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TECH, THE EARLY YEARS
AN ANTHOLOGY OF THE HISTORY OF THE
TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE AT NORTHWESTERN
UNIVERSITY FROM 1939 TO 1969
Editor
Morris E. Fine

McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL 60208
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PREFACE
The Technological Institute (Tech)
was established in 1939 with the help of a major gift from Walter P. Murphy.
Prior to that there was a small School of Engineering at Northwestern
which had been denied accreditation. Initially the emphasis of Tech was
on cooperative undergraduate education, the cooperation being with industry.
Later a strong graduate program was developed. This was done without sacrificing
undergraduate education. The purpose of this compendium is to capture
the history of The Technological Institute during the period, 1939 to
1969. The Technological Institute remained the name of Northwestern's
engineering school until 1989 when the name was changed to Robert R. McCormick
School of Engineering and Applied Science. In what follows it is clear
that applied science has been an important part of the school from the
beginning.
This anthology is a collection of writings
of many people. When taken as a whole the intent is to give an accurate
picture of the history of "Tech" during the 1939 to 1969 period. The individual
parts are arranged in order of the first year mentioned. Brief biographies
of the authors giving their relationships with Northwestern University
are given in an Appendix.
Morris E. Fine
1995
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
1873 - 1939
Morris E. Fine and Robert C. Michaelson
Opportunity Lost and Gained: A Sidelight on the
Walter P. Murphy Gift
Robert C. Michaelson
The History of Cooperative Engineering Education at Northwestern
University
Geraldine O. Garner
Recollections and Reflections on the Early Years
of Tech
John R. Eshbach
Construction of Tech
Charles H. Dowding
The School in Retrospect
John A. Kennedy
Some Recollections
George H. Bodeen
Technological Institute The War Years, A Student View
William T. Brazelton
The Early Years
Burgess H. Jennings
Remembrances of the Mechanical Engineering Department
David Mintzer
Computer Science at Northwestern
Gilbert K. Krulee
Reflections on my Experiences at Northwestern University
William T. Brazelton
Some Recollections
George Bankoff
The Departments of Engineering Drawing, Engineering
Graphics and Engineering Sciences
Raymond Kliphardt
History of Civil Engineering at Northwestern
Ray Krizek
Civil Engineering at Northwestern
Donald S. Berry
Transportation Engineering at Northwestern
Donald S. Berry
The First Thirty Years
Gordon J. Murphy
Some Thoughts and Recollections
Nick Polydoris
Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University
Christina Enroth-Cugell
The First Thirty Years
Morris E. Fine
My Years at Northwestern
Lyle H. Schwartz
History of Materials Science and Engineering Department
Tom Mason
Industrial Engineering at Northwestern
Gilbert K. Krulee
History of Department of Industrial Engineering
Arthur P. Hurter
Recollections
Joel D. Meyer
A Brief History of The Technological Institute Library
Robert C. Michaelson
Part of the Past
Raymond Kliphardt
Epilogue
Jerome B. Cohen and Morris E. Fine
Some Pictures
About the Authors
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1873 - 1939
by
Morris E. Fine and Robert C. Michaelson
The trustees of Northwestern University
ambitiously founded a College of Technology in June 1873 (It is interesting
that the name "Technology" goes back to this early period of the University.)
for training in applied science and engineering but in his report for
1876-77 President Oliver Marcy announced failure of the College due to
lack of financial resources to develop the faculty and facilities (1).
The report does mention a professor of civil engineering. While Northwestern
founded a College of Technology in June 1873, it already had an engineering
professor by 1872: Henry Smith Carhart was hired as a professor of civil
engineering for 1872-1873. Carhart was actually a physicist, with his
undergraduate training from Wesleyan University, and in 1873 the Trustees
appointed him Alan Sisson Memorial Professor of Physics and Secretary
of the Faculty of the University. He remained a physics professor at Northwestern
until 1886, when he resigned to teach at the University of Michigan. During
1881 he had been on leave to study in Europe, including work in Helmholtz's
laboratory in Berlin. Carhart also taught chemistry at Northwestern from
1876-1881 in addition to his duties as professor of physics.
The University Catalog for 1873-1874 (2)
describes the objects of the College of Technology as follows:
"In this age of railroads, and mining,
and surveying, and navigation, the demand for trained, practical and reliable
engineers is far beyond the supply. In the laboratories and in the great
manufactories of the country, the few skilled chemists that all the high
schools have provided have never lacked employment...The Northwestern
University, in the College of Technology, recognizes and tries to meet
this demand."
A new professor of civil engineering, William
A. Metcalf, A,M.,C.E., was appointed for 1873-75. He was succeeded by
Lyman E. Cooley, CE, for 1876-77. Cooley was a graduate of Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute, and after leaving Northwestern was a successful
civil engineer who, among other things, was a consulting engineer to the
Chicago Sanitary District. However Northwestern's College of Technology
fell victim, to the economic hard times that began with the "Panic of
1873", and far from having a "demand far beyond supply" as expressed in
the catalog quoted above, the College's graduates of later years were
unable to find work and the College closed.
Engineering is again mentioned in the inaugural
address in 1891 of the University's incoming president, Henry Wade Rogers
(1). Rogers stated that many believed universities in general were " not
performing the work necessary to prepare men for the various activities
of modern life, so different from the life their fathers lived half a
century ago". He recommended establishment of a school of civil, mechanical,
and electrical engineering. This vision was made real during the administration
of Abram Winegardner Harris. The Gustav Swift family provided $150,000
for construction of The Swift Hall of Engineering and the new College
of Engineering was opened in 1909. A four year curriculum led to a B.S.
degree with courses in civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering.
More technical degrees, Civil Engineer, Electrical Engineer and Mechanical
Engineer, were obtained by a 5th year of study. The first Dean was John
F. Hayford who was Professor of Civil Engineering.
Dean Hayford was a distinguished engineer
and scientist, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. The memorial
plaque which now resides in the entrance foyer of The Technological Institute
Building states, "IN MEMORY OF JOHN FILLMORE HAYFORD DIRECTOR OF THE COLLEGE
OF ENGINEERING AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 1909 -1925 ESTABLISHER OF THE
THEORY OF ISOSTASY AUTHOR OF THE INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTED HAYFORD SPHEROID
OF REFERENCE DEDUCER OF THE CONDITIONS WHICH GOVERN THE LEVELS OF THE
GREAT LAKES".
Hans Weertman has contributed the following
paragraph on John Hayford. Dean Hayford's career is described in a long
memoir (3) written by William H. Burger, a Professor of Civil Engineering
(who was much beloved and respected by alums of Northwestern University)
in the School of Engineering. Prior to coming to Northwestern he served
in the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, a relationship "which was to bring
him such renown, and in a reciprocal way add prestige to this bureau of
the government" (3). In his years with the US Coast and Geodetic Survey
he helped establish the position of part of the boundary between Mexico
and the US He made a notable contribution to the classic report on the
Great San Francisco Earthquake (4). His paper in that report concerned
the shift of benchmarks from their positions prior to this earthquake.
This work established quantitatively the nature of the earth movements
produced by this earthquake. The data of this paper have been used in
scientific papers up to the present time. Hayford is best known for his
theory of isostasy, which was worked out mainly in his years at Northwestern.
Isostasy is concerned with the fact that mountains and continents rise
above ocean basins because they are made of rock of density smaller than
the rock beneath the ocean. Hayford's theory calculated the position of
the surface (Hayford spheroid) where conditions of static equilibrium
prevail under mountains, continents and oceans. One recognition of his
reputation is Mount Hayford, a mountain in Alaska named after him. (Mount
Evans one of the highest mountains in Colorado is named after John Evans,
the founder of Northwestern University). After Hayford came to Northwestern
he became interested in the Great Lakes and made studies of them, a consequence
of walking along Lake Michigan shore between his home and the University.
He studied the seiches of Lake Michigan and factors, such as rates of
evaporation, that determine lake level. In his day the motto of the College
of Engineering was "Culture for Usefulness". Two curricula were offered;
Civil Engineering and a combined Mechanical-Electrical Engineering. The
aim, then as now, was to train future engineers for the greatest average
effectiveness in a lifetime rather than for the greatest effectiveness
in the first years after graduation" (3).
Operationally the Engineering School until
the middle 1920's was a department of the College of Liberal Arts (1).
The major emphasis was on a broad general education with particular emphasis
on mathematics and science. President Walter Dill Scott appointed a committee
to suggest strengthening engineering. The report made in 1926 suggested
making the Engineering School autonomous, reorganizing the curriculum
to include more technical education, and securing a faculty predominantly
oriented toward engineering. After the passing away of Dean Hayford, William
C. Bauer, who was Professor of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering,
became Dean. He implemented these changes. The College of Engineering
was renamed School of Engineering and made autonomous. A new 4 year program
of courses leading to a BS Degree in Engineering was adopted. The many
joint appointments with CAS which existed at the time were terminated
.
In spite of these changes in 1937 the Engineering
School ran into difficulties with the engineering accrediting organization,
the recently organized Engineering Council for Professional Development,
which denied accreditation. In ECPD's opinion the four year curriculum
was too heavily weighted in non engineering courses. The 5th year rectified
this, but the 4 year program was considered to be insufficiently professionally
oriented. The 5th year was taken by very few students. This program may
be contrasted to that at the University of Minnesota where one of the
authors attended at that time. Freshman English was required but it was
taught in the College of Engineering and included technical writing. There
were no required non-science courses. The author had three free electives
and took two quarters of physical chemistry and one quarter of economics.
To the author's knowledge there was no problem with accreditation.
In response to the denial of accreditation
a four year curriculum satisfying the ECPD requirements was put in place
and the trustees authorized funding to hire the necessary faculty and
provide the necessary laboratories. The Murphy gift was of enormous help
in achieving these objectives. President Scott was contacted by letter
in Feb. 1936 about the possibility of an anonymous donor who was considering
endowing an engineering school in one of several universities (1). The
University enlisted the help of Charles F. Kettering who had become a
friend of the University, having received an honorary Doctor of Science
in 1935. Kettering's proposal was for an educational program in cooperation
with industry and this won a grant of $6,735,000 from the Walter P. Murphy
Foundation in March 1939. Negotiations between the donor and the University
were hung up over the University's attempt to obtain additional funding
for maintenance. The University gave on this point after the denial of
accreditation. Construction of the Tech Building began soon after that
and it was completed in June 1942. On his death shortly after the Tech
Building was dedicated, Murphy willed close to $28,000,000 to endow engineering
and the principal sciences.
References
- H. F. Williamson and P. W. Wild, "Northwestern University A History
1850-1875" Northwestern University , 1976 pp. 23, 44, 45,72, 107, 111,
167, 192, 193, 197-199, 217, 222, 223, 230-234.
- Northwestern University Catalog for 1873-1874.
- W. H. Burger, "Biographical Memoir of John Fillmore Hayford 1868-1925"
Biographical Memoirs, v. 16, pp. 152-292, (1935) National
Academy of Sciences.
- J. F. Hayford and A. L. Baldwin, " Geodetic Measurements of Earth
Movements, California State Earthquake of April 18, 1906", Report of
the State Earthquake Investigation Commission, Vol. I, (1908) (Reprinted
1969) pp. 114-159, Carnegie Institution of Washington.
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OPPORTUNITY LOST AND GAINED:
A SIDELIGHT ON THE WALTER P. MURPHY GIFT
by
Robert C. Michaelson
Walter P. Murphy's gift of $6,735,000 for
the creation of Northwestern's Technological Institute caused a great
deal of public attention when it was announced in March, 1939. Even more
public interest was aroused by the announcement after Murphy's death on
December 16, 1942, that the bulk of his estate, almost $28,000,000, was
also to go to the Technological Institute. Many rumors circulated about
how Northwestern had come to receive this enormous benefaction; one story
had it that the University of Chicago was originally to have received
Murphy's funding, but mishandled the opportunity, while Northwestern "picked
up the ball." Since there is no accurate published account of this matter
(1), it may be of interest to recount the information that is available
in archival records.
In late February, 1936, President Walter
Dill Scott of Northwestern received a letter from R. E. Cabell, a member
of a law firm in Richmond, Virginia, indicating that an unnamed client
was interested in making a substantial gift or bequest "toward establishing
or endowing a school of engineering in one of several outstanding educational
institutions"; also included was a list of questions about Northwestern's
engineering program and needs. Northwestern responded on April 27, 1936
with a seventeen-page prospectus outlining plans for a new school of engineering,
of a fairly standard sort. But by this time they had guessed the name
of Cabell's principal, and they knew something of Murphy's background
and wealth. Thus they began working out a new proposal for this donor,
and to help them they engaged Charles Kettering of General Motors and
Dean Herman Schneider of the University of Cincinnati, who had both been
involved in setting up Cincinnati's cooperative system of engineering
education, which alternated study in the classroom with periods of work
in industry. Not surprisingly, this was the approach outlined in Northwestern's
new prospectus (2).
At very nearly the same time, Cabell was
in contact with the University of Chicago. On March 12, 1936 Cabell called
Chicago's President Robert M. Hutchins from the Palmer House requesting
a conference. Hutchins was unable to see him at that time but a meeting
was arranged with the Dean of Faculties, E. T. Filbey. At this meeting
Cabell indicated that a client was considering a rather large grant for
engineering education; Chicago had been thought of as a possible location
-- were they interested? Filbey replied that Chicago would be interested
if there would be support of research and training in engineering that
was as distinctive as work done there in other fields, not just another
engineering school. When Cabell asked what size fund would be required,
Filbey replied that $10,000,000 would be a minimum, and Cabell indicated
that this amount was not out of line with the prospective donor's views
or capacity. On April 6, Cabell wrote that his principal was much interested
in his report of the interview, and wished for Cabell to secure additional
information; on April 9, at a meeting in the Palmer House, Cabell asked
a series of detailed questions on matters such as how an engineering school
at Chicago would be administered, what kind of working relations would
there be with industry, and could an effective engineering education and
research program be set up in a large university, as opposed to a separate
institution. Filbey says in a memo on April 11 that the answers were such
as to show that Chicago would do all that was needed with enthusiasm.
He also notes that Cabell indicated that no documents were desired unless
on request. (A much later memo, on January 11, 1944, recalls that at this
Palmer House meeting Cabell mentioned for the first time the "part-time
training", or Cincinnati plan). In a brief exchange of letters in early
July, Filbey mentions Chicago's interest in Cabell's proposal because
of the close relationship to activities there in physics, mathematics,
chemistry, and geology, while Cabell's reply discusses the advantages
of the Cincinnati plan (3).
However, by August 10, 1936 Murphy seems
to have made his decision, since on that day Cabell notified Northwestern
that his principal had retained Dean Schneider as educational counselor
and desired that Charles Kettering be induced to help plan the project;
moreover, Cabell indicated that Northwestern was his principal's first
choice for carrying out the program. Later that month, Murphy allowed
his name to be revealed, although still in confidence, to Northwestern,
and by September 3 he offered to sign a contract agreeing to provide $6,310,000
for the first stages of the program. At this point though, Northwestern
balked, fearing to commit to tenured faculty and the upkeep of an expensive
building without an endowment. Murphy broke off negotiations for two years.
