Visit the
Molecular Expressions Website

Galleria
Photo Gallery
Silicon Zoo
Chip Shots
Screen Savers
Museum
Web Resources
Primer
Java Microscopy
Win Wallpaper
Mac Wallpaper
Publications
Custom Photos
Image Use
Contact Us
Search
Home

James Hillier
(1915-Present)

Although a German scientist is typically credited with developing the concept of electron microscopy and for constructing the earliest electron microscope, two Canadians were the first to make the instrument practical for laboratory use. One member of this pair was James Hillier, who was born in Brantford, Ontario on August 22, 1915. Hillier, who was the son of a mechanical engineer, had childhood aspirations of becoming a commercial artist, but his abilities took him in another direction. The recipient of a science scholarship, Hillier undertook his collegiate education at the University of Toronto, where he studied mathematics and physics. He was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1937 and decided to remain at the university to pursue graduate studies, eventually receiving a Masters degree (1938) and a PhD in physics (1941).

It was during his graduate years at the University of Toronto that Hillier became involved in a project that would alter the course of his life, as well as electron microscopy in the Western world. In 1937, the director of the school’s physics department, E. F. Burton, asked Hillier and another graduate student, Albert Prebus, to work on the development of a high-voltage electron microscope that could be used to examine biological specimens. Burton had seen the Ernst Ruska model in Berlin two years before, but realized that it was of yet little use in the laboratory. He hoped, therefore, that his students would be able to materialize the potential of the electron microscope, since the instrument could theoretically produce much higher magnifications and than traditional optical microscopes because it focuses a beam of electrons, which have wavelengths much smaller than a beam of light.

Within four months, Hillier and Prebus achieved the task given to them by Burton. The device they created could magnify objects up to 7,000 times their actual size, a significant improvement over 1930s light microscopes, which could only increase the dimensions of specimens by about 2000 times. They spent another year, however, refining the instrument. Then, his coursework complete, Hillier accepted a position with the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in New Jersey, where he utilized his recently acquired knowledge to help produce the company’s first commercial electron microscope. He remained with the corporation for the rest of his career, retiring as Executive Vice President and Chief Scientist in 1977.

Hillier, who holds 40 patents, has been an active member of various scientific societies and a recipient of a wide array of honors. He was president of both the Electron Microscope Society of America and the United States National Society of Engineers. A 1980 inductee in the United States National Inventors Hall of Fame, Hillier also received the Albert Lasker Award in Medical Research, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) David Sarnoff Award, and the Order of Canada, a prestigious honor for lifetime achievement.

BACK TO PIONEERS IN OPTICS

Questions or comments? Send us an email.
© 1995-2022 by Michael W. Davidson and The Florida State University. All Rights Reserved. No images, graphics, software, scripts, or applets may be reproduced or used in any manner without permission from the copyright holders. Use of this website means you agree to all of the Legal Terms and Conditions set forth by the owners.
This website is maintained by our
Graphics & Web Programming Team
in collaboration with Optical Microscopy at the
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.
Last Modification Friday, Nov 13, 2015 at 02:19 PM
Access Count Since October 4, 2004: 21063
Visit the websites of our partners in education: