Nobel winner and Darwin doubter:
Ever wonder how prestigious institutions got to be so prestigious? Take CalTech (California Institute of Technology) for example. It used to be called Throop College of Technology, a small college in Pasadena, California. Many professors and scientists should get credit for turning it into the premier institution that it is today. But one man stands out from the rest.
Bobby was born on March 22,1868 in Morrison, Illinois to a large, loving family, whose father was a Congregational minister. He got his B.S. degree from Oberlin College in 1891 and his Phd in physics from Columbia University in 1895. He was a professor at the University of Chicago from 1896-1921 when he moved to CalTech to be its President, until his retirement in 1945.
He was most famous for his oil drop experiment in which he determined the electrical charge of the electron. He also worked on radiation coming from outer space. A radiation he called “cosmic rays”.
He was awarded 25 honorary doctorate degrees and many prestigious metals ranging from the Hughes Medal to the Faraday Metal. He was also the first American to become a Nobel Laureate. Under his leadership, CalTech became what it is today. His role in establishing CalTech as a premier scientific research institution was such that it was called “Millikan’s School” for quite some time. He has long been known for his scientific achievements and was considered to be the “Dean of American Scientists”.
He was married and had 3 sons, one of which became a prominent aerodynamic engineer. Another one became a physicist, like his father. In 1923, he won the Nobel prize in physics because of his oil drop experiment. A more controversial action of his was to be in the Human Betterment Society, a eugenics group.
He died in his San Marino, California home of a heart attack on December 19, 1953. He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California at their Court of Honor.
His Christianity;
Bobby was a devout Christian his entire life. He was a vocal opponent of darwinian evolution. The rational laws of physics allowed mankind to know a God not of capricious whims like the other foreign gods, but one of logic and rationality. Bobby was a creationist. He often stressed that humans were not animals. Asking if life and creation are just blind, unintelligent chance, he replied,” The fool has said in his heart, there is no God” (Psalm 14:1). At times, he used the word ‘evolution’ but not in reference to darwinism. Rather in reference to progress in scientific research and knowledge by intelligent agents (humans). This needs to be remembered when reading his writings.
Bobby was especially hard on evolutionists who embraced naturalism, which is the belief that this physical world is all there is. That nothing exists outside of our present reality. He thought such a view was irrational and unscientific. He warned scientists to become more open to other scientific viewpoints. He strongly expressed his objections to evolutionary naturalism in his writings.
His Christian faith was so well respected that other scientists referred to him as the ‘pious physicist of CalTech’. Several schools and streets are named after him.
This brilliant Christian man was…….American physicist Robert A. Millikan
Robert knew what gifts God had given him and was using them. Do you know what gifts God has given you? How are you using them?
References:
https://creation.com/robert-millikan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Andrews_Millikan
For His Kingdom,
Dave Maynard
http://BSSSB-LLC.com