All of this was unknown at Chicago, although
Filbey noticed that in an address to a meeting of the Association of Deans
and Directors of Summer Sessions, held at Northwestern, Walter Dill Scott
remarked that he had been studying the cooperative system in engineering
education. Filbey suspected that Scott had used this study as a basis
for advancing Northwestern's prospects. Chicago continued to try to remain
in the running with Cabell's unnamed donor, and in October 1936 Filbey
called on Cabell in Richmond. His memo of this visit indicates that the
donor favored the Chicago area for the project. Moreover, the memo notes
that when the donor first discussed engineering education with Cabell
he was interested in establishing another M.I.T. for graduate training
and research; however, as the program of study undertaken by Cabell went
forward his enthusiasm for that type of project was much reduced, particularly
through the recommendation of men such as Kettering, and he now definitely
favored a program of work based on the Cincinnati scheme. As a result
of this memo, Chicago's President Hutchins arranged for the physicist
Arthur Compton, a professor at Chicago and friend of Kettering, to meet
with Kettering to discuss the importance of engineering at Chicago and
how it would fit into Chicago's organization. Another memo by Filbey reports
that in the meeting Kettering referred to his general skepticism of university
education in engineering and indicated the advantages of practical experience.
Finally, in August 1938 new negotiations
began between Northwestern and Cabell, and a contract was signed with
the Walter P. Murphy Foundation on March 20, 1939, providing $6,735,000
for the first stage of the project. The following day's newspapers announced
Murphy's gift, which was quite sensational since Murphy had kept himself
out of the public eye and was unknown to the general public. He was not
totally unknown at the University of Chicago, however, since he had given
$250,000 to Chicago's medical center in 1928 (although, typically for
Murphy, the money established a fund in the name of his friend Charles
H. Markham rather than in his own name). Chicago quickly determined that
Murphy still had a substantial fortune even after his gift to Northwestern,
and began to seek funding from Murphy for their program in medicine: they
suggested the creation of the Walter P. Murphy Medical Center. This may
have been a tactical error, since Murphy had insisted that Northwestern's
Technological Institute not be named for him, and had similarly chosen
not to have his name associated with his earlier gift to Chicago. However,
it is most likely that Murphy had simply decided to devote his charitable
contributions chiefly to the Technological Institute. For whatever reason,
Murphy did not give any further major gifts to the University of Chicago,
although he did give $25,000 to Chicago's 50th anniversary campaign in
1941 (4). He also invited President and Mrs. Hutchins to a very small
and apparently cordial private dinner at his Lake Bluff home in 1940.
Hutchins' file memo on this dinner concludes with the statement that Mr.
Cabell said that Mr. Murphy had told him that the University of Chicago
was his first choice for the Engineering School, and that if they had
been interested in it it would have come to Chicago. Hutchins noted that
his response was to say he was glad the School promised to be successful
at Northwestern and he took the opportunity of reminding Mr. Cabell that
Chicago's most pressing problem was in medicine.
There are some puzzling points in this
story. It seems clear that Chicago was indeed Murphy's first choice for
his gift -- it is unlikely that his attorney would have made this statement
in his presence if it were untrue. This leaves the problem of determining
what Cabell meant by saying that the school would have gone to Chicago
if they had been interested in it, since there could have been no doubt
that Chicago was very interested in using Murphy's funds for an engineering
program. The most reasonable conclusion seems to be that Cabell meant
that if Chicago had been interested in a Cincinnati-type engineering program,
the money would have gone there. The sequence of events seems to be that,
on Murphy's instructions, Cabell began investigating engineering education
in the United States, making inquiries of engineering schools and of industrial
representatives. At the same time, he wrote to Northwestern (and possibly
to other leading institutions) to begin considering them as possible sites
for the program Murphy wished to establish. Significantly, Chicago was
visited by Cabell rather than contacted by letter -- Filbey's memo on
the visit states that Cabell told him that Chicago was the only university
so far visited in the area, although others had been mentioned as possible
locations. Chicago, moreover, was not asked to submit written documents;
Cabell asked neither for specific information or for commitment, he was
interested in Chicago's point of view. At this time Murphy still seems
to have been interested in a research and graduate education program (the
"MIT model"). However, very soon after the first meeting, on April 9 Cabell
met with Filbey at the Palmer House in Chicago and here began to mention
the Cincinnati model for the first time. Filbey does not seem to have
been very interested in this aspect of the conversation; he does not even
mention it in his memo at the time, but only much later. In any case,
Chicago seems to have been committed to the research and graduate education
model, while Murphy or Cabell or both were by this time fairly well committed
to the Cincinnati model in which Chicago never expressed interest. Not
long thereafter, though, Northwestern's second proposal advancing just
that model was received by Cabell. A letter from Filbey in 1944 expresses
the opinion that Murphy's grant went to Northwestern on Kettering's recommendation;
he further states that he doubts if Kettering is one bit interested in
the kind of engineering school that Chicago would have developed. The
second part of this statement was certainly true, and the first part seems
largely true, although even apart from Kettering Murphy had already determined
that the sort of engineering school he wanted was not consonant with Chicago's
ideas. Although this seems to be the most plausible conclusion, for a
final verdict one would need to examine Cabell's personal files (or Murphy's
if they existed: Walter Dill Scott's biography of Murphy states that he
kept no diary and no copies of his correspondence). Other factors may
also have been involved -- for example there are suggestions in both the
Chicago and Northwestern archives that Murphy may have been displeased
that Hutchins did not personally meet with Cabell. But I believe that
such an important decision would have been based primarily on the fact
that Murphy found at Northwestern a congeniality not just to his representative
but to his ideas on engineering education.
There is a final question of possible interest
to academic administrators, expressed in a 1944 letter from Harold H.
Swift, who was Chairman of the University of Chicago's Board of Trustees
(and a son of Gustav Swift, in whose honor the Swift family donated the
Swift Hall of Engineering, home to Northwestern's small, pre-Murphy Engineering
School). Swift writes that the chief question involved seems to be whether
Chicago should have been a better trader, finding what the donor wanted
and conforming to it rather than straightforwardly giving him their best
judgment as requested. For Northwestern of course this question did not
arise, since Northwestern's best judgment coincided with Murphy's ideas.
Still, this sort of question arises frequently in negotiations with potential
donors -- though rarely with such enormous consequences as those involved
in Murphy's ultimate gift -- and institutions must ask themselves the
difficult question of how much they are willing to have their identities
made over to conform to a donor's wishes. In the end, though, Northwestern
had determined a course of action for itself, which coincided with the
interests of a wealthy and generous donor; Northwestern seized the opportunity.
Notes:
- There is a brief paragraph discussing Murphy's proposal to Chicago
in William H. McNeill's book Hutchins' University (University
of Chicago Press, 1991; page 86). McNeill's preface states "much of
what follows derives from personal experience, supplemented by some
rather cursory investigation of university records deposited in the
Special Collections of Regenstein Library and by conversations with
others who still remembered the Hutchins era...." Unfortunately, his
account of the Murphy affair is erroneous.
- Most of the account given here of Murphy's negotiations with Northwestern
is taken from Walter Dill Scott's biography of Murphy, Walter Patton
Murphy, 1873-1942 (Northwestern University Press, 1952); some additional
information was found in the Northwestern University Archives with the
help of the Archivist, Patrick Quinn.
- All of the information given here on Murphy's negotiations with the
University of Chicago is taken from archival materials in the Regenstein
Library of the University of Chicago: the Harold H. Swift Papers, box
104, folder 5. The archivist Richard Popp provided invaluable guidance
to these materials.
- Walter Dill Scott interviewed Murphy in 1941 for the biography he
planned to write. A memo from Scott in March 1941 states that Murphy
told him he was going to revise his will, and added "It is assumed that
the Technological Institute is sort of a first charge for the [Murphy]
Foundation." Scott's notes of his meeting on September 17, 1941 state
"George Ranney and Max Epstein called on Mr. Murphy and sought a donation
for the University of Chicago. Mr. Murphy investigated the amounts other
business men were donating, and sent a check to express his good will,
but not enough to indicate special interest. The amount was $25,000."
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THE HISTORY OF COOPERATIVE ENGINEERING
EDUCATION AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
by
Geraldine O. Garner
As a newcomer to the McCormick School of
Engineering and Applied Science the invitation to write the history of
cooperative engineering education (co-op) at Northwestern was an honor
and a privilege. At the same time, it was an intimidating undertaking.
After all, there are others in the School, and involved with the School,
who have been active participants in the formation and development of
the program. What if their recollections were not represented correctly?
What if a fact was misinterpreted, particularly if it was misinterpreted
by someone who was not here at the time?
Very quickly, personal concerns of this
nature gave way to excitement about the truly historic foundations of
cooperative education at Northwestern. As a student, researcher, and administrator
of cooperative education, a real appreciation for the roots of the program
grew at each stage of the process. Learning about Walter P. Murphy. Finding
the Murphy estate in Lake Bluff. Seeing the prospectus prepared for Mr.
Murphy's review. Learning that Dean Herman Schneider, the "Father of Cooperative
Education", was a central figure in the development of the Northwestern
cooperative education program. These opportunities not only made the project
rewarding, they made it an inspiring and humbling experience.
Northwestern and McCormick have always
been proud and protective of their cooperative education program. They
have every right to be! It is hoped that this chapter accurately recaptures
memories, correctly interprets facts, and provides some new information
and insight about a truly outstanding program. Nonetheless, it is equally
important that this chapter continues to instill pride and to reinforce
the knowledge that cooperative engineering education, particularly at
Northwestern University, is a superior form of engineering education.
The Northwestern Co-op Program has certainly passed Mr. Murphy's "test"
and remains an on going tribute to his vision.
INTRODUCTION
The Co-operative System - A Manifesto, published in the October,
1946, issue of the Journal of Engineering Education, the Cooperative
Education Division of the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education
defined cooperative education as an pedagogical approach which "requires
or permits all or some engineering students to alternate periods of
attendance at school or college with periods of employment in industry
during a portion or all of one or more curricula. Employment is constituted
as a regular, continuing and essential element in the educational process...[and]
is related to some phase of the branch or field of study in which the
student is engaged. Employment is to be variegated in order to afford
a spread of experience...with minimum hours of employment and a minimum
standard of performance in such employment, among the requirements for
a degree" (Freund, 1946, pp. 117-118).
For more than 55 years, Northwestern University's
Cooperative Engineering Education Program has adhered to this definition
of cooperative education (co-op). Although many other engineering schools
weakened the standards for their co-op programs to those of humanities
internships, Northwestern continued to maintain the strength of the original
concept.
Since 1940, thousands of Northwestern engineering
students have participated in the "cooperative system" on both a mandatory
and a voluntary basis. Today, many leaders of business, industry, government,
and academia are Northwestern alumni who participated in a co-op program
conceived by some of the best engineering minds of the 20th Century. However,
few outside of the close knit family of "NU Co-ops" know, or appreciate,
the rich historical roots of the Northwestern Co-op Program.
Unlike most cooperative engineering education
programs, Northwestern did not add co-op to the engineering curriculum.
Instead, Northwestern incorporated co-op into the original pedagogical
design for the Technological Institute (Tech). The process by which such
a curriculum was designed is replete with mystery and intrigue. Today,
fact and rumor continue to surround the development of the Technological
Institute and contribute to the richness of its history.
THE BEGINNING
In the winter of 1936, Northwestern University
President Walter Dill Scott received a letter from a lawyer in Richmond,
Virginia. The lawyer, Mr. Royal E. Cabell, wrote that an unnamed client
was interested in making a substantial bequest "toward establishing a
school of engineering".
Mr. Cabell had been directed by his client
to investigate the needs of engineering education in the United States.
Mr. Cabell surveyed the top universities in the country, as well as US
industry. His research led to the discovery of a widespread belief that
there was not a need for more engineering schools. If fact, the prevalent
thought was that "graduates of liberal arts colleges succeeded in industry
as well as graduates of colleges of engineering" (Scott, 1952, p. 79).
Despite these findings, Mr. Cabell's client was committed to the "development
in the United States of the science of engineering". His client was also
dedicated to funding an engineering school which would be "second to none."
The unnamed client concluded that there
was a preponderance of engineering schools on both the east and west coasts
but none of sufficient stature in the Midwest. Therefore, plans were made
to establish an engineering school in the Chicago area.
The discussions and negotiations of Cabell
with the University of Chicago and Northwestern are given in the preceding
chapter of this anthology by Michaelson. In March of 1936, Cabell met
with E. T. Filbey, Dean of Faculties at the University of Chicago. Filbey
told Cabell that "Chicago would be interested if there would be support
of research and training in engineering that was as distinctive as work
done there in other fields, not just another engineering school" (Michaelson,
undated, pp 1-2). There was a follow-up meeting with Filbey in April.
At this meeting, Cabell asked a series of questions including how the
engineering school at the University of Chicago would be administered
and what would be the nature of the school's working relations with industry.
According to Michaelson (undated), memoranda were found which indicated
that by the summer of 1936, Cabell was mentioning the "cooperative system"
in his correspondence with Filbey. Correspondence could not be found which
demonstrated that Filbey addressed the issue. However, it is known that
he did express the University's interest in working with Mr. Cabell to
design a school acceptable to his "principal".
Meanwhile, upon receiving Mr. Cabell's
letter, Northwestern University President Scott began the process of responding
to the inquiry. During the process of drafting Northwestern's response,
Scott reported that "Northwestern guessed the name of Mr. Cabell's principal".
When this occurred, the University realized that its original response
needed to be drastically revised. Scott consulted with some of the most
influential engineers of the time to recast the original prospectus. Those
consulted included: Dr. Charles Kettering, the premier technologist and
inventor of the time and chief research engineer at General Motors, who
had been the recipient of an honorary degree from Northwestern University;
and Dr. Herman Schneider, one of the most innovative engineering educators
of the time and dean of engineering at the University of Cincinnati. According
to President Scott,
...Mr. Kettering enthusiastically agreed
to cooperate and to ask several of the outstanding engineers in his
organization to contribute their suggestions. He also took steps to
secure the cooperation of Dean Herman Schneider, of the University of
Cincinnati.
Dean Schneider had been experimenting
for many years with a new type of engineering education known as the
cooperative system, which alternated study in the classroom and laboratory
with periods of work in industry. Up to that time, the plan had been
considered unimportant by the leading universities and technological
schools in this country; in no institution had it received adequate
financial support. Its merits, however, appealed strongly to Mr. Kettering,
a practical businessman and engineer (Scott, 1952, p. 80).
By the spring of 1936, Northwestern presented
a 17 page prospectus to Mr. Cabell (Scott, 1936). Shortly thereafter,
the University was notified that the donor had engaged Dean Schneider
as his educational consultant and Dr. Kettering as an active participant
in planning the "project".
Apparently unknown to President Scott,
Schneider's influence went well beyond the paradigm for the "cooperative
system". Mr. Murphy had assigned him the task of identifying candidates
to be the dean of the new school of engineering. The dean would have to
have "...wide experience in industry and education and...look favorably
on the idea of co-op. In addition, a new school had to be set up. The
dean [had to] be an effective speaker with a dynamic personality" (Jacobs,
1958, p. 14).
No one knew the extent of Schneider's involvement
in the design of the new school. However, in 1938, a faculty member at
the University of Cincinnati learned of it "quite by accident". Professor
Clyde Park wrote to the vacationing Schneider about a speech he had heard
delivered at the Convention of the Society for the Promotion of Engineering
Education, held at the Texas A. and M. College. The speech addressed current
issues in engineering education and was presented by a representative
of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company.
Upon receiving a hand written letter from
Schneider requesting more information about the presenter, Park became
aware that Schneider had a very special assignment. Schneider was interested
in Park's impressions of the speaker's "ability in speaking, his use of
English and his personality before audiences and in private conversation"
(Park, 1943, p. 306).
605 Bay Street
Petoskey, MI
August 16, 1938
Dear Park:
Many thanks for your good letter of August
12. This gives me just what I wanted. Of course, the reason for my initial
search is very confidential, hence I do not want to ramify its lines
too much. However if in an incidental off-hand way, you can get anything
more..., I'd be glad to hear it. But beyond that we should not go; nor
is it necessary for my immediate purpose.
We have had a good vacation and all of
us have gained a lot from it. I haven't done as much writing as I had
planned. When I landed here I was mentally very tired. My literary attempts
were flat. So I accepted my mind's protest and loafed a bit. Later some
other things came along to occupy my thoughts,- result, no manuscript.
Again my appreciation and my good wishes
to you all for a fine vacation.
Sincerely
Herman Schneider
The man identified to Herman Schneider
was Ovid W. Eshbach. Dr. Eshbach was active in the Society for the Promotion
of Engineering Education (SPEE). In addition, he was well known in engineering
schools throughout the country because of his book the Handbook of
Engineering Fundamentals.
Eshbach was involved in recruiting engineering
graduates for AT&T. In that capacity, he was assigned to organize and
implement a graduate co-op program between the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT) and AT&T.
In 1925, a new communications option was
launched by Bell Systems and M.I.T.'s electrical engineering department.
Ovid Eshbach was a relatively new AT&T employee at the time, having previously
been an assistant professor of electrical engineering at Lehigh University.1
Eshbach had been hired to aid in student recruitment and placement. Therefore,
he was the logical choice to put in charge of the new initiative with
MIT
Eshbach's diligence in organizing and administering
the program was most evident during the Depression years of 1932 to 1937.
When no work was available for the students participating in the MIT co-op
program, he began the "Eshbach Handbook" project. He employed some of
the young men, who had been laid off, to work on the project. The result
was the Handbook of Engineering Fundamentals published in 1936
as one of the Wiley series of handbooks. By the time that Eshbach came
to the attention of Dean Schneider, he had selected and followed the development
of 11 classes in this graduate co-op program. Overall, Eshbach's background
and experiences were an excellent fit with Murphy, Kettering, and Schneider
and their plans for the school of engineering at Northwestern University.
From 1936 to 1939; Murphy, Kettering, and
Schneider further developed the Northwestern prospectus. President Scott
had brought together three kindred spirits. Charles Kettering had worked
on a farm and taught school before entering college. While in college,
Kettering dug post-holes as part of a construction crew to earn money
for his college education.
Herman Schneider worked in a local architect's
office while a student of engineering. After graduation he worked in the
area of structural iron. Recognizing that his architectural experiences
were important to his own engineering education, he used this awareness
as the foundation for his pedagogical research and approach to engineering
education.
Walter Murphy worked as a rancher and as
a fireman and mechanic on the railroads of the Midwest to support his
family. While he did not have a college degree, Murphy completed two years
at St. Louis University. However, he felt that he "owed a debt of gratitude
to industry...." This sense of debt contributed to Murphy's commitment
to furnish "industry with better trained and better prepared graduates
in technical and engineering lines."
According to Scott, "any one of these three
might have been the first to recognize that industry furnishes a training
laboratory for engineers which no college can equal. Actually, Herman
Schneider was the first to make this idea the basis of engineering education.
Charles Kettering was the first to make it respected by the industrial
leaders in America. Walter P. Murphy was the first, and only, individual
to be willing and able to subsidize a conclusive experiment in cooperative
education." (Scott, 1952, p. 82)
On March 20, 1939, it was announced that
the Walter P. Murphy Foundation had given Northwestern University $6,735,000
to "erect the first unit of the Technological Institute and carry out,
until six classes had graduated, the experiment in cooperative education
in civil, mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering" (Scott, 1952,
p. 84). Three years later, upon his death, Mr. Murphy bequeathed almost
$28,000,000 for the founding and support of the Technological Institute.
The Murphy gift was "the largest contribution ever made by any one person
in America to a single institution in support of training and research
in one field of learning" (Scott, 1952, p. 92).
When the Murphy gift was announced, the
press found very little information about Mr. Murphy. His passion for
anonymity, therefore, fostered speculation about his background and his
accumulation of wealth. The speculation became as interesting as the bequest!
Writing in the July 25, 1950, issue of
the Michigan Society of Architects Weekly Bulletin, W.S. Woodfill
recounted the story of Mr. Murphy sitting in the famous barber chair located
in the Grand Hotel in Michigan when he made the decision to give money
to Northwestern to erect a school of engineering. Mr. Woodfill's account
of Mr. Murphy's background was equally interesting:
Mr. Murphy came to this country as an
Irish immigrant, or of modest Irish parentage, and settled in New York
City. There he became the private secretary of the late 'Diamond Jim'
Brady....
Mr. Brady was of course the greatest
of all railroad supply salesmen. As time went on, Mr. Murphy served
Mr. Brady in executive capacities, and upon the death of Mr. Brady succeeded
to much of his business, as he had developed those contacts in his association
with Mr. Brady.
Like Mr. Brady, he was always an especially
well-groomed gentleman, but unlike Mr. Brady was never a conspicuous
person with his habit of "diamonds".
It is known that James Buchanan "Diamond
Jim" Brady was a railroad tycoon and philanthropist. It is also know that
he acquired his fortune as a railroad equipment salesman and started two
steel railroad car manufacturing firms. While he also vacationed at the
Grand Hotel, it is unknown how or when Walter Murphy may have worked for
him. In fact, there is little support for Woodfill's description of Murphy's
working relationship with Brady in Walter Dill Scott's biography of Murphy.
Scott reported that Walter Murphy (1873
- 1942) was born in Pittsburgh and that his first job was as a fireman
with the Cairo Shortline Railroad in 1889. Payroll records secured by
Scott showed that Murphy made no more than $398.25 per year in his three
years working for the Cairo Shortline. In 1894, he went to work for the
Missouri Pacific Railroad. Murphy joined the salesforce of his father's
company, Standard Railroad Equipment, in 1900. However, Scott never mentioned
Diamond Jim Brady in any connection with Murphy.
(Editor's note: The date of the alleged
barber chair happening was August 1939. The gift was announced in March
1939 so the barber shop affair is evidently a hoax.)
Like his father and Kettering, Walter Murphy
was an inventor. At the time of his death, he held 150 patents for equipment
which became the standard for railroad cars. It is thought that he was
instrumental in more than 1,500 other patents related to railroad equipment.
Walter Dill Scott was the president of
Northwestern throughout the negotiations and implementation of the gift.
He described Walter Murphy as follows:
No one can fully appreciate the qualities
of Walter P. Murphy who has not seen him in action. His enthusiasm,
his ingratiating personality, his fluent speech, his high idealism-all
combined to make him stand out...as one of the greatest Americans he
[Scott] has had the pleasure of meeting (Scott, 1952, p. x - xi).
This is the legacy of the Co-op Program
at Northwestern University.
THE COOPERATIVE SYSTEM EXPERIMENT
When Mr. Murphy gave the gift of over $6,000,000,
it was with the understanding that the "cooperative system", or Co-op
Program, would be given a trial. The first six, entering classes of Tech
were to have participated in the "experiment". Students in civil, mechanical,
electrical, and chemical engineering were to take five years to complete
their undergraduate degrees by combining classroom instruction with work
experience in industry. The experiment was to have gone on over a ten
year period. Leadership of the program was critical.
It was widely speculated that Herman Schneider
would come to Northwestern as dean of cooperative education. In fact,
in the design of the Technological Institute, two identical offices were
planned. One was for the dean of academics and the other was for the dean
of the co-op program. However, within days of the Walter P. Murphy Foundation
signing the contract to build the Technological Institute, Dean Schneider
died in March of 1939.
In April of 1939, Walter Murphy was quoted in School and Society:
...I have long been interested in the problems of thorough training
of engineers and business executives and have given considerable study
and thought to this subject. Aided by contacts with Dean Schneider,
the pioneer of the cooperative system, Dr. Charles F. Kettering, the
distinguished research engineer and scientist, and others, I reached
the conclusion that the cooperative system offered the very best solution
to this problem. (p. 424)
It was felt by many that Murphy's endorsement
of Dean Schneider's "cooperative system" had firmly established co-op
as a pedagogical approach in American higher education and validated the
strength of Schneider's ideas. In deed, the "cooperative system" had succeeded
in surviving the Great Depression.
Upon the death of Schneider, President
Scott, Dr. Kettering, and Mr. Murphy turned to Dean R. C. Disque at Drexel
Institute of Technology (now Drexel University) for guidance in conducting
the "experiment". Drexel Institute had been among the first schools of
engineering to implement the cooperative system on a mandatory basis.
In 1940, F. George Seulberger, who had
been a coordinator of cooperative education at Drexel, was hired to initiate
the cooperative education system at Northwestern University. While the
first students in the Cooperative Education Program at Tech began their
cooperative work assignments in the fall of 1940, the experiment could
not take place as originally planned.
The Technological Institute was dedicated
in 1942, within months of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. President Franklin
D. Roosevelt was scheduled to attend the two-day scientific and industrial
conference marking the dedication but obviously was unable to do so. Almost
immediately the federal government elected to use Tech as one of its most
advanced research and training facilities for the armed forces. The state-of-the-art
laboratories and equipment made possibly by the Murphy gift were necessary
to the war effort. The postponement of the "experiment" was not a disappointment
to Mr. Murphy. He took great pride in the fact that Tech had become a
center for governmental research and training.
At the same time, the national pressure
for manpower to fight the war on two fronts meant students had to accelerate
their programs. This caused the abandonment of the cooperative system
for all students, except those classified as "F-4" under the Selective
Service. Since there were always a few such students, Tech never completely
abandoned the cooperative system. Therefore, today it is among the oldest,
continuous cooperative engineering education programs in the country.
However, during the war, Professor Seulberger
served as the University's dean of students while Clarence Watson, assistant
professor of Cooperative Education, placed the few students still available
to participate in Co-op. After the war, the mandatory Co-op Program was
reinstated. Every Tech student, unless a veteran of World War II, was
required to participate.
Watson became associate professor of Cooperative
Education and Chairman of the Department of Industrial Relations and Seulberger
returned to Tech in 1950. Seulberger was named assistant dean of the Technological
Institute in 1952. In the mid 1950's, Watson had left Tech to join the
staff of the Ford Foundation. Throughout the 1950's the Co-op Program
flourished.
In the early 1950's, Tech hosted the mid-winter
meeting of the Cooperative Education Division of the SPEE. The meeting
was part of Northwestern's centennial program. It became a celebration
of the contributions of Walter Murphy, Charles Kettering, and Herman Schneider
in establishing cooperative education as a significant pedagogical approach.
EVALUATING THE "EXPERIMENT"
Because the war had interrupted the "experiment",
it was not until the 1950's that an evaluation of the "cooperative system"
could take place. Before his retirement in 1953, Dean Eshbach began this
evaluation process. He asked the department chairmen to formulate questions
about the co-op program. They were instructed not to come up with the
answers, only the questions.
In 1954, Dean Donald H. Loughridge, who
succeeded Eshbach as dean, appointed a faculty committee to evaluate the
"cooperative system" experiment. The committee was chaired by Professor
Jenness and had such members as Professors James Van Ness and William
Brazelton (a graduate of the first Co-op class in 1943).
It is important to keep in mind that the
evaluation of co-op took place in a time of great turmoil in engineering
education. Engineering faculties everywhere were debating the applied
versus science-based engineering education. During this time, cooperative
education was seen by some faculty as representative of the purely applied
side of engineering and, therefore, of limited value in the engineering
education revolution of the late 1950's.
In his writings on the subject, Seulberger
pointed out that some faculty may not have realized that the work that
co-ops were performing on the job was changing also. Their work was becoming
increasingly more sophisticated and reflective of the trend toward a more
scientific approach to engineering.
Nonetheless, the Jenness Committee found
that the five year, undergraduate program for co-op students was negatively
impacting admissions. In the 1950's, engineering jobs were abundant for
engineering graduates at the BS level. In addition, more students planned
to continue their engineering education at the graduate level. Consequently,
the five year Co-op program was viewed by some prospective students as
a disincentive. As a result enrollment in the Technological Institute
was suffering.
The Jenness Committee proposed to change
the Co-op Program from mandatory to voluntary. The proposal was driven
by the changing needs of faculty and students. John Van Ness and Ronald
Sardiga (1959) reported that "by making co-op optional the faculty did
not mean to imply that they [felt] co-op [had] outlived its usefulness.
Instead, the move was intended to add more flexibility to the program
by allowing students to choose for themselves whether or not to elect
co-op. The...feeling [was]...that co-op is a superior form of engineering
education" (p.20).
The motion to make co-op optional in the
Technological Institute was first made at a faculty meeting in the Fall
of 1955. After motions to amend the recommendation, the issue was tabled
and not brought up again until 1957. In the intervening time Dean Loughridge
stepped down and Dr. Eshbach returned as Acting Dean until Harold B. Gotaas
was selected as Dean of Engineering in 1957.
In May of 1957, Jenness presented the co-op
findings at a faculty meeting. He again made the motion to move co-op
to an optional basis. This time the faculty of the Technological Institute
voted to make cooperative education a voluntary. After a year of preparation
for the change, the first entering class to have co-op as an "option"
rather than a "requirement" was the freshmen class of 1959-60.
Unfortunately, the implementation of a
voluntary program was made without changing the alternating schedule of
school and work. Tech maintained a system of alternation which was viable
for mandatory schools but not practical for optional programs. It was
quite predictable that under a voluntary system of co-op the entering
classes, assigned to work exclusively during the fall and spring quarters
and attend school only during the winter and summer, would show a significant
decrease in selecting the co-op option. This was certainly true for Tech.
Co-op enrollment declined significantly for those entering Tech classes
assigned to be "on co-op" exclusively on the fall/spring schedule.
It is important to keep in mind that the
decision to make co-op voluntary was made against the backdrop of a significant
event in the history of science and engineering. "The launching of the
Russian Sputnik [satellite] in 1957 gave new impetus to the revolution
already underway in American engineering education. Out of the national
embarrassment at not being first into space came the common agreement
that we must improve our education institutions to regain...world power"
(Northwestern Engineer, 1963, p. 10). The federal government began committing
vast resources in order to "catch up" with the Russian space initiative.
The general theme, at the time, was that "the technical fields were not
science oriented enough." Therefore, schools of engineering placed increased
emphasis on obtaining government funding to conduct research and adding
scientific and engineering scholars to their faculties.
Once again, the national agenda impacted
the role of cooperative education in the Technological Institute. The
agenda was to produce scientific and engineering manpower quickly. A five
year co-op program did not fit the needs of every student nor did it fit
the needs of the increasing numbers of faculty members who were trying
to foster the development of Ph.D. level engineers. Two years after the
Northwestern Co-op Program became voluntary, Dean Seulberger reported
that 81 percent of Tech's sophomore class elected to participate in the
five-year cooperative work program.
Throughout the 1960's, the Technological
Institute maintained the pedagogical soundness of Schneider's "cooperative
system" and George Seulberger continued to oversee the Tech Co-op Program.
During this period, students were placed and counseled by co-op faculty
which included James Woodbury, Merle Dowd, Tom Brinkmann, Ray Lindenmeyer,
and Richard Cole.
Upon his retirement from Tech, and from
co-op, Dean Seulberger was recognized by the Cooperative Education Association
for his work in founding Tech's program and for his 40 years of service
to the field. Fittingly, he was presented with the "Herman Schneider Award",
the highest honor bestowed on a co-op professional.
EPILOGUE
Herman Schneider's concept, which was supported
by Charles Kettering and financed by Walter Murphy, has not only withstood
the test of the Great Depression, World War II, and the "Space Race";
it has also withstood the test of the economic turbulence of the last
25 years. In recognition of this achievement, Dean Jerome B. Cohen, the
sixth dean of the Technological Institute, reaffirmed Tech's commitment
to the prominence cooperative education on the occasion of the 50th anniversary
of co-op at Northwestern. In 1989, he renamed the program, the Walter
P. Murphy Cooperative Engineering Education Program.
The golden anniversary of the founding
of the program was a fitting time to validate Mr. Murphy's rationale for
financing the most significant test of Dean Schneider's "cooperative system"
in the United States. Mr. Murphy's description of the program's appeal
was clearly stated in his June 15, 1940, letter to the President and Board
of Trustees of Northwestern on the dedication of the Technological Institute:
This cooperative system appealed strongly to me as truly American,
combining in itself the highest type of classroom instruction in theory
with synchronized and coordinated training in the actual workshops of
highest type cooperative industries in the practical application of
theory so taught in the classroom. It offers an opportunity to any young
man having brains, aptitude, and backbone to secure an education of
the highest type both in the theory and practice of his chosen technical
or engineering profession, even though he may have little financial
support with which to begin; and the young man upon completion of his
course in engineering under this system has received such training in
theory alone with such actual practice in operation that he is ready
upon graduation to proceed at once in his chosen field...
Walter P. Murphy
Scott, p.87)
A new mission statement for the Walter
P. Murphy Cooperative Engineering Education Program was drafted in 1993.
The new mission statement reflected the values and philosophy of Schneider's
concept and Walter Murphy's commitment to it.
To be an acknowledged leader in preparing, placing, and supporting
diverse and talented Cooperative Education students in business, industry,
and government as an essential part of the engineering education process.
During the 1990's, enrollment in the Walter
P. Murphy Co-op Program has doubled, growing from 140 to over 285 students.
The growth has led to administrative changes which once again, gives Co-op
a direct report to the dean of the McCormick School of Engineering and
Applied Science.
With the director of the Co-op Program
holding the position of associate dean and associate professor of cooperative
engineering education the Walter P. Murphy Cooperative Engineering Education
Program moves into the 21st Century poised to continue the legacy of Walter
Murphy, Herman Schneider, and Charles Kettering. The commitment to assure
that all students in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
are able "to secure an education of the highest type both in theory and
practice of...engineering" remains strong and vital.
Whether mandatory or voluntary, the Walter
P. Murphy experiment has been an unprecedented success! The impressive
numbers of corporate executives, academic leaders, and high government
officials who can say they are graduates of the Northwestern Co-op Program
continue to be the best and most sustaining testimony to the strength
and wisdom of the Walter P. Murphy Cooperative Engineering Education Program.
REFERENCES
Anonymous, "The Cooperative System of Engineering Education", School
and Society, XLIX, April 1, 1939
Anonymous, "Post World War II", Journal of Engineering Education,
April, 1971.
Anonymous, "The Conflict and Tech", Northwestern Engineer, May
1963.
Brazelton, W. T., Interview, Technological Institute, November, 1994.
Carlson, R. E., "An Anonymous Friend - Walter P. Murphy", Northwestern
Engineer, Vol 26, No. 2, March, 1967.
Co-op Comments, Northwestern University Technological Institute, McCormick
School of Engineering and Applied Science, Vol 21, No. 1, Fall, 1989.
Freund, "The Cooperative System - A Manifesto", Journal of Engineering
Education, October, 1946.
Jacobs, S. J., "Ovid W. Eshbach: Tech's First Dean - Not To Be Forgotten",
Northwestern Engineer, Vol 17, No. 2, May 1958.
Michaelson, R., "Opportunity Lost and Gained: A Sidelight on the Walter
P. Murphy Gift", This Anthology
Mintzer, D. Interview, Technological Institute, August 1995.
Neyens A. W. and Kirkpatrick, R. K., "Tech Deans", Northwestern Engineer,
Vol 26, No. 2, March, 1967.
Park, C. W., Ambassador to Industry: The Idea and Life of Herman
Schneider, Bobbs-Merrill Company, NY, 1943.
Scott, W. D., "A Proposed School of Engineering for Northwestern University",
1936.
Scott, W. D., Walter Patton Murphy 1873-1942: A Biography, C.O.
Owening and Co., 1952.
Seulberger, F. G., Cooperative Education", Northwestern Engineer,
Northwestern Engineer, Vol 26, No. 2, March, 1967.
Staff of The College Blue Book, On the Survey of College-Level Cooperative
Education, Christian E. Burchel Publisher, New York, August 30, 1958.
Van Ness, J.W. & Sardiga, R. E., "Seniors Survey Co-op", Northwestern
Engineer, Vol 18, No. 1, February 1959.
Wagner, W.F., "Cooperative Engineering Education", Factory Management
and Maintenance, November, 1952.
Wildes, K. L., "Ovid W. Eshbach: His First Experience with Co-Op", Northwestern
Engineer, Vol 17, No. 2, May 1958.
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RECOLLECTIONS AND REFLECTIONS
ON THE
EARLY YEARS AT TECH
by
John R. Eshbach
During my junior year in high school (l938-39)
our parents informed my sister and me that our father had been approached
to become dean of a new engineering school at Northwestern University.
That simple announcement was the first indication of major changes in
the lives of each member of our family. For my father, Ovid Wallace Eshbach,
it was the beginning of a new phase of his career, a challenging and rewarding
association with Northwestern that would continue for the rest of his
life. My mother, Clara, as the dean's wife, would become the hostess of
many faculty gatherings, a role she undertook with trepidation but fulfilled
with uncommon graciousness. Her reward was the many close and lasting
friendships she made among the Tech faculty and their family members.
For my sister, Frances, and myself the immediate effect was a move to
a new part of the country and a new school system, leaving behind childhood
friends and making new ones. But, unforeseen at that time, both my sister
and I would also tie our futures to Northwestern by later enrolling as
students, graduating and maintaining a lifelong devotion to the University.
From my own family's experiences it is clear to me that many people besides
those on the faculty and staff of the school have shared, at least emotionally,
in the building and further development of the Northwestern Technological
Institute.
Our home at the time of my father's appointment
was in a suburb just north of Philadelphia and my dad commuted daily to
his job at AT&T in lower Manhattan, New York City. I recall being surprised
and a bit puzzled at first over why he would have been selected from his
position as Special Assistant in the Personnel Relations Department of
AT&T to lead this major undertaking at a prestigious midwest university.
I was also surprised to learn that Northwestern was located no farther
west than suburban Chicago. All I knew about Northwestern at that time
was that it was a member of the Big Ten Athletic Conference. As I learned
more about the University and its beautiful campus, located on the shore
of Lake Michigan, I became very excited and was eager for our move and
the prospect of an early and close association with college life. The
question about my father's selection to be dean clearly had two aspects
- the requirements of the job and his qualifications. As we shall see,
I came to realize that he fit the job perfectly.
In general, this memoir will follow a chronological
sequence. I must ask the reader's indulgence, however, as I will inevitably
intertwine three threads of storyline - elements of Northwestern's history,
recollections of my father and my personal experiences. Following some
comments about Walter Murphy's intent in making his gift to Northwestern
I'll give a brief perspective on the history of engineering at the University
prior to the founding of Tech. Then I'll continue the story of my father's
background, his tenure at Tech and some of my own experiences.
* * * * * * *
The key event in the establishment of Tech
was, of course, the gift in l939 of $6,735,000 to the University from
the Chicago inventor and industrialist, Walter Patten Murphy (1).
It had been Murphy's ambition to spend his wealth wisely "in the creation
of a great institution of human service." After considering various projects
he decided that "support of education would be more appropriate and mostory
of my father's background, his tenure at Tech and some of my own experiences.
Also I felt that my chief responsibility was to promote industry through
education." (2)
In a statement that he prepared for placement
in the cornerstone of the new Tech building Mr. Murphy describes the thorough
investigation that he undertook to determine which direction his efforts
should take - support of an existing school, a new scientific and engineering
research institute, or a new engineering school; whether a new school
should be along traditional lines or take a new direction; and where a
new school should be located. Apparently at first Murphy considered establishing
an institute more along the lines of MIT, i.e., with emphasis on graduate
studies and research. But in the end he was strongly influenced by Charles
F. Kettering, chief research engineer for General Motors, who was emphatic
in his belief in the cooperative system of engineering education as the
best way to educate engineers to meet the needs of industry. Murphy's
investigations also indicated that the Chicago area was the location in
greatest need for an outstanding engineering school, a conclusion toward
which he was no doubt predisposed.
Further background on Murphy's gift and
discussion of the intricate negotiations preceding it are related in other
chapters of this anthology, in particular in the very interesting contribution
by Robert Michaelson.(4) Murphy's own writings, as well as
notes made by University President Walter Dill Scott in personal meetings
with Murphy, show that he also examined Northwestern in depth before committing
his resources.(3,5) He was intensely curious about the University's
management, its finances, endowment, scholarship programs, and its dormitories
and other facilities. These same references make it very clear that he
wanted the new school to be based on the cooperative plan of undergraduate
engineering education and that he wanted the students, the faculty and
the curriculum to be of the highest order - "second to none" - a phrase
that later would be much debated.
It is also clear that Murphy wanted to
maintain a very close personal relationship with "his" school. He was
by nature a very private person. He did not want the school to be named
after him nor would be appear in public or on the programs of ceremonies,
such as at the cornerstone laying or the dedication of the new building.
However, he followed very closely, personally and through his advisors,
the progress of the design and construction of the building, the hiring
of faculty, plans for the curriculum and the various financial matters.
He stated that from time to time he would like to pass to the University
applications for candidates for admission to the new school.(5)
He said that he looked forward to the day when he would be living regularly
in Lake Forest and could devote most of his attention to the Institute.
Unfortunately, his death in l942 precluded this from coming true.
* * * * * * *
The early history of engineering education
at Northwestern has been discussed in the context of the overall history
of the University in Northwestern University - A History l850-l975, by
H. F. Williamson and P. S. Wild.(6) I've found a reading of
that history to be very interesting in light of the events leading to
Murphy's gift. I come to the clear conclusion that from the time of the
founding of the University until at least the mid-l920's the Trustees
and Administration were quite ambivalent about the role of engineering
in the educational mission of the University. They were also somewhat
naive about the financial resources needed to provide viable facilities
for technical education.
From its founding the cornerstone of the University
was the College of Literature and Science (later the College of Liberal
Arts and now the College of Arts and Sciences) and its overall character
was one of an institution of broad education. The early professional schools
associated with the University, the Medical College and the College of
Law, were graduate schools - schools to be entered after a liberal education
had already been acquired. By contrast Northwestern's first College of
Technology was founded in l873 to provide "quasi-professional training
at an undergraduate level for students entering the fields of applied
science and engineering".7 The course of study emphasized the basic
sciences, physics and chemistry, and permitted electives during the last
two undergraduate years to meet "the great variety of ends which
the students may desire to attain".
It seems evident that this College of Technology
was founded more as a rounding out of the educational choices available
at Northwestern than as a serious attempt to become a first-rate engineering
school. The College of Technology was apparently a marginal undertaking.
This viewpoint is supported by the fact that it was promptly discontinued
only three years after its founding when a financial crisis hit the University.8
This decision was rationalized in the President's Report for l880-8l with
a statement of principle that "To teach the trades, to make artisans,
engineers, .....is not directly the purpose of this College". At
the time of the demise of the College of Technology President Marcy "urged
Northwestern to stay out of this field unless it could obtain a large
endowment to support a curriculum in technical education". Note the
ambivalence; did engineering not fit the purpose of the University, or
was it just too expensive?
While the soundness of President Marcy's
advice may seem to presage the Murphy gift and endowment of l939 and l942,
it was not fully heeded in the interim. Engineering education at Northwestern
with continuity to the present began with the Trustees' discussions in
April l907 and the gift of $l50,000 by the Gustavus Swift family (the
noted Chicago meat packers, Swift and Co.)(9) That gift was
used for the construction of an engineering building, the Swift Hall of
Engineering, completed in l909.(10) No reference is made to
funding for equipment or endowment for staffing, maintenance and the continual
upgrading necessary to stay in the forefront of technical developments.
Nevertheless, a small but viable College of Engineering under the able
direction of Dean John F. Hayford was maintained from its beginning until
his death in l925.
Soon after Dean Hayford's death President
Scott "was not satisfied that the College of Engineering was offering
the kind of program that would make it a distinguished center for engineering
that it could be and that Chicago needed....."11 . A study committee's
recommendations imply that it found some of the same problems as with
the curriculum of the earlier College of Technology, namely, that the
emphasis was too much on broad education and the basic sciences and not
enough on technical training.
Debate as to proper balance between breadth
of education versus depth of technical studies has been ongoing from the
earliest days of the engineering profession even to the present. The preeminent
engineering schools, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and the California Institute of Technology, which were founded primarily
for technical and scientific training, generally have faced the problem
from the opposite direction than have schools like Northwestern. Such
schools have found it necessary to augment their technical curricula with
courses in literature, languages, history, etc. in order to produce graduates
who are fully prepared to function well in society.
