Today, MCI wants to celebrate the inventor and scientist James Hillier. Canadian born Hillier created a prototype of the electron microscope as invented by Ernst Ruska as a graduate student.
It was only a matter of time before he took things further and he later worked with Albert Prebus in 1938 to build the first successful high resolution electron microscope in the US.
Not only was he a brilliant scientist, but he was also a very successful businessman too. He became General Manager of RCA Laboratories in 1958 and worked his way up to Executive Vice President and Chief Scientist by 1976.
Hillier marketed and refined his electron microscope over the years and successfully sold his invention to many research laboratories and universities. Electron microscopes (or ‘EMs’) are now used in many fields, not just biomedical research. The EMs are also used in electronics for fault finding and post manufacture quality control. They are also used in the fields of aeronautics and motor vehicle manufacture. In forensics, EMs are used for analysis of gun shot residue, blood and clothing fibres.
Have a great week at work everyone!