Russell Stannard

rdf:langString Russell Stannard

rdf:langString Russell Stannard, OBE (24 December 1931 – 4 July 2022) was a British high-energy particle physicist. Stannard was born in London, England, on 24 December 1931. He held the position of Professor Emeritus of Physics at the Open University. In 1986, he was awarded the Templeton UK Project Award for "significant contributions to the field of spiritual values; in particular for contributions to greater understanding of science and religion". He was awarded the OBE for "contributions to physics, the Open University, and the popularisation of science" (1998) and the Bragg Medal and Prize of the Institute of Physics for "distinguished contributions to the teaching of physics" (1999). He was admitted as a Fellow of University College London in 2000. Stannard was also a sculptor; two of his pieces were on display in the main quadrangle of the Open University site at Milton Keynes. In 2010, he helmed a series of ten short programmes collectively entitled "Boundaries of the knowable", dealing with subjects from both scientific and philosophical perspectives, ranging from the nature of consciousness, the nature of matter, space and time, the wave-particle duality of matter, the existence of extra-terrestrial life and infinite universes, whether our universe is eternal, and the question of "What caused the Big Bang?". Stannard died on 4 July 2022, at the age of 90.