To address this problem of balance, the
feasibility of a merger between Northwestern's College of Engineering
and Armour Institute of Technology was seriously discussed in the late
l920's.(12) Armour Institute (now the Illinois Institute of
Technology) was known for its strength in technical training and was in
fact sometimes unfairly referred to as a "trade school". (It derives
its name from its founder, Philip Armour, head of the other large Chicago
meat packer, Armour and Co.). By l929, evidently for financial reasons,
it was decided that this merger would not take place.
The future of engineering education at
Northwestern reached a critical junction in l937 when, after declining
enrollments during the recent years, the school was denied accreditation
during a national survey of engineering schools carried out by the Engineers'
Council for Professional Development.(13) Again, a major criticism
was that the curriculum was too heavily weighted with non-professional
courses. It was at this time that Mr. Murphy's desire to found a major
engineering school and President Scott's concern for the quality of Northwestern's
College of Engineering converged.
* * * * * * *
Prior to his appointment as Dean, my father
was already well known in engineering education circles. He was particularly
well known at schools which offered a cooperative plan option to their
undergraduates.
In my youth, I was rather oblivious to
his position in the engineering community. I knew that he had graduated
with honors in Electrical Engineering from Leigh University in l9l5 and
that he had held various teaching and engineering jobs in the early part
of his career. By the time I was old enough to be more inquisitive about
his job he was commuting daily from our home near Philadelphia to AT&T
headquarters in Manhattan. His work there in the Personnel Relations Department
was largely a mystery to me. From time to time he went on trips to visit
various universities, presumably to acquaint the engineering departments
with employment opportunities at AT&T and in the Bell System more generally
and to interview promising students.
As I grew up I heard more and more about
his involvement with the S.P.E.E. (Society for the Promotion of Engineering
Education) and the A.I.E.E. (American Institute of Electrical Engineers).
He served on various committees of these organizations and attended their
annual conventions, always taking our family along to vacation in different
parts of the country. He was a member of the Regional Accrediting Committee
of the Engineers' Council for Professional Development. In that capacity
he helped evaluate the curricula of many engineering schools and "knew
a good one when he saw it". I don't know whether he was a member of the
team that evaluated Northwestern in l937. He was also a member of the
Special Advisory Committee to the President's Committee on Civil Service
Improvement and in l932 he directed a survey of adult technical education
for the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York.
A major project that my dad carried out
in l934-36 was the organizing and editing of the "Handbook of Engineering
Fundamentals", volume one of the John Wiley & Sons Engineering Handbook
Series.(14) This work put his name in front of virtually every
engineer and engineering student in the country for years to come. Even
today, when I meet an engineer for the first time, I'm often asked, "Are
you related to the handbook?".
A key element in my father's resume was
his association with the cooperative plan of engineering education. From
l926 through l939 a very significant part of his work at AT&T was in coordinating
the Bell System - MIT Cooperative Plan. This plan, an option in the Electrical
Engineering Department at MIT, permitted selected students to alternate
study terms at MIT with terms of work, either with the Bell System or
with the General Electric Company. In addition to interviewing, hiring
and placing the students within the Bell System, my father monitored their
progress, counseled them and followed their careers even after graduation.
Beyond that he was also an adjunct MIT professor and taught electrical
engineering courses for the MIT students co-oping at Bell. In the late
l930's, one of these students was Vernon Lippit, later, and for many years,
an outstanding member of the EE faculty at Northwestern. Outside of his
AT&T job, my dad also taught evening classes for four years for the Polytechnic
Institute of Brooklyn during this period.
Later, when he was Dean at Northwestern,
my father always had himself assigned to teach an undergraduate quiz section,
usually in physics. His official excuse was that, as Dean, he wanted to
personally monitor the quality of the students attending his school. The
fact was that he loved to teach and I'm sure it provided a welcome diversion
from his administrative duties. Even more than teaching in classes, he
made and took every opportunity for personal contact, one on one, with
his students.
Through his association with the MIT co-op
program, my father became well acquainted with cooperative plans and their
coordinators at other schools, including the University of Cincinnati
under Dean Herman Schneider and Drexel Institute in Philadelphia under
Dean Robert Disque. Dean Schneider was the acknowledged originator of
the cooperative plan and was a close friend of Charles Kettering, the
advisor who strongly influenced Walter Murphy concerning the co-op plan.
Kettering was a noted inventor and founder of the Charles F. Kettering
Laboratories near Dayton, Ohio. These laboratories had become a part of
General Motors in l9l6 and Kettering was made Vice-President in charge
of research for GM. It was through the Kettering connection that the agreement
between the Murphy Foundation and Northwestern specified that Dean Schneider
be appointed advisor to the University regarding policies affecting the
new Tech school. Following Schneider's death in September l939 Dean Bisque
was appointed to replace him. Thus it was through the reputation that
my father had acquired, as an engineer, as an author, as a teacher and
administrator, and through the associations he had developed in the community
of engineering educators, especially those promoting the cooperative plan,
that he came to be selected to lead the new venture at Northwestern.
* * * * * * *
My father very quickly engaged himself
fully in the planning and organizing tasks associated with his new job.
Even before moving to the Evanston area there were trips to Northwestern
for discussions with the University Administration and to become acquainted
with the existing engineering faculty. The full-time engineering faculty
at that time was quite small, only about a dozen professors of all ranks,
several of which were near retirement. So faculty recruitment was a top
priority.
Appointment of department heads for the
new institute was particularly critical for several reasons. They would
be key for the further hiring of faculty and staff for their departments.
Their inputs would be required in the planning of the new building, the
laboratories, classrooms and other facilities. They would have to plan
the curricula for their departments and coordinate with the other departments
and colleges of the University. Course descriptions would have to be written
for inclusion in the Institute catalog for the use of prospective students.
I recall that before moving to Evanston
suddenly there were many more long distance phone calls than was usual
in our home. I particularly remember my father's elation when he was assured
that Dr. John Calvert would join the Institute as Chairman of the Electrical
Engineering Department. Calvert came from the University of Pittsburgh
and also had association with the Westinghouse Company. I recall that
he visited us in Philadelphia for discussions with my father about their
new school. The Calverts and my parents became very close friends for
the rest of their lives. Burgess Jennings was recruited to be head of
Mechanical Engineering and later was Associate Dean. William E. Brinker,
Jr., as Chairman of Chemical Engineering, was another acquisition that
greatly pleased my father.
My father was forty-six years old when
he became Dean but in spite of his relative youth he quickly gained the
respect and trust of the more senior members of the existing faculty.
Professor George Maney, who had been acting Dean of the prior College
of Engineering, became Chairman of the Civil Engineering Department and
held that position for several years until his retirement. Professor Herbert
Philbrick had been Chairman of Mechanical Engineering but had just reached
retirement age. He became an Emeritus Professor and continued to live
in Evanston. "Phil" also became a close friend and a particularly
valued counselor to my dad. Augmenting their natural friendship was the
fact that Professor Philbrick and my dad shared the same birthday, April
l3th. This also happens to be Thomas Jefferson's birthday (exactly l50
years earlier than my dad's). Each year my dad and Phil would get together
on their day for lunch at the Faculty Club and would have a third place
set for Tom. He never showed up; he was always unavoidably detained.
An important early addition to the faculty
was F. George Seulberger, who, as a graduate of the University of Cincinnati
and a former faculty member at Drexel Institute, had had wide experience
with the cooperative plan. He was appointed Professor of Cooperative Education
at Tech and quickly established relationships with over forty companies,
mostly in the greater Chicago area, suitable for placement of engineering
students for their co-op work assignments. Professor Seulberger had a
long career with Northwestern, later serving as Assistant Dean of Tech
and also as Chairman of the Faculty Athletic Committee of the University.
There were several other departments in
other colleges of the University that would be particularly critical to
the Tech curricula. In the College of Liberal Arts these included Physics,
Chemistry and Mathematics. I recall that my father was especially concerned
about whether the Physics faculty was adequate to take on the anticipated
teaching load as the Tech enrollment built up. My recollection is that
there were very few physics majors at Northwestern at that time and that
the courses being taught were mainly supplemental to other curricula.
But math and science courses would be basic for the engineering curricula
and would be taken by all Tech students. Thus the founding of Tech required
expansion of the faculty in these other departments as well as revision
and additions to the courses offered.
The Physics and Chemistry Departments were
to be housed in the new Tech building even though they would remain in
the College of Liberal Arts administratively. Thus those departments were
intimately involved in the design of the building and laboratories as
well as in coordinating curricula and schedules.
* * * * * * *
As the faculty positions began to be filled,
my father's efforts turned more toward planning the new building. From
late l939 through the next couple of years I well remember my dad spending
even his evenings and weekends in his study at home pouring over the blueprints.
No detail escaped his attention. I know that he tremendously enjoyed working
with the first class architectural firm, Halberd and Root, and later with
the contractor, E. C. Wieboldt. The fact that my father was starting his
tenure at Northwestern with the construction of a major new building on
campus put him in a close working relationship with several departments
of the University administration. He developed a friendship and respect
for Harry Wells, Vice-president and Business Manager, and Tom Gonser,
of the Department of Development, as well as many others.
The design of the building was significantly
influenced by my father's approach to establishing a first class engineering
school. His initial goal, coinciding exactly with Walter Murphy's , was
to provide top quality undergraduate education. Both he and Murphy wanted
a school where young students could receive the best foundation possible
on which to build useful and rewarding careers. Advanced research and
curricula for graduate degrees would logically come later. Thus the design
of the original building placed emphasis on fine lecture halls, classrooms,
library, staff offices and laboratories that were primarily "teaching"
laboratories, in contrast to what might be considered "research"
laboratories. The new building would be the largest on the Evanston campus
at that time, having over ten acres of floor space.
Before construction could begin a building
site had to be prepared. The location chosen required the razing of the
University's field house, "old Patten Gym", moving en masse
the Dearborn Observatory, a stone structure, and relocating the Shakespeare
Gardens. Each of these projects engendered its own controversy. With the
demolition of the field house a new but smaller Patten Gym was designed
and built at the north end of the fraternity quadrangles. The new gym
would be adequate only for physical education classes, for intramural
events and varsity team practices for basketball, wrestling and swimming.
It also contained the Athletic Department offices. But there was no provision
for spectators and therefore it was not suitable for varsity intercollegiate
events. The Athletic Department was not happy. For several years Northwestern's
varsity basketball games were played either in the Evanston High School
gym or in the Chicago Stadium. Some swim meets were held in New Trier
High School's elegant facility. It would be many years before a new and
adequate field house and other athletic facilities would be provided at
the Dyche Stadium and other sites.
I recall that my father spent a disproportionate
amount of time trying to pacify a constituency devoted to the maintenance
of the Shakespeare Gardens. While he understood their unhappiness and
had sympathy for their cause, he approached that problem with a good deal
of amusement. I believe that the work required to reestablish the gardens
was paid for out of the Tech school building budget.
Ground was broken on April l, l940 and
a cornerstone laying ceremony was held on June l5, l940. Construction
was well underway and proceeded smoothly until a major setback occurred
on December 2, l940. A fire on that date caused an estimated $700,000
damage and delayed completion by several months. I have a very clear recollection
of that event. It was during the first term of my freshman year at Tech.
I was living at home and commuted daily by car with my father. That morning,
as we approached the campus, driving south on Sheridan Road, the scene
ahead was one of fire trucks and hoses covering the street in front of
the Tech construction site. Anticipating a disaster, my adrenaline rose
and I became very excited. I'm not sure what I expected my father to do,
perhaps part the car and rush to the scene. However, he told me to go
get ready for my classes and said simply, "they'll take care of it".
Characteristically, he calmly drove on, circumventing the scene, and went
to his office in Swift Hall.
The fire was believed to be caused by an
overheated "salamander", one of those open drums in which a
fire is burned to maintain the surrounding area above freezing while newly
poured concrete is curing. The new concrete was covered with straw and
tarpaulins were hung to partially enclose the areas and entrap the warm
air. The materials that burned of course were the straw, the tarpaulins
and the wooden forms. The value of these materials was of little consequence.
The very significant loss came from the fact that the water in the still
curing concrete turned to steam, causing the reinforced concrete floor
slabs and pillars to crack and explode, bending and twisting the steel
reinforcing rods in the process. Even areas that the fire had not reached
were affected due to expansion of concrete slabs in adjacent regions.
Significant portions of the partially completed structure had to be torn
down and rebuilt.
* * * * * * *
Admission of students to the new Tech school
did not wait for the building to be completed. Remarkably, the first class
of freshmen entered in the fall of l939, just six months after the Murphy
gift had been announced and two years before the building would be ready
for occupancy. Forty-three students entered at that time, augmented later
by transfers to become a graduating class of sixty-three. Since it was
the first class in his new school, my father paid particularly close attention
to it. It was always his objective to get to know each of the Tech students
personally and he did so to an exceptional degree over many years. But
this class was special. He felt a strong commitment to each member. His
feeling of responsibility was no doubt enhanced because he knew that each
one of them had put their futures in the hands of a school that was still
under development. He followed them and maintained contact with many of
them throughout their careers. As years went by few things gave him greater
than to be paid a casual visit by one of these men from the "first"
class.
This class was unique, too, in the wonderful
class spirit that developed, more than in any subsequent class that I
am aware of. They organized themselves and elected class officers; they
held class outings; they helped establish the Northwestern Chapter of
Tau Beta Pi; and they promoted the idea of a Tech magazine, which became
the very successful Northwestern Engineer. Upon graduation, they
published a keepsake volume, "The First Graduating Class", containing
photographs of each faculty and class member, a class history and other
memorabilia. (15)
I entered Tech with the second entering
class, in September l940, still one year before the building was to be
occupied. The fact that the building was not ready for use did not particularly
hamper the studies of these first two entering classes. Several of the
prescribed courses, freshman english, math, economics, etc. met in other
classroom buildings on campus, and the beginning engineering courses,
such as drafting and machine shop, were accommodated in the old engineering
building, Swift Hall. Chemistry and physics classes, later to be housed
in the Tech building, met in their then existing quarters in Fayerweather
Hall at the south end of the campus. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful
feeling in the fall of l94l to start the year in brand new classrooms
and laboratories. Also, since many classes were not held in the same building
and that building was near the men's dormitories and fraternity houses,
travel time and distance between classes and from class to living quarters
was considerably reduced.
During the early years of Tech, the University
scheduled classes on the semester system and the freshman courses for
Tech students were programmed accordingly. However, starting in the second
year, Tech students began their co-op assignments and their school and
co-op terms went over to the quarter system. It was anticipated that during
the last four years of the five year program the Tech students would alternate
between quarters in school and quarters in industry. Half of a given class
would start their co-op assignments in the fall of their second year and
the other half would start that year in school. I well remember that it
seemed as if half of my Tech classmates and friends that I had made in
my freshman year had vanished at the end of that year. After July l943,
when wartime conditions required that the co-op program be put on hold
for most Tech students, my entire class was in school again at the same
time.
