In 1946 he became member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. While at Philips NatLab, in 1948 Casimir, collaborating with Dirk Polder, predicted the quantum mechanical attraction between conducting plates now known as the Casimir effect, which has important consequences in Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), among others. He was awarded six honorary doctor degrees by universities outside the Netherlands. He received numerous awards and prizes, among them the illustrious IRI Medal from the Industrial Research Institute in 1976. He was a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Engineering. In 1982, he was awarded the Wilhelm Exner Medal. He was an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the United States National Academy of Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. Publications H. B. G. Casimir, Haphazard Reality: half a century of science (Harper & Row, New York, 1983); Casimir's autobiography in English. H. B. G. Casimir, Het toeval van de werkelijkheid: Een halve eeuw natuurkunde (Meulenhof, Amsterdam, 1992); Casimir's autobiography in Dutch. H. B. G. Casimir, On the attraction between two perfectly conducting plates, Proceedings of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Vol. 51, pp. 793–795 (1948). H. B. G. Casimir, and J. Ubbink, "The Skin Effect", "Philips Technical Review", Vol. 28, pp; 300–315 (1967) Notes and references Further reading For some relevant bibliographical details the reader may consult: Hendrik Casimir/Sources. Obituaries D. Polder, Hendrik Brugt Gerhard Casimir, 15 juli 1909 — 4 mei 2000, Levensberichten en herdenkingen 2001, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, pp. 13–21 (in Dutch). Steve K. Lamoreaux, Hendrik Brugt Gerhard Casimir, Biographical Memoirs, Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 146, No. 3, September 2002, pp. 285–290. (PDF) External links PhysicsWeb article on the Casimir Effect The Casimir Force C. J. Gorter, C. J. Gorter's life & science, University of Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands. Oral History interview transcript with Hendrik Casimir on 5 July 1963, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives - Session I Oral History interview transcript with Hendrik Casimir on 6 July 1963, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives - Session II 1909 births 2000 deaths 20th-century Dutch physicists Leiden University alumni Academic staff of Leiden University Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Foreign associates of the National Academy of Engineering Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil