RESEARCH AND PRESENTATION TASK
SCOTTISH SCIENTISTS AND INVENTORS
Over the years, Scottish scientists and inventors have been responsible for many
important discoveries and inventions. Some of these have had a major effect on the
lives of people throughout the world.
Your task is to choose one such person and then gather and present some relevant
information.
Stage 1
If you know of a suitable person you can go on to Stage 2.
If you do not know of any Scottish scientists or inventors, look in the following places.
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Notice boards on the Science floor. They will have lists of suitable people.
Local library.
On the internet, search using “Scottish scientists” or “Scottish inventors”.
Stage 2
Gather some information about the person you have chosen. This should include:
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Details of where and when they were born, early life, their family, education,
later life and when they died.
Describe their discovery or invention. You should mention where and when
the discovery or invention took place, provide some details of the discovery or
how the invention works. Do not go into too much detail. Someone may ask
you to explain what you have written.
How their work has been of benefit to people. This should reflect your
personal ideas or opinions and not necessarily those of others.
Where to find information:
 Ask at home
 Look in the local library
 Search the internet.
Stage 3
Your information could be presented in various ways
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Written (hand written or typed)
PowerPoint Presentation
Poster
Letter
Example of Famous Scottish Scientists / Inventors you may wish to look at:
John Logie Baird
Alexander Graham Bell
James Watt
Mary Somerville
Muriel Roberston
Maria Gordon
Robert Watson-Watt
James Dewar
Charles Wilson
Alexander Fleming
James Clerk Maxwell
James Hutton
Elizabeth Blackwell
Victoria Drummond
Willamina Fleming
Ian Donald
William Murdoch
James Young Simpson
James W Black
John J R Macleod
Joseph Lister
John Dunlop
James Harrison
Joseph Black
Alexander Bain
Ideas for Information Collection
Use this as a guide. When you have collected all your information you will be able to
start making your presentation.
Name of Scientist or Inventor
Date of birth
Place of birth
Early Life
Later Life
Date of death
Place of death
What did they invent or discover
Some details of invention or discovery
How did the discovery or invention help other people.
SCOTTISH SCIENTISTS AND INVENTORS
John Logie Baird
Alexander Graham Bell
Robert Watson-Watt
James Watt
James Dewar
Alexander Fleming
James Clerk Maxwell
Charles Wilson
James Hutton
Ian Donald
William Murdoch
James Young Simpson
James W Black
John J R Macleod
Joseph Black
Joseph Lister
John Dunlop
James Harrison
Alexander Bain
Williamia Fleming
JOHN LOGIE BAIRD
John Logie Baird was born on the 14th August 1888 in Helensburgh, on the west coast of
Scotland. He was the son of a church minister. He had poor health and did not keep well
for a lot of his life.
He showed he was clever from an early age by rigging up a telephone exchange to join up
his bedroom to those of his friends across the street.
He went on to learn at Glasgow University but had to stop when World War One happened.
He was not well enough to fight in the war, so he became a superintendent engineer for the
Clyde Valley Electrical Power Company.
After the war, he moved to England and started to make a television. This had been
something that many scientists had dreamed of for a long time.
His equipment was very basic and he used different odds and ends. In 1924 he managed to
transmit an image across a few feet. The image was not very strong.
On the 26th January 1926 he gave the world’s first demonstration of true television before 50
scientists in an attic room in central London.
In 1927 he showed how television worked over 438 miles of telephone line between London
and Glasgow. In 1928, the BTDC made the first transmission between London and New
York and the first transmission to a ship in the mid-Atlantic.
The way that Baird had made television work was the only successful one at the time. Only
after 1930 were sound and vision sent together. Before this, they were sent one after the
other.
At first, Baird’s television was mechanical, but as time went on, Baird moved on to look at
electronic systems. In America, another scientist, Marconi, had been working on an allelectronic television which worked on 405 lines on the screen compared to Baird’s 240 lines.
In 1937 the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) decided to use Marconi’s system rather
than Baird’s.
WORD BANK See other side.
WORD BANK
rigging – setting up wires
superintendent – the head person
image – a picture
demonstration – showing something
sound – what you can hear
vision – what you can see
ALEXANDER FLEMING
Alexander Fleming was born on a farm near Darvel, Ayrshire, on 6th August 1881. As
a boy, he and his brothers enjoyed outdoor activities. Living in the country allowed
him to study nature. He went to the local primary school and then to Kilmarnock
Academy. He was 7 years old when his father died. A few years later, he moved to
London to be with one of his brothers.
He finished his education in London. He started work as clerk in a shipping office.
However, he always wanted to study medicine. He was encouraged by one of his
brothers, who was a doctor. He began his studies at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical
School in 1901. His studies were completed in 1906 when he qualified with
distinction. He then continued to research at the same school. His main area of
interest was bacteriology.
His research was interrupted by World War 1. During the war, he served with the
Army Medical Corps. He returned to his research in London after the war.
It was in 1928 that he made the discovery which made him famous. The discovery
was made by accident!
He was studying influenza. In order to carry out experiments, he had to grow germs
in special dishes. He prepared several dishes and left them in his laboratory while
he went on holiday.
When he returned, he noticed that a piece of mould had entered one of the dishes.
He looked very closely at this dish and found that the germs close to the mould had
been killed. Further experiments showed that a substance in the mould could kill
many germs which caused diseases. Fleming called this material penicillin. He had
discovered the world’s first antibiotic.
After further years of research, penicillin could be produced on a large scale and was
used to successfully treat a wide range of diseases throughout the world.
He received many awards for his work. In 1944 he was knighted and was then
known as Sir Alexander Fleming. The following year he received the Nobel Prize for
Medicine. He is still remembered today, and his portrait appears on Clydesdale
Bank £5 notes.
The last years of his life were spent at his London home. It was there, on 11th March
1955, he died of a heart attack, aged 73. He is buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral in
London.
Word bank See other side.
Word bank
completed - finished
qualified with distinction - passed exams with very good marks
research - to look for information
bacteriology - learning about very, very tiny living things
influenza -
the flu
knighted - given an honour by the king or queen, and called “Sir”
portrait - a picture of a face
SCOTTISH SCIENTISTS AND INVENTORS
Information Collection Sheet
Write down your information in the spaces in the sheet.
When you have collected all your information you will be able to start making your
presentation.
Name of Scientist or Inventor
Date of birth
Place of birth
Early Life
Later Life
Date of death
Place of death
What did they invent or discover
Some details of invention or discovery
How did the discovery or invention help other people.