When Tech was on the quarter system and
the rest of the University was on the semester system, those departments
that had courses for both Tech and other University students experienced
severe scheduling problems. Within very few years the entire University
went to the quarter system. While it was not required, I started my co-op
experience during the summer after my freshman year, working for the Bell
Telephone Co. of Pennsylvania. My job, in a telephone exchange central
office, consisted mostly of making wiring changes in accordance with orders
for changes in customer service. The pay was 40 cents an hour. So, for
a forty hour week, I received $l6.00. I had only three more quarters of
co-op, since after July l, l943 the Navy Vl2-NROTC program required full
time in school. These last three co-op quarters were with the Allis-Chalmers
Co. in West Allis, Wisconsin. There I worked in three different areas
- power substation transformers, voltage regulators for diesel-electric
railroad engines and control panels for aircraft carrier elevators. I
still value very greatly the hands-on experience in the Allis-Chalmers
plant at that time in my education and maturing and I still like to reflect
on my last co-op quarter. The experience was valuable but, again, the
pay barely covered carfare and lunch. My pay was then 65 cents per hour
but it was wartime and we worked a lot of overtime. We worked ten hours
a day Monday through Friday; we worked alternate weekends, eight hours
on Saturday and eight hours on Sunday. Taking account of the overtime
rates, we averaged 69 hours of pay per week, which in my case amounted
to $44.85 per week. Luckily there was little time or energy left for spending
money anyway, except for necessities. I relate my co-op experience as
an example, fairly typical of the times and of the experiences of other
Tech students.
* * * * * * *
In l941 World War II was upon us. Prior
to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, l94l, I don't recall
that as students there was a great deal of concern that our university
education would not go forward as planned. There was some uncertainty,
of course, since the war in Europe had already been raging for over two
years. However, until that time it seemed possible that United States
participation might be limited to supplying material and non-combat support
to our allies. There was, of course, considerable readiness activity on
the national level and I'm sure there must have been much more discussion
and planning within the University administration than I and most students
were aware of. After Pearl Harbor, however, our outlook changed considerably.
The immediate effect on university students
of the declaration of war was the creation of greater uncertainty. It
was fairly clear that most men would be drafted eventually or otherwise
called to active duty. The uncertainty was the timing. Quite a few Tech
students, myself included, were already members of the Naval ROTC at Northwestern
and were committed to whatever orders we might receive from the Navy.
Rumors were unavoidable. Some said we would shortly be called to active
duty, perhaps as seamen, since our officer training was far from complete;
some said we would be sent elsewhere for concentrated naval training before
receiving a commission. But finally we were told that for the immediate
future, until further notice, we would continue our university program
as planned. Others, not in the NROTC, faced similar uncertainties but
for the most part were allowed to continue their studies until various
options for military service were presented. A few decided to discontinue
their studies and enlist in the branch of the service of their choice.
The Pearl Harbor attack caused immediate
concern for the safety of Professor John Calvert, Chairman of the Electrical
Engineering Department. Prof. Calvert had been on temporary assignment
with the Navy at Pearl Harbor since the spring of l94l assisting in the
design and installation of equipment for the demagnetizing of ships, or
"degaussing" as it was called, so that the ships would not set
off magnetically actuated mines. Professor Calvert had indeed witnessed
the attack and devastation. Fortunately he survived. However, it was several
days before news of his safety got back to Northwestern. I recall how
relieved my father was to receive that good news.
The years l942 and l943 brought major wartime
changes to the University and Tech.16 Various Navy and Army training programs
made use of University facilities, both on the Evanston and Chicago campuses.
Some of these programs did not directly involve the current undergraduate
students but drew their trainees from across the country. The largest,
in terms of the number trained, was the V7 Midshipmen's School in Chicago.
It produced some 24,000 commissioned officers, so-called "90-day
Wonders", by the end of l945. The largest program on the Evanston
campus was the Navy Radio School with over 6,000 trainees. This school
had a big impact on Tech, although again the regular student body of Tech
was not involved. The entire fourth floor of the Tech building and several
other classrooms were turned over to the Navy for this program. The responsibility
for organizing the Radio School fell to Prof. Calvert on his return from
Pearl Harbor and the teaching load of several electrical engineering professors
was increased. The Radio School trainees were housed and fed on the campus
in Lunt Hall and Swift Hall, both of which were remodeled for that purpose.
The wartime program that most directly
affected the undergraduate student body was the Vl2 Navy College Training
Program that began on the Evanston campus on July l, l943. A large part
of the undergraduate male student body was indoctrinated into this program,
including those already in the NROTC. All those in the Vl2-NROTC Program
were considered to be on active duty as Apprentice Seamen. All were in
uniform, the NROTC in their cadet uniforms and the other Vl2 in seamen's
garb. The Navy had taken over the fraternity houses and dormitories of
the north quadrangle and we were assigned to those quarters according
to the divisions we were in. I had been living previously in my fraternity
house, Alpha Delta Phi, but now found myself assigned to nearby Goodrich
House. My roommates were Jack Hayford and Dick Petritz, who were also
NROTC cadets. Jack was a grandson of former Dean Hayford. Dick was one
of those Tech students who had been in the "other" half of my
class, on co-op assignment while I was in school, so I had previously
known him only casually. We were now to become lifelong friends.
All of us in the Vl2 Program were confined
to campus during the week and had curfew at midnight on Saturday nights
and l0 p.m. on Sunday nights. During the week our class schedules were
no different than normally but our time when not in class was quite regimented.
I don't recall the exact daily schedule but, roughly, we had early morning
calisthenics at about 6:00 a.m., breakfast at 7:00 a.m. and first class
at 8:00 a.m. I recall that there were many nodding heads in the eight
o'clock classes, mine included. It was almost impossible to stay awake
after the calisthenics and a big breakfast. Cutting classes was almost
unheard of. Also, we were assigned on a rotating basis to stand watch
in our dormitories throughout the night.
School was continuous after the start of
the Vl2 Program, no more quarters of co-op. At that time it appeared that
my class might complete its undergraduate program of studies and receive
Bachelor of Science degrees in the various majors in June l944, one year
earlier than would have been the case for the originally planned five
year co-op program. However, by the winter of l943-44 there were rumors
that we might receive our Navy Ensign commissions sooner than June and
before we had completed our degrees. Those rumors turned out to be true.
My NROTC class received commissions on February 27, l944 along with orders
to proceed to various naval assignments. However, the University, for
its part, did not send us off empty-handed. Although we were lacking some
credits necessary for degrees in our major fields of study, the University
Senate awarded us Bachelor of Science degrees, without designation of
a major. This was an important concession for many of my classmates, since
at that time it was not known when or if they would be able to return
to complete their final term.
As we've seen, these necessary wartime
activities had required considerable disruption and modification of the
planned development of the Technological Institute in its early years.
In a real sense Tech and the University answered a call to duty. It was
fortunate that the school was founded when it was, in l939, with just
enough time to complete the facilities and establish working relationships
among the new faculty, staff and University Administration before they
were put to the test of the war years. I might suggest that in its wartime
experience Tech underwent an early maturing, much as many of its students
did in their wartime service.
The years immediately after World War II
saw the return of many students whose studies had been interrupted, as
well as many who had been in the service but had not been in college previously.
Some of these were now married and had started families. In those post-war
years there was, therefore, a noticeable maturity and increased purposefulness
among the student body. Most of these veterans received substantial financial
support for their education's through the G.I. Bill, passed by Congress
at the close of the war.
* * * * * * *
Relationships between Tech and University
administrations had their ups and down over those years. Some problems
were financial, but others were more fundamental and concerned the direction
and pace of development of the Technological Institute. From the beginning
I was aware that there was considerable debate over the proper and equitable
budgeting of costs involved in Tech's integration into the University.
I'm not knowledgeable enough to be too specific, partly because my father,
by his nature, did not discuss such matters at home. I'm sure that my
dad felt that some other parts of the University regarded the Murphy gift
as a windfall that they might be able to take advantage of. Direct costs,
due to Tech students enrollment in courses in other colleges of the University,
were handled satisfactorily by a system of "cross-tuition".
But the initial Murphy gift, generous as it was, did not provide endowment
for building maintenance, upgrade of facilities in future years or for
endowed professorships. Thus, my dad saw potential problems, such as had
been foreseen even by President Marcy in the l880's. And there were deeper
problems.
The founding of Tech had taken place at
a time of significant change in the University administration. On September
l, l939 Franklin Bliss Snyder, the Dean of the Graduate School and former
English professor, became President of Northwestern and Walter Dill Scott
became President Emeritus. That same month the first class was enrolled
in the new Technological Institute. It had been during Scott's incumbency
that negotiations with Walter Murphy had taken place. Although Snyder
was certainly aware of these negotiations, it was Scott who was intimately
involved. Scott had apparently become quite friendly with Murphy and later
even induced Murphy to allow him to write Murphy's authorized biography.(17)
That biography, published privately, resulted from five long personal
interviews with Murphy. Scott continued as the principal direct contact
with Murphy even after stepping down from the University Presidency. Scott's
notes, from his meetings with Murphy, indicate that Murphy was "more
than satisfied with the new building" and the progress of the Institute.(5)
It was also Scott who, at Murphy's request in l94l, discussed with Murphy
the conditions for a further bequest to the Northwestern Technological
Institute. That bequest, amounting to almost $28,000,000, came to Northwestern
upon Murphy's death in December l942 and seemed to put to rest any further
concern over adequate endowment for Tech.
In spite of the satisfaction that Murphy
had expressed to Walter Dill Scott, President Snyder, almost from the
beginning of his incumbency, seems to have been less in tune with the
objectives of the new school. He especially expressed concern over what
was meant by the phrase "second to none" and speculated about
what Walter Murphy really had in mind, venturing far afield from what
had been fairly explicit.(18) He felt that if the Institute
was to become "second to none" the Trustees should define it
in terms that are "broader, more flexible, and above all more idealistic"
than a typical academic definition would imply. "They should pay
little attention to present University organization, and less to precedent
and tradition. They should conceive of the Institute not in terms of today
or of ten years hence, but in terms of the next two centuries". ......."If
this position is sound, then the Institute will be defined in philosophic
rather than academic terms". And, "The Trustees must be untrammeled
by the possible hesitation of an accountant or auditor to alter present
budgetary arrangements".
Such high sounding phrases did not serve
to give any real guidance to the Institute. I know that my father became
very frustrated trying to work with President Snyder and their relationship
was tense. As part of Snyder's vision for the Institute, he proposed a
much greater integration into the University as a whole than would likely
occur under the cooperative engineering education plan. These ideas cut
two ways as far as the Institute was concerned. On one side it seemed
to be opening once again the old debate about breadth versus depth of
education for engineers and, on the other, it was a means whereby the
overall University could tap more deeply into the endowment Murphy had
intended for the Institute. Preservation and use of funds, as he understood
Murphy had intended, was a matter my father took very seriously. Although
debate over these concerns began quite early, other matters, the construction
of the Tech building and the program diversions of the war years, took
precedence until nearly the end of the war.
After the war ended, this debate became
more serious and other elements were added. In addition to pressing for
more breadth in the engineering curricula, President Snyder became impatient
with the pace of adding graduate studies and of hiring eminent scholars
and research professors. A special Trustee's committee was set up to conduct
a review based on Snyder's concerns. The committee's report, however,
was generally supportive of the direction Tech was taking, particularly
in view of the "stipulations of the Murphy Foundation and its appointed
consultant".(19) The committee did stress, however, that
most emphasis should be placed on increasing the distinction of the present
curricula and on hiring "more men of established reputation".
It approved "the marked concentration on undergraduate education".
I suspect that my father was satisfied,
even if not overjoyed, with the Trustee's committee's report. President
Snyder apparently was neither pleased nor satisfied; he continued to maintain
that there should be much more emphasis on graduate studies and hiring
of research scholars, similar to MIT and Cal Tech. That kind of emphasis
had been considered by Murphy, but was set aside in favor of the undergraduate
cooperative plan. There is no doubt that my father's own personal interest
lay with the undergraduate students. He also loved science and rejoiced
in each new research discovery; but his real desire was that he and his
school should do all that they could to help young students who had chosen
engineering to acquire the education and professional attitudes they would
need for successful careers. In this he was completely in tune with Walter
Murphy.
Graduate programs were added to Tech curricula
in the years immediately after the war, Master's degree programs first
and later PhDs. These followed in logical sequence, once the undergraduate
programs were well-established, but the pace may have been increased as
a result of President Snyder's prodding. Also, research professors were
added to the faculty, as were needed for the viability of the graduate
programs. I know that my father was bothered by the high salaries required
to bring professors of outstanding reputation to Northwestern. My impression
is that, until that time, faculty salaries at Tech were closely tied to
professorial rank, not reputation.
* * * * * * *
My father's tenure as Dean continued until
l953 when he announced his desire to retire from that position and to
devote his future years to teaching and to the development of teaching
methods. His retirement was interrupted briefly in l955-56 when he was
asked to return as Acting Dean, after the resignation of Dean Loughridge,
who had been his successor.20 After returning to teaching once again,
it was less than two years later, on March 4, l958, that he suffered a
fatal heart attack while teaching a physics quiz section.
In this memoir it has not been my intent
to write a biography of my father or a tribute to him. I have tried to
put my perspective on some of the events leading to the founding of Tech
and during Tech's early years. Accurate, well-written biographies of my
father have appeared elsewhere.(21,22) Also, since the sharp
focus of his work at Northwestern was always on his students, I'm sure
that no tribute, however expansive, would have pleased him more than the
succinct statement beneath the bas-relief likeness of him mounted in the
foyer of Tech and dedicated by his students:
"As scholar, teacher, friend, and man of God, he shared his talents
and led by patient force of example. His constructive efforts and practical
ideals live on, woven into the fabric of his school. In our hearts lies
the inspiration of his warm, untiring interest in our individual dreams."
* * * * * * *
To conclude, Tech's founding was the result
of the convergence of Walter Murphy's desire to fill a need for a major
engineering school in the Chicago area and the University's effort to
become a distinguished center of engineering education. It came during
that brief window of opportunity between the recovery from the Great Depression
and the beginning of World War II. Major gifts, the size of Murphy's,
would have been almost unthinkable in the early l930's, and later, with
all of our nation's manpower and resources directed toward the war effort,
no attention could have been given to starting a new tech school.
Also, with over fifty years hindsight,
I believe that the timing was most favorable for several other reasons.
In the two or three decades just prior to l939, and still ongoing at that
time, there had been an explosion of knowledge in the basic sciences underlying
all areas of technology. As an example, I think especially of the development
and application of quantum mechanics and all that it meant for our understanding
of atoms and molecules and their interactions. The physics of solids was
just beginning to benefit from quantum physics, with profound implications
for understanding and controlling the mechanical, electrical and chemical
properties of materials, known and as yet unknown. Nuclear physics had
become a major field of study and nuclear fission was first demonstrated
in l939. One could go on and on, but the point is that these advances
in the basic sciences would require and bring about very significant and
pervasive changes in technical education.
