Invention, curiosity and the ozone layer
Published in 2009
Prolific American inventor and science writer Forrest Mims III will celebrate his milestone in early 2010. “On 4 February, 2010,” says the Laureate of the 1993 Rolex Awards, “my daily noontime measurements of the ozone layer, column water vapour and haze will mark 20 years. Many new measurements and sun and sky photography have been added over the years, and I hope to write a scientific paper on two decades of data.”
©Rolex Awards/Tomas Bertelsen
This amateur scientist, engineer and teacher is largely self-taught and had to battle to win recognition from an initially sceptical scientific establishment. His inventions and insights cover a wide range of disciplines, but, arguably, his greatest contribution has been worldwide monitoring of ultraviolet radiation and ozone levels.
Two of Mims’ inventions, the Total Ozone Portable Spectrometer (TOPS) and, with help from his Rolex Award, the smaller Microtops, allowed amateurs and specialists around the world to measure the status of the ozone layer that protects life on our planet’s surface. Mims says Microtops has undergone several transformations since he invented it in the 1990s, and it is still used by scientists around the world.
His many scientific activities are described on websites forrestmims.org and sunandsky.org. Mims says that his 1993 Rolex Award has played a key role in his life, giving credibility to his work on the ozone layer. The other key to his success is his endless questioning and observation. “I approach science with the curiosity of a child,” he says.
- Project Location
- Related Links
- Similar Projects
Steven Lurie Garrett
Develop a CFC-free refrigerator to help the ozone layer
Brad Norman
Create a system of identification to protect the whale shark
- Other 1993 Laureates
- Contact Information
Mr Forrest Marion Mims III
Seguin, TX 78155
United StatesTel: + 1 830 372-0548
forrest.mims@ieee.org fmims@aol.com
