Against the Tide: An Autobiographical Account of a Professional Outsider
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.93 (545 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0750306904 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 319 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2018-01-31 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Not a typical academic autobiography Woods gives us an engaging narrative of his life. From what is undoubtedly a vanished lifestyle in a fishing family in New Zealand before World War 2, to air combat over the Pacific during that war, and then the decades afterwards in academia.Many readers may find his descriptions of the war to be the most interesting sections. Not your typical autobiography of an academic!He became quite an expect on plasma research. But in this field, funding at Oxford, or indeed anywhere in Br
Woods then won a Rhodes scholarship to Merton College in Oxford after WWII. In Against the Tide: An Autobiographical Account of a Professional Outsider, Leslie Woods relates the fascinating story of his life from fisherman's son in New Zealand to head of the Mathematical Institute at the University of Oxford. Following several years of research in aerodynamics, he became a professor of engineering at the University of New South Wales. He also had a fellowship with Oxford's Balliol College and had a consultancy at Culham Laboratory where he researched the theory of magnetically confined hot plasmas. In 1970, Woods became a professor of plasma theory yet became disillusioned with the fusion energy project, which he believes survived on exaggerated claims of progress.Besides recounting his history, Woods explains why magnetic fusion has failed to succeed and outlines the philosophy of science to which he subscribes. He writes frankly about both his successes and failures and finishes with an account of his taking up gliding at the age of 74.. After starting at a trade school, he won a scholarship to a university, then joined the RNZAF, and later became a fighter pilot in the Pacific