Stefan Meiring Naudé was born on 31 December, 1904. He studied Physics at Stellenbosch University and received a MSc, cum laude, at the age of 21. He continued his studies in Berlin (PhD 1928) where he was a student of the Nobel prize winners Albert Einstein, Max Planck, Nerpst and von Laue. He then studied at the University of Chicago. In 1932 he gained world-wide recognition for the discovery of the isotope N15.
Following his return to South Africa he lectured at the universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch. He was professor of Physics at Stellenbosch University, 1934 - 1945, joined the SA Wetenskaplike en Nywerheidsnavorsingsraad (WNNR) in 1946, and as President of WNNR, (1952 -1971), he installed the first National Physics Laboratory. In 1971 he accepted the position of Scientific Advisor to the South African Prime Minister.

The Meiring Naudé Medal (for young scientists under 35 years of age) of the Royal Society of South Africa is named for Stefan Meiring Naudé (1904-1985), who was President of the Society in 1960-1961. (See Medal awards)

My friend Bobby Loubser's father, Coenraad, was lectured in Chemistry by Meiring Naudé. He told me that before one exam he had some problems and went to see Naudé. Naudé then asked him: 'Mr Loubser how many times did you go through the material?' Mr Loubser said he never read through anything more than once, but felt that the answer would not cut the mustard, so to speak. He decided to fib and replied: 'Three times Prof Naudé.' To which Mering Naudé replied: 'Oh, Mr Loubser, but I myself never understood things properly before I had not read nine times through the material!' (Bertie du Plessis)

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