More Than a Maxwellian: Fitzgerald and Technology

While George Francis Fitzgerald is celebrated today primarily for his contributions to theoretical physics, especially Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism, his correspondence demonstrates that he was driven as much by a passion for new technologies and their potential to change the world as by the mathematical explanations that made him famous. He experimented with a wide range of technologies, educated a generation of engineers at Trinity College Dublin and advocated the importance of technical education for Ireland's future prosperity. But during his own lifetime, he struggled to convince the public of what many today believe to be self-evident – namely, that progress in industry depends on university-educated scientists and engineers and that every good university requires a well-equipped research laboratory. His dream for Ireland of prosperity through education, science and industry would not be realized until almost 90 years after his death.