Kenneth A. Jackson
We are sad to inform the Crystal Growth community that Professor Kenneth A. Jackson passed away January 7, 2022. Ken’s life was shining example of great curiosity, enhanced by a brilliant scientific mind and amazing diligence in his continuous quest for excellence in scientific research.
Professor Jackson obtained his B.Sc degree in 1952 and M.Sc. degree in 1953 at the University of Toronto, Canada. After receiving his Ph.D. degree from Harvard University in 1956 he became an assistant Professor there. In 1962 he joined AT&T Bell Laboratories as head of the Materials Physics Research Group. In 1989 he become a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and of Optical Sciences at University of Arizona, where he retired and became Emeritus in 2004. Ken contributed many outstanding discoveries that have affected the entire area of crystal growth. His major scientific interests were the kinetic processes of crystal growth, the molecular theory of crystal growth, thin film growth and characterization, ion beam processes and semiconductor processing. His scientific contributions include constitutional supercooling, which laid the foundation for the field of shape stability of crystals during growth, the surface roughening transition, defect formation in crystals, and studies of alloy crystallization. He also pioneered computer simulation studies of atomic scale processes during crystal growth. Ken rationalized the crystallization behavior of inorganic and organic compounds in terms of the dimensionless entropy of melting, ΔSm/R, which is used as a scale for the ease of crystallization. Also related to ΔSm/R is the Jackson "alpha factor" that determines the surface roughening of growth fronts. Ken’s 1974 short film from the AT&T archives on “Crystal Growth Morphologies” can be seen on YouTube.
In addition to his contribution to the development of new ideas, Professor Jackson was active in teaching, mentoring and dissemination of scientific knowledge through international lectures, schools and conferences. He leaves a rich legacy in his scientific family tree.
Ken was a member of the United States National Academy of Engineering. He served as founding Co-President (with Bob Laudise) of the American Association for Crystal Growth (AACG) and was also President of the Materials Research Society (MRS). He was part of the organizing committee of the first ICCG in Boston. He won the IOCG Frank Prize at ICCG-XII in Jerusalem in 1998. In 2003, he received the Bruce Chalmers Award from the Materials Processing & Manufacturing Division of the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society. He has received many other honors and awards and has published more than 145 papers. He also has edited ten books and holds four patents. Ken’s book Kinetic Processes: Crystal Growth, Diffusion, and Phase Transformations in Materials is widely used within the crystal growth community.
Ken was an individual who always lived life to the fullest. Those who knew Ken well know he was also a deep connoisseur of food and wine. He loved Arizona because he could eat dinner outdoors almost every day of the year.
We join his family and all his friends worldwide in grief but also in celebrating a life well lived and remembering our friend and colleague Ken for the kind of person he was. The crystal growth community and the world are better for his being a part of it.