James Franck - a researcher with principles

James Franck (1882-1964), at the University of Göttingen (1921-1933). Photo: Göttingen State and University Library (SUB) University of Göttingen commemorates landmark appointment 100 years ago   September 17 marks the day of the ceremonial inauguration of the University of Göttingen in 1737. This is an opportunity to take a look back at our University's history and to commemorate special historical events, such as the appointment of the scientist James Franck, who took up his professorship 100 years ago in the summer semester of 1921. "Fixing the generator, procuring stoves and repairing seats in the small lecture hall" were, according to Dr Holger Berwinkel, items that James Franck brought to the negotiation table during his appointment shortly after the end of the First World War. According to Berwinkel, Head of the Göttingen University Archives, this was characteristic of him: Franck was one of the most important natural scientists of the 20^th century, not only because of his research, but also because of his attitude. Born in Hamburg in 1882, he had made a name for himself together with Gustav Hertz for their discovery of the laws governing the impact of an electron upon an atom. He was to receive the Nobel Prize for this in 1925.