Alumni and guests are invited to join the Cambridge Society of Sheffield and Emeritus Professor John Parker, curator of the Turner Museum of Glass. He will be talking about the history of glass, the involvement of Sheffield and Turner in the glass industry, and modern and future applications for glass. 

Professor John Parker is an alumnus of Christ’s College, Cambridge and graduated with first-class honors in Natural Sciences in 1967. Following a PhD in the Department of Mineralogy and Petrology, he was appointed to a lectureship in the Department of Glass Technology at Sheffield University. It was the first department of its type in the world founded in 1915 at a time when the quality of glass used in gun sights and binoculars was vital for the war effort. Work imbued John with his love for teaching and a fascination for research in glassy materials both commonplace and arcane; he has published over 200 papers and books. He has held a number prestigious appointments in the field of glass science including President of the Society of Glass Technology, President of the European Society of Glass Science and adviser to the International Commission on Glass. Following his retirement, he was appointed a curator of the Turner Museum of Glass in Sheffield which is named after the first Professor of Glass Technology, W.E.S.Turner.

As an introduction to his talk, John will bring to life Professor Turner, a man of outstanding vision who was a major influence in turning glass production from an art into a science. This will lead onto the history of glass-making going back into early history. Then the focus will narrow down to the role played by South Yorkshire and what made Turner specialise on glass in a city built on steel. It will be shown how the past was influenced by the availability of raw materials and energy, uncover the role of technological breakthroughs and examine how glass manufacture has been molded by societal change and world wars. Some surprising modern applications for glass will be covered and possible future applications imagined. Finally, Turner’s legacy will be explored concluding with his vision for the Turner Museum of Glass.