Cavendish Professor of Physics the university regulations which allowed students who had not studied at Cambridge to receive a B.A. by submitting a thesis which was judged "of distinction as a record of original research." Among the students attracted by this change was future Cavendish Professor Ernest Rutherford. Whilst Thomson was Cavendish Professor, he discovered the electron and the existence of isotopes, and also fostered an atmosphere of friendliness and mutual helpfulness. Rutherford returned to Cambridge in 1918, and spent the last 19 years of his life there. This was around the time of the change from classical to modern physics, and Rutherford was
Durham University Department of Physics situated on the university's Science Site, on the south side of the city of Durham, 2 miles from Junction 62 of the A1(M) and approx 5 minutes drive from Durham Station. Students are members of one of the 14 colleges in the city. Each year the department admits around 170 students for degrees in physics, physics & astronomy and theoretical physics. The current standard conditional offer given to a student taking A-Level examinations is A*A*A, to include physics and mathematics. Admissions are processed through UCAS. In addition, an applicant must be accepted by one of the colleges of Durham University.