The decade just after the founding of Tech,
with important technical advances resulting from war efforts, would see
the development of nuclear power, the invention of the transistor, the
development of jet aircraft, the application of microwaves in communication
and radar systems, advances in the mathematics of computers and so much
more.
Thus I believe that Tech was established
during a watershed period for technical education, for technical innovation
and for the role of engineers in our society. Whether it was realized
at the time or not, there existed a challenge that went beyond constructing
a new building, providing facilities, and expanding the faculty and student
body. It was a challenge to create a school that must endure in the face
of exploding technical knowledge and societal changes. The fact that Tech
has endured and produced high quality graduates for over fifty years,
and is currently considered worthy of being upgraded to be viable for
many more decades in the future, is ample proof that the challenge was
met.
REFERENCES
- Harold F. Williamson and Payson S. Wild, "NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- A History - l850-l975", Northwestern University, l976; pp. l98-l99.
- Walter Dill Scott, "Walter Patton Murphy - l873-l942",
published privately, l952; pp. 76-77.
- Ref. 2; pp. 85-88.
- Robert Michaelson, "Opportunity lost and gained: a sidelight
on the Walter P. Murphy gift", (this volume).
- Walter Dill Scott, Notes of a conference with Mr. Murphy, Ambassador
Hotel, Los Angeles, Sept. l7, l94l, Walter Dill Scott Files, N.U. Archives.
- Ref. l; pp. 23, 44-45, l07, lll, l67-69, l92-l93, l97-l99, 217, 230-234,
274, and 300-30l.
- Ref. l; p. 23.
- Ref. l; pp. 44-45.
- Ref. l; p. l07.
- Ref. l; p. l09.
- Ref. l; p. l67.
- Ref. l; p. l68.
- Ref. l; p. l92.
- Ovid W. Eshbach, Ed., "Handbook of Engineering Fundamentals",
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., l936.
- "The First Graduating Class",Northwestern Technological
Institute, 1943.
- Ref. 1: chapt. 6.
- Ref. 2.
- Franklin Bliss Snyder, Memorandum of Aug. 1, 1944, NU Archives.
- Ref. 1; pp. 232-233.
- Ref. 1; pp. 300-301.
- Ronald E. Ring, "Dean Ovid W. Eshbach", Northwestern
Engineer, vol 12, no. 1, p. 7, March 1953.
- Stanley J. Jacobs, "Ovid W. Eshbach, Tech's First Dean",
Northwestern Engineer, Vol. 17, No. 2, p. 11, May 1958
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CONSTRUCTION OF TECH
by
Charles H. Dowding
John C. Sanderson, who graduated from
Northwestern in 1932 and retired from Northwestern as the University Architect,
was the Resident Construction Superintendent and wrote an M.S. thesis,
"Construction of the Northwestern Technological Institute Building." This
is a very interesting thesis that details the construction and its history.
Some interesting items from the thesis
follow.
The building contractor, R. C. Wieboldt
, whose home later became the current presidential mansion, was in personal
charge of all phases of the project and did little else other than to
supervise the job. Of course, who wouldn't take advantage of the opportunity
of supervising such a large and interesting a project when it was only
a three or four block walk away along the Lake Michigan shore.
Financing the $5,000,000 job was shared
between Northwestern and the Murphy Foundation. Northwestern would advance
monthly payments (in the amount of approximately $300,000) to Wieboldt
and then apply to the Murphy Foundation for reimbursement, after verification
by a New York architectural firm. Initially the process required six weeks
by mail, which meant Northwestern was out $600,000 for two weeks. This
delay forced the team to invent electronic funds transfer -- albeit a
rather crude version by today's standards -- by relying on phone conversation
rather than written documents.
Speaking of written documents, there were
over 6000 letters and shop drawings issued during the two years of the
construction. As is still customary today (alas, some things never change)
each subcontract or manufacturer prepared special "shop drawings" showing
in detail the construction of their component and the manner in which
it was fitted into the building. Those who have built a kitchen will not
be surprised that the largest number of shop drawings were those necessary
for the laboratory furniture. A large number of last minute decisions
about cabinetry seem to be part of any project. The second largest category
is for the infrastructure components of Tech: electrical, plumbing, ventilation
and heating. Copying of the drawings cost some $10,000. That was an enormous
sum in those days. For comparison two freight elevators were purchased
and installed for this $10,000.
To make room for Tech, the Phi Kappa Psi
house was moved and rotated from its former position, parallel and immediately
south of the Sigma Chi house. Also the first Patton Gym and Dearborn observatory
were demolished and moved respectively. The new Patton gym was immediately
rebuilt.
Completion of this enormous building in
two years required that the concrete columns and floors be poured during
the winter. Pouring of concrete requires temperatures of at least 50 degrees
F. This environment was provided by enclosing Tech in a cocoon of over
400,000 square feet of canvas and warming the interior with coke fired
salamanders.
On December 2, 1940 an ominous sign of
the coming world conflagration marred an otherwise excellent project as
a fire broke out at 8:05 a.m. in the north east portion of the building.
A vivid description is given in Sanderson's thesis and pictures of Tech
in construction before and after the fire are given in a later chapter.
The building construction was insured and
after many weeks of conferences with plenty of "haggling," the price settlements
were made. The total adjustment of loss was for approximately $608,000.
The above delay and the subsequent delay caused by wrecking (completed
April 8, 1941) and rebuilding set back the completion date so much that
it pushed many items into war priority difficulties at the end of the
job.
The stone facing of Tech comes from Lannon
Wisconsin and is a ripple marked, slightly fossiliferous dolomite, which
is very weather resistant. Some 140,000 square feet or 5000 tons were
placed by a crew of as many 100 masons. Since they might be working on
the same wall at the same time, uniformity of appearance could be achieved
only if the crew was accustomed to working together. Fortunately, Tech
benefited by having its stone placed by the same crew of masons that had
labored for the previous two years on Patton Gym and Scott Hall. To control
the appearance, the specifications called for 50 percent of the stone
to be rock face (parallel to the bedding or layering but not along a seam),
25 percent split face (perpendicular to the bedding), 15 percent bedding
face, and 10 percent seam face (parallel to the bedding with a different
color). In addition, there were specifications as to the percent of height
and width ratios.
The stone trim including the carved ornaments
are Indiana Limestone from Bloomington Indiana, the quarries that were
popularized by the "cutters" as the townies were called by the university
students in the movie "Breaking Away." A total of 35,000 cubic feet or
1,800 tons were used. The carved figures of industrial and scientific
processes and achievements near the main entrances were conceived and
modeled by Edgar Miller for $7,500. Jon Johnson sculpted the figures after
the stone was placed for $3,225. Replacement today would cost hundreds
of times more.
The interior tile along the corridors is
made of a special vitricotta clay that is fired at ultra high temperatures
to ensure vitrification of the clays. It was originally to be a manganese
spot gray; however, the war-time footing curtailed the supply and the
present iron spot buff was substituted. Before the vitricotta was selected
it was required to withstand acids, alkalies, grease; ink and paint were
required to be removed with ordinary solvents. Because of its abrasion
resistance, all cutting required special carborundum saws.
The building contained a number of special
purpose facilities.
A million pound testing machine was built
in the north end of the Civil Engineering wing. It was the largest of
its kind in the world at the time; not because of the capacity of the
machine nor the three story height of the frame, but because of the length
of the base. This base, which was in reality a hugh concrete girder, was
54 feet long and 22 feet wide with the actual machine sitting in the center
twelve feet. Some fourteen 3-1/2 in. diameter bolts anchored the base
of the machine proper during a test. These bolts were approximately nine
feet long and weighed about 300 pounds each.
Next to the one million pound testing machine
was a five million pound direct compression machine. The entire load of
the machine was thrown on the reinforced concrete frame, which was 35
feet tall and could crush 10 feet tall specimens. Seven steel bands 2-3/4
in. thick and 8 in. wide, that withstood the tension, weighed about two
tons apiece! This reinforcing had to be placed with a special derrick.
One of the highlights of the building was
the sound proof rooms, two of which were located in the sub-basement of
the Physics Department and the third was on the third floor of the Electrical
Engineering wing. While basically similar, the most interesting and perhaps
the room most deserving of the title (never proven) "the quietest room
on earth" was one of the rooms in the subbasement This room was a room
within a room. The inner room was built of concrete block on a structural
steel frame and weighed about 100,000 pounds and "floated" on 14 stacks
of rubber cushions. The weight of the room was carefully checked and the
rubber area calculated to give the optimum compression, so that the rubber
would be at its maximum absorption loading. US Rubber Company engineers
worked with the architect to determine this loading even to the extent
of making up and testing sample stacks.
The entire surface of the room inside and
out was coated with Spray-O-Flake, which was ground up newspapers blown
onto the surfaces with a bituminous binder. It is a very effective sound
absorbent material and it was thought that it would absorb all stray exterior
noises. Inside of the room the walls and ceilings were hung with 16 layers
of muslin and flannel curtains supported from a pipe framework. These
curtains were suspended on centers which varied from 1/2 to 3-1/2 in.
on the theory that various length sound waves would be trapped in the
spaces between curtains. The floor was covered with Blow-Knox Subway Grating
under which was 3 in. of rock wool was covered with a layer of muslin.
Dusting this room must have been quite a challenge.
A shielded radio room was built on the
second floor of the Electrical Engineering wing. This room had a complete
copper lining grounded to the electrical conduit system. Over the floor,
a linoleum rug was placed to protect the copper. The wooden door was lined
on the back with copper, and a copper screen was even placed over the
glass in the door.
A high voltage laboratory was located on
the north end of the Electrical Engineering wing. The most interesting
feature of the room was its "ground-grid" system. Everything metallic
in the room was bonded together in a grounded electrical grid. The wall
grid was welded to the roof on one foot intervals at the ceiling line.
In the floor grid, which was soldered to the wall grid, 1 in. x 1/8 in.
copper bus bars, doubled, were laid out on approximately nine foot squares.
Tinned copper lath was stretched over the entire floor, turned up at the
edges and soldered at one foot intervals. At the intersections of the
copper bus bars bronze sockets were soldered on to provide "ground" outlets
for experimental purposes. The copper bus bars were connected to large
copper ground cables located in three corners of the room. These ground
cables were also extended and connected to the roof. Each door frame,
window frame, ladder or other metal object in the room was connected to
the ground-grid. The southwest corner of the room was a specially prepared
corner known as the "water test area" which was designed for testing of
motors, insulators, etc. under severe water conditions.
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THE SCHOOL IN RETROSPECT*
by
John A. Kennedy
(Written in Spring 1943,
Initial portion on history omitted)
Announcement was made in March of 1939
that Walter P. Murphy had bequeathed $6,735,000 to Northwestern University
for the establishment of a Technological Institute. Within three weeks,
Ovid W. Eshbach, a man nationally known in educational and engineering
fields, was selected as Dean of the new Institute. Under his direction,
plans were quickly formulated and the enormous work was begun.
The first class, of which we are members,
entered Northwestern in the fall of 1939. Taking advantage of the fine
opportunities that a complete university such as Northwestern had to offer,
we were given the foundation of our education and future life, long before
engineering facilities were available.
In his gift, Mr. Murphy suggested that
the Institute should follow the cooperative type of education. Under this
plan, a student not only receives the normal engineering education, but
tempers his theoretical knowledge with practical application in industry.
Here at Northwestern, the plan was set up with the student alternating
three months of work in industry with three months of study on the campus.
The plan, somewhat revolutionary but nevertheless sound and realistic,
has thrived at Northwestern. The present emergency has given cooperative
education its greatest opportunity. This senior class gives vivid testimonial
to its success.
Groundbreaking for the building of the
new Institute came in April of 1940. Construction was rapid and schedules
originally set up were everywhere exceeded. By the fall of l940 the entire
south wing had been completed.
None of the seniors will have difficulty
in remembering that unusually cold and cloudy morning of December 2, 1940,
when, after our eight-thirty quiz section, we followed the fire engines
to the building site of the Institute. There we stood with the faculty
as firemen poured tons of water on the partially completed building. The
fire, started by an overheated salamander, was a serious blow, but before
the ruins had stopped smoldering, the men responsible for the Institute's
success were hard at work making up for lost time. Classes opened in that
building the following September.
It was in this all-but-completed building
that we faced the world-resounding blow, Pearl Harbor. Our Institute now
became a vital industry, vital to the nation's defense, because in this
modern age technological development is the powerful arm of war as well
as a guiding light of peace. To the engineering schools of the nation,
America looked for technical assistance in the task of winning the war.
During the following months, the new Institute
could be likened to a giant new machine, which normally would be started
slowly, but because of the emergency was given full throttle. Old plans
were discarded, and this giant mechanism that is a modern engineering
school was accelerated to its capacity. No summary is necessary to show
its performance. Facts are self-explanatory.
Soon after the start of the war, universities
were designated to assist officially in the training of branches of the
armed services. Previous military training at the schools during peacetime
was the basis of the classification in many instances. Northwestern, with
its long-established Naval unit, has been primarily devoted to this branch
of the service. A Naval Radio Training School was housed in the former
Lunt Administration building and in Swift Hall. These two buildings were
rebuilt to serve as barracks for more than one thousand men. Actual training
is given on the fourth floor of the Institute. To date, almost three thousand
trained operators have left Evanston to help man the ships of Uncle Sam.
Mere training has not been the only contribution
of the Northwestern Technological Institute. In each of the building's
vast wings there may be found skilled engineers and scientists using the
finest equipment in an effort to save needless waste of American lives
in the path to victory.
A large group of chemists have been working
on a research project. Perhaps it is some new ersatz material or a secret
antitoxin. At any rate it is not for us to speculate, but rather to wait
for the great story that will follow the peace. This work has not interfered
with the normal operation of the Chemical Engineering Department.
The establishment of this new department,
with Dr. Brinker as Chairman, cannot be overlooked in our short history.
To him must go credit for an excellent idea that gave our senior chemicals
an opportunity to construct the unit operations laboratory. When skilled
labor was getting scarce, and priorities were holding up completion of
the lab, it was his suggestion that the students devote some of their
time to the work. The result was an enthusiastic cooperation and a chance
to carry the practical aspect of engineering education just one step further.
One senior said that it was unfortunate that construction of unit operation
labs could not become a regular part of the chemical curriculum; an impossible
desire, but it shows how much was gained by the seniors in this work.
The Mechanical Engineering facilities have
been used by various industrial organizations for nearly every conceivable
type of testing work. In the cold room, it has not been uncommon to find
a carburetor manufacturer running his product in all possible temperature
conditions. Upstairs, the air conditioning facilities have been put to
innumerable uses.
For many years, Mechanical Engineering
at Northwestern reflected the leadership of its Department Chairman, Professor
Philbrick, a man well known in his profession, who added to the reputation
of Northwestern . His retirement last year was a loss to all. However,
we have had opportunity to enjoy his instruction and leadership. To replace
Mr. Philbrick, the Institute chose Burgess Jennings, an author of various
engineering texts and a man who is well known in the engineering field.
