Alexander William Bickerton

Alexander William Bickerton
Bickerton c. 1905
Born	(1842-01-07)7 January 1842 Alton, Hampshire, England
Died	21 January 1929(1929-01-21) (aged 87) London, England
Alma mater	Royal School of Mines Canterbury College
Known for	Partial impact theory
Scientific career
Fields	Physics, chemistry, astrophysics
Academic advisors	Moses Pullen Edward Frankland John Tyndall Thomas Huxley
Notable students	Ernest Rutherford Ettie Rout[1] Charles Gifford

Alexander William Bickerton (7 January 1842 – 21 January 1929) was an English-born chemist and educator who was the first professor of chemistry at Canterbury College (now called the University of Canterbury) in Christchurch, New Zealand. He is best known for teaching and mentoring Ernest Rutherford. He was a natural teacher though an eccentric one, who taught science in an exciting way. His differences were not limited to teaching as he formed a socialist community in Christchurch, which he later set up as a theme park. His partial impact theory explaining the appearance of temporary stars was the major work of his lifetime.