Ernest T. S. Walton was a 1927 graduate of Trinity College Dublin, later a Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy, and a 1951 Nobel Prize winning physicist. In 1932, he and Sir John D. Cockcroft were the first to achieve controlled nuclear transmutation in a laboratory setting by bombarding lithium with protons and splitting the nucleus into two alpha particles. Their split atom verified Einstein’s E = mc2 theory of relativity. In 2012, the College commissioned a sculpture to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the pioneering experiment. Eilís O’Connell’s design uses spheres as a formal sculptural element to reference their use in a particle accelerator to create spark gaps. The stack of polished steel Rounds also reflects the native Irish apple trees that were specially planted across from the School of Physics FitzGerald Building to refer to Walton’s interest for growing fruit trees.

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