Robert A. Childs Recognized for His Scientific Contributions

    HULL, MA September 18, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Robert A. Childs has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

After graduating from Bourne High School in Massachusetts in 1965, Mr. Childs enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, with which he eventually advanced to the rank of level five telecommunication control specialist in 1968. He subsequently began his career as an electronic technician with Draper Laboratories and Instrumentation Labs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology between 1969 and 1970. During this time, he completed undergraduate coursework in physics at the Lowell Institute, part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Having been distinguished for his natural ability in physics, especially plasma physics, Mr. Childs would refine his wealth of knowledge by attending meetings of doctoral students and engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which helped inform his later work in vacuum systems.

Between 1970 and 1973, Mr. Childs worked as an electronic technician for the Center for Space Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Throughout this period, he proudly contributed to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Apollo 17 Mission, having helped design and test the interferometer experiment that was installed on the lunar rover. Soon thereafter, he served as a vacuum engineer and technical supervisor at the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1973 to 2007. Likewise, Mr. Childs recalls creating the best TOKAMAK vacuum in the world during this time, only utilizing the correct materials and the limited expertise he had gained at this point in his career.

Furthermore, Mr. Childs co-authored various scientific articles published in journals within his industry, including "Fabrication of ITER Central Solenoid Model Coil Inner Module" in IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity in 1997, "ITER Niobium-Tin Strands Reacted Under Model Coil Heat-Treatment Conditions" in Applied Superconductivity Conference in 1998 and "Heat Treating a Superconducting Coil for a Fusion Reactor" in Advanced Materials and Processes in 1999. He also received an opportunity to lecture internationally, having been an invited speaker at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, which presented him with an honorary diploma in plasma physics. A donor to the American Cancer Society, Mr. Childs has been additionally active as a volunteer museum guide, tour guide and lecturer with The Historical Society of Watertown since 1998.

Since 2007, Mr. Childs has excelled as a consultant, a vacuum engineer and an instructor with RAC Consulting. Likewise, he has found success as a senior vacuum engineer and a technical supervisor with ProTom International since 2011. Presently, Mr. Childs has dedicated his time and attention to consulting via virtual meetings on a project on which he had worked over 15 years ago.

Mr. Childs has been notably affiliated with the American Vacuum Society since 1978, for which he was formerly appointed as the chairman of the board of directors for the vacuum technology division, the director of the buyer's guide, a member of the board of directors, the president and the chairman of the recommended practices committee. He currently contributes to the American Vacuum Society as a member of the long-range planning group and the chairman of the exhibitors and manufacturers committee. Additionally, he has been associated with the American Society for Testing and Materials since 1995. As a testament to his exceptional efforts, Mr. Childs has been presented with the Letter of Recognition from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1991, a Certificate of Merit from the U.S. Department of Energy in 1997, the George T. Hanyo Award from the American Vacuum Society in 1999 and an Honorary Membership Award from the American Vacuum Society in 2011.

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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Marquis celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2023, and Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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