Cooper Medal
The Cooper Medal was awarded biennially for research published in the fields of physics and engineering of particular merit or addressing a specific need in New Zealand. It has been replaced by the Cooper Award for early career researchers.
Background of the Medal
Dr E. R. Cooper was the first Director of the Dominion Physical Laboratory from 1939 to 1950. He subsequently held the position of Assistant Secretary (Physics and Engineering) of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research until his untimely death in 1952.
On the initiative of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Dominion Physical Laboratory, a fund was collected for the purpose of establishing an E. R. Cooper Medal, to be awarded every two years to the author of the best account of research work carried out in New Zealand in physics or engineering. In 1965, the Council of the Royal Society of New Zealand formally accepted responsibility for the administration of the Cooper Medal. The E. R. Cooper Memorial Fund was transferred to the Society by the Technical Advisory Committee of the Dominion Physical Laboratory in memory of the late Edmund Roy Cooper, to support the award of the medal and prize for the encouragement of scientific research in the fields of physics or engineering.
Until and including 2016, the Cooper Medal was awarded biennially to the researcher (or researchers) who, working within New Zealand, has published original research within the fields of physics and engineering that is of particular merit and either adresses a specific need, or is likely to have beneficial impact, in or for New Zealand.
It was agreed that from 2017 the Cooper Medal for engineering be discontinued, that the name be changed to the Cooper Award and that this award be open to Early Career Researchers in Technology, Applied Sciences and Engineering.
Recipients
|
2016 |
No award |
|
2014 |
No award |
|
2012 |
Mark Poletti - for his world-leading development of the globally preferred method for tuning concert hall acoustics. |
|
2010 |
Marcus King - for his innovative development of a low-cost, high performance computer-based system for upper-limb rehabilitation for people suffering neurological injury or disease. A suite of computer games of gradually increasing complexity and degree of physical movement provides feedback to the patient on progress, and the fun aspect of the exercises provides motivation over the long times needed for rehabilitation. |
|
2008 |
IRL Superconductor Cable Team: (for innovative research identifying a commercial process for the manufacture of superconductor cable with significant potential economic benefit to New Zealand.) |
|
2006 |
Yonghe Liu |
|
2004 |
Peter Saunders |
|
2002 |
X. Dong Chen FRSNZ |
|
2000 |
No award |
|
1998 |
David Rodney White |
|
1996 |
Thomas Heinrich Barnes |
|
1994 |
William H. Robinson FRSNZ |
|
1991 |
Paul Terence Callaghan FRSNZ |
|
1990 |
No award |
|
1988 |
No award |
|
1986 |
No award |
|
1984 |
Richard L. Earle |
|
1982 |
Garth Alan Carnaby |
|
1980 |
Richard H. T. Bates FRSNZ |
|
1978 |
Van Thanh Nguyen |
|
1976 |
No award |
|
1974 |
Geoffrey Graeme Duffy |
|
1972 |
Robin Shepherd |
|
1970 |
Charles Russell James |
|
1968 |
Robert Sidney Unwin |
|
1966 |
Douglas George Dell |
|
1964 |
John Banwell |
|
1962 |
Michael Gadsden |
|
1960 |
Gordon John Fergusson |
|
1958 |
Clifton Darfield Ellyett |