nearly-fusion reactor ZETA; and who saved the north-west of England from radioactive catastrophe by insisting that the chimneys of the nuclear piles at Windscale be fitted with filters (the so-called “Cockcroft’s Follies”).
The vice-chair Prof. Alan Cottrell (later Sir) was a metallurgist who brought the ideas of solid-state physics into the deformation of metals. He also became Chief Scientific Advisor to the Government, Master of Jesus College, and vice-Chancellor of the University. I studied metallurgy, and remember reading his textbooks; I think I even met him (he was the owner of an unforgettable pair of eyebrows!).
The Honorary Secretary of SAR was Dr. Donald Wilhelm. He was a political scientist from Yale and Harvard, who had worked extensively in Iran and was sent by the Shah to Cambridge in 1960 to complete the Shah’s memoir “Mission for My Country”. He also authored “Creative Alternatives to Communism: Guidelines for Tomorrow's World”. His CV, sent to Cockcroft in August 1966 to ask for a reference, includes (my italics):
“With Sir John Cockcroft and others, founded the Society for the Application of Research, which numbers among its aims the focusing of scientific research on the needs of emerging countries”.
The Senior Treasurer in October 1963 was Professor D.C. Johnson, an American professor of mathematics education. By late 1964, he had been replaced by Professor W.I.B. Beveridge, an animal pathologist and head of the Institute of Animal Pathology at the University. Beveridge was chairman of the World Veterinary Association for 18 years, and in 1957 had written “The Art of Scientific Investigation”, which is, remarkably, still available for your Kindle.
What did Cockcroft say at the meeting? As well as that call for more financial support for research, he predicted 5 GW of UK nuclear power generation by 1968; frozen human organs used for medical research; fish farming; and conversion of solar energy to power (by photosynthesis). He didn’t do too badly. Nuclear power generation in the UK was about 3.3 GW in 1968, peaked at about 11 GW in 1998 (and was 4.7 GW in 2023). Frozen organs are not widely used although frozen egg cells are; the trend now seems to be to grow synthetic organs for research using IPS cells. Fish farming is commonplace, perhaps too much so. Solar power generation, although not via photosynthesis, is everywhere, and growing rapidly (1.54 GW in 2023). Cockcroft had no hint, however, of climate change, or genomics, or the prodigious growth of computing technology.
The program card for the first three SAR meetings (in October and November 1963) is shown below. As well as the titles and speakers, it also lists a board of advisors, who are "available to guide members in the development, promotion and application of their ideas." There's a wide range of talents available here, including: Sir Eric Ashby (notable botanist and father of Professor Michael Ashby of the Cambridge Engineering Department); Sir Edward Bullard (geophysicist, after whom the Bullard Lab on Madingley Rise is named); Peter Danckwerts (Professor of Chemical Engineering); Professor Alex Deer (mineralogist and co-author of DHZ, the unofficial "bible" of that field of study); R J N Greaves (pioneer in the freeze-drying of blood serum); Sir James Gray (Professor of Zoology, who helped to establish the field of cell biology); Sir William Hawthorne (Professor of Engineering and the second Master of Churchill); Prof. Sir William Hodge (mathematician - notable for his work on harmonic integrals); Sir Leslie Martin (architect of the Royal Festival Hall, Harvey Court, and Kettle's Yard); G.P. Thomson (Nobel-prize-winning physicist); Lord Todd (Nobel-prize-winning biochemist); and Joseph Needham (biochemist & sinologist).
The reverse of the card states that membership of SAR was “in principle” open to “all interested persons within or without the University”, for 5 shillings (25p in today’s money. In 2024 we now charge just 100x more but I think we’re still pretty good value). The programme cards also say “Unconditional donations from individuals and organisations are welcome to help support the work” (hint!).
A few programme cards for the early years exist in Cockcroft’s archives. The topics are shown below:
14/10/1963 Sir John Cockcroft The Aims of SAR
14/10/1963 Prof. Alan Cottrell Universities and the Application of Science
04/11/1963 Prof. Lord Todd The Cultural Gap between Pure and Applied Science
18/11/1963 Prof. N.J.T.M. Needham The Social Impact of Science in China.
20/01/1964 Prof. Alan Cottrell Pure Science in Industry
03/02/1964 Prof. D.C. Johnson Industry: Plain Stupid or Devilish Cunning?
17/02/1964 Prof. W.I.B. Beveridge The Fertile Mind
02/03/1964 Dr. M.F. Perutz Questions for the Applied Molecular Biology Tripos
27/04/1964 Prof. P.V. Danckwerts Applied Research in Universities – Aims and Problems
11/05/1964 Prof. R.I.N. Greaves The Evolution of Freeze-Drying Techniques
19/10/1964 W.B. Reddaway MA India’s Development Crisis
02/11/1964 Richard L. Gregory MA The Psychology of Invention
16/11/1964 Sir Gordon Sutherland A Royal Society for Technology
30/11/1964 Dr. H.M. Finniston Sponsored Research
SAR turned into CSAR sometime in 1991 - 1992; the records are incomplete. The topics addressed by CSAR now are more specific and detailed (see the "Lectures" pages). We have no special focus on “emerging countries” or on the gap between pure and applied research. We make about 12 financial awards each year to outstanding PhD students, a very successful scheme introduced in 2012. Importantly, “We” also now means 100% of the human race, not just 50% (as some of you will have spotted from the names above). Here’s to another 60 years.