His work at Northwestern has already shown him to be a capable successor
to Professor Philbrick.
The emergency found the Department of Electrical
Engineering ready to assume the heavy burden it has had to carry. Professor
Calvert, between consultations with the Navy on construction problems
that have taken him as far away as Hawaii, has developed a staff that
is doing a fine job of training and research. An Army Signal Corps electronics
school trains men in a field that probably has had less said about its
operation but more about its performance than any other in the war effort.
Radar, long a name on the taboo list, is a science that needs highly trained
personnel. The Army set up a series of schools to train these men, each
one being progressively more advanced. Northwestern's school in advanced
electronics was one of the most difficult. Many thousands of dollars'
worth of radio equipment had to be installed for this type of instruction,
and numerous additions made to the faculty. The advantage of this program
to the regular student had been a curriculum in radio and ultra high frequency
that is comparable with any in the country.
The Naval radio training school, primarily
based on electrical engineering instruction, was another load on the department.
The demands for instruction made it seem unlikely that there would be
much time for research. That, however, has not been the case. The new
high voltage laboratory was put into operation and tests were begun on
the breakdown of insulators and materials for the government and private
industry. In the communications branch of the department other projects
have been underway.
One of the features of the new Institute
is the giant million-pound testing machine. Its unusual construction gives
it operational characteristics that are obtainable in few other machines
now in use. Located in the Civil Engineering wing, it has been widely
used in the past two years. Along with the other testing machines of the
department, it constitutes one of the most complete testing laboratories
in the country. The work carried on is under the direction of Professor
Maney, Head of the Department of Civil Engineering. After the war, this
work will probably become even more important owing to the great reconstruction
period that will follow.
Another aspect of the tremendous program
undertaken by the Institute was the night training school. Offered free
to assist war workers in industry, these courses included all branches
of engineering and associated subjects. Presented by the University in
cooperation with the government, these courses brought thousands of men
and women to the new building. Under the regular Institute faculty and
other engineers and teachers, these men and women were given training
to prepare them for effective participation in the nation's war effort.
One of the bright spots in our college
career and in the history of the Institute was the formal dedication of
the new building in June, 1942. The ceremony included a two-day industrial
and educational conference, which was attended by distinguished men of
science, education, and industry. The actual dedication was something
more than just a tribute to a job well done; it represented the realization
of Walter P. Murphy's dream of an educational institution to train young
men for future responsibility in engineering and industry.
The Honorable Jesse Jones, Secretary of
the Interior, delivered the dedicatory address. His words to the thousands
gathered in the spacious court of the new building well expressed our
own feelings: "These exercises that bring us together today mark the final
development of an ideal which will not only serve our generation but will
live long after all of us who are gathered here, to benefit coming generations."
Mr. Jones visualized the day when "the last shot is fired," and when the
gigantic reconstruction will follow. The importance of the new Institute
is easily recognized in respect to winning the war, but the peacetime
results of the Technological Institute will be equally, if not more, important.
We seniors found the year following the
declaration of war a most difficult one. The help of the Dean and the
faculty in stabilizing our thinking in those first months will long be
remembered. Now, as graduates, most of us have clearly defined places
in the war program. Many have joined the Navy reserve program, others
the Army, and still others have remained civilians to serve our country
in industry.
Last July the Navy Department called its
college reservists into uniform. Northwestern was selected as one of the
schools to carry out a program of accelerated training for these men.
With the Naval R.O.T.C. as the nucleus, over twelve hundred men went into
uniform and formed the new unit in Evanston. Most of the students were
from Northwestern, but many came from colleges devoted to other programs,
and promising high school graduates were included. Consequently, all of
the Navy men in our class went actively into the service but remained
here to complete their training.
These men are housed in the men's quadrangles
at the north end of the campus. All dormitories and fraternities have
been converted into barracks. As could be expected, the emphasis of the
Navy college training program is on engineering. Because the national
program of the Navy was set up on the semester system, an adjustment was
required in the Northwestern quarter plan. The seniors and the presenters,
both civil and military, have carried on in classes together. Because
of the accelerated program the seniors are being graduated six months
ahead of schedule and the pre-seniors an entire year in advance.
We, as the first graduating class of the
new Institute, will help to form industry's first impression of the Northwestern
Technological Institute. Upon our shoulders rest the responsibilities
of proving how well we can put to work the engineering education we have
received. Therefore, to the ideals of the founder of our school we dedicate
our future efforts: The best we know how, in war and in peace.
*"The First Graduating Class" - 1943, p. 7 Published by the Senior
Class, Northwestern University Technological Institute
A. J. Ward, editor
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SOME RECOLLECTIONS
by
George H. Bodeen
My academic relationship with Northwestern
started back in the Fall of l941. My mother, father and I had been looking
at engineering schools for me to attend and earlier in l941 we had decided
on Northwestern. I can remember my dad saying to me "It is apparent that
this new technological institute building and the Murphy Grant will greatly
enhance engineering education at Northwestern." History has certainly
proven him to be correct.
I enrolled at NU in the Fall of l941 in
the School of Engineering. I was part of the initial entering freshman
class in the new building. What a thrill that was. And, what a long time
ago it was - 53 years. It just doesn't seem that long until I think of
all the water that has gone under the bridge in my life since that time.
First of all, my wonderful dad died on
October 3l, l941. That was barely two months after I had enrolled as a
student in the Civil Engineering Department. Because the sole breadwinner
of our family was gone, I had to go to work for very obvious reasons.
After thinking about this transition from
school to work for about two weeks, I came to the conclusion that I needed
to resign as a student in order to maintain my good standing. As a result,
I went to see Dean Eshbach. What a fine, thoughtful and gentle man he
was. As a l7 year old kid, I was scared and very nervous when I went into
his office, but he soon put me at ease. He accepted my resignation with
regret and then went on to say that the school would be happy to accept
my re-enrollment when it was possible for me to do so. I told him I saw
no possible way that I could ever re-enroll because of the large costs
of tuition, books, and so forth. He told me not to give up hope for he
felt sure that someday I would be back.
Shortly after that day, I found a job and
put my shoulder to that wheel. Suddenly, Pearl Harbor took place and the
United States went to war. I was able to obtain a deferment for a while
because of our family's financial plight. However, I eventually enlisted
in the Army Air Corp. I was discharged in early l946 and immediately re-enrolled
in Northwestern's School of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering.
This time, however, Uncle Sam was paying my tuition plus buying my books
and other needed accessories such as a slide rule. I truly love the GI
Bill for it provided the very necessary financial assistance to me and
enabled me to start on a whole new track for my life.
As soon as I attended my first class in
the Spring quarter of l946, I remembered with great fondness, Dean Eshbach's
statement to me that I would indeed re-enroll and here I was back in school
again.
Needless to say, the spring quarter of
'46 saw a lot of veterans re-enrolling or enrolling for the first time
- not so in l941. In addition, there were many Quonset huts that were
built on campus to house the large increase in the student body.
Veterans were mixing with young people
right out of high school and that combination was an interesting one.
There was certainly an age disparity between the two groups and, for the
most part, the veterans were a more mature group. While friction developed
now and then, most everything worked out just fine. The war was over,
we had returned home safely and we were looking forward to opportunities
that NU would bring. Then, to top it all off, Northwestern beat the University
of California-Berkeley in the Tournament of Roses (the Rose Bowl) in January
l949. Wow!
Today, when I reflect back on those days
I do so with great pleasure. What a change it was to come back to such
a free and open life after spending years in a highly disciplined serviceman's
life. The football games, the parties, making new friends that would last
for the years to come, and graduating from a first class privately endowed
school was very fulfilling.
I will end by saying that I am still close
to the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science and I am very
pleased to be able to pay back some of the benefits and opportunities
that Northwestern has provided for me down through the years.
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TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE
THE WAR YEARS, A STUDENT VIEW
by
William T. Brazelton
In a sense World War II and I came to Northwestern
University at the same time. I transferred to Northwestern University
as a junior in chemical engineering in order to participate in Tech's
cooperative education program. During the Fall Quarter 1941, I was in
the final weeks of my first coop assignment when on December 7, 1941,
the Pearl Harbor incident precipitated the declared entry of the United
States into the war. The next two years that I spent in undergraduate
study in Tech, during a period of national emergency, provided a very
unusual and interesting experience.
With the United States at war, I joined
Northwestern in the classroom for the first time at the beginning of the
winter quarter, the first week in January, 1942. At the first meeting
of our Analytical Chemistry class in the old Fayerweather Hall of Science,
we were told that the class would meet thereafter in the new Technological
Institute building. I never had another undergraduate class outside of
the Technological Institute building from that time forward.
That winter quarter in Tech provided to
an engineering student an almost idyllic setting. With an enrollment of
546 students we had the run of this huge building. There were some spaces,
particularly laboratories, that were not completed, and often these were
vacant. We could have group meetings or study sessions in almost any place
of our choosing. The student lounge most always had the atmosphere of
a small private club. However, the needs of the wartime urgency was to
see this change shortly.
Ten days after Pearl Harbor, an emergency
national meeting of the Society of the Promotion of Engineering Education
(later the American Society of Engineering Education) was convened in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Out of this and a subsequent meeting of the
representatives of the cooperative engineering schools in Cincinnati on
January 6 came recommendations on "Acceleration of Regular Engineering
Programs." The Tech Faculty responded by adopting at a meeting on January
10, 1941, several proposals deemed appropriate in the local circumstance.
It was approved to begin the freshman year in the coming year in June,
instead of September and to have the present freshman class continue study
through the summer quarter. Although realizing further changes may need
to be made later none were proposed at this time. Conditions were also
established for accepting outstanding, highly selected students upon completion
of three years of high school study with distinction. On January 14, the
University Senate reaffirmed this policy. It was also decided at this
time that acceleration of the junior class was impractical, an action
that, for the moment, affected my personal status.
At the time I transferred to Northwestern,
there was a program in chemical engineering but no faculty. During the
first week of February 1941, all of the chemical engineering students
were invited to a meeting following their afternoon laboratory to meet
the new department chairman. We were introduced to Dr. William E. Brinker
who had just joined the Northwestern University faculty from the University
of Pittsburgh. The meeting left the students with a confidence in the
new chairman and the future of chemical engineering at Northwestern. During
the summer term V.C. Williams from the University of Virginia also joined
the faculty as assistant professor of chemical engineering.
In April, the completion of the move of
engineering from Swift to the Technological Institute was confirmed when
the order was issued for any staff and faculty still holding keys to Swift
to be sure they were turned in. In March, a convocation for sophomore
and junior students brought our attention to the immediacy of the war
effort. The topic for discussion was "the question of finding one's
most suitable place in the military service or otherwise." Army,
navy, selective service representative and faculty presenters were leaders
in the discussion.
The 1941/42 academic year was, by plan,
the year of the dedication of the Technological Institute and the discontinuation
of the School of Engineering. In June, the last regular class of the School
of Engineering was graduated and on June 15-16 an impressive dedication
ceremony was held. For two full days, the auditorium and the west plaza
were fully occupied by distinguished representatives from other institutions,
from the government, industry and from the alumni, students and friends.
The illustrious participants in the dedication included the Secretary
of Commerce, the Governor of Illinois, the president of the Pennsylvania
Railroad, the president of General Motors Research Corporation, president
of the University of Cincinnati, the president of the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, the president of Drexel Institute, the president of the
Illinois Institute of Technology, the president of the Society for the
Promotion of Engineering Education, the chairman of the War Production
Board, the president of the board of trustees and President Franklin B.
Snyder of Northwestern University and many others. Unfortunately by this
time, my spring quarter coop assignment involved me in helping to meet
the demands of my company's over commitment in supplying resin used in
making liberty ships and time off was out of the question - in my last
week of that assignment, I missed the Tech dedication ceremonies.
Mine was not a singular absence from the
dedication ceremonies, there were others, notable among them -- Walter
P. Murphy. He had fully planned to participate but as the time approached
he was in Denver in poor health and his doctors felt that the travel and
excitement of the activities in Evanston could be further injurious to
his health. He listened to the ceremonies over a special telephone hookup
during which Northwestern president Franklyn B. Snyder awarded him, in
absentia, an honorary degree. Assuredly he had reason for pride and satisfaction
on that day, but his health continued on a downward trend and six months
later on December 16, 1942, he died. His will provided for personal bequests
totaling five million dollars after which the residue of his estate was
to go for the further development, maintenance, and operation of the Northwestern
Technological Institute. The residue amounted to $28,000,000.
After a spring quarter on co-op assignment,
I returned to campus and to Tech to find it a completely different place,
it was bustling with war related activities in the classrooms and in the
laboratories. An area adjacent to the chemical engineering laboratory
was sealed off for security purposes to house some forty scientists working
on gas warfare related problems. A second research project was started
in July in mechanical engineering dealing with the development of artificial
limbs. We also found that our status for the fall term had been established;
we would be pre-senior students. At the regular April meeting, the faculty
approached "the problem of choosing an official name to take care
of the additional year in the cooperative education program by adopting
the proposal that third year students be called juniors; fourth year,
Pre-Seniors, and fifth year, Seniors." This terminology has prevailed
to the present.
Military uniforms became the dress of the
majority in Tech when in the summer of 1941, a commitment to train radio
men for the United States Navy was entered into. Twelve classrooms in
Tech were equipped for this purpose and on June 1, the first contingent
of 250 men were received and training initiated. During the summer, 250
men were received each month until in September the full quota of 1000
were aboard. The training was sixteen weeks in length and was conducted
by thirty civilian instructors employed for this purpose only.
In fall of 1941, the Technological Institute
had initiated, on a rather small scale, defense courses under contract
with the Engineering, Science, and Management War-Training division of
the United States Office of Education. The primary objective of this program
was to provide highly specific training to prepare personnel for both
defense industries and military service. Despite the small beginning,
by the spring quarter of 1942, almost 1,500 students were enrolled in
this program. Clearly by the summer term, those of us in the regular Tech
engineering program recognized that we were a minority group in the building,
a situation considerably different from our winter term experience.
Emergency measures were emphasized to the
faculty when in July, Dean Fagg, the Dean of Faculties, forwarded an order
from the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees suspending, for
the duration, that portion of the University Statutes relating to faculty
members being free of summer duties. It was stated that "the existence
of the war, and the resulting demand for a year round educational program
make it necessary for the Trustees to call on members of the faculty for
service during the summer quarter."
In the fall, the faculty discussed the
possible need to go to a four-year program, since the Navy had adopted
rules allowing only students on an accelerated program to enroll in the
ROTC. A problem of pre-seniors possibly being called for military service
before graduation was also discussed. This was in keeping with the mood
of the time and illustrated the constant uncertainty of our student status.
For the first Tech class, the junior year
was conducted fully in accord with the prescribed curriculum. Alternating
classes had two quarters in school and two quarters on coop assignment.
This quarter arrangement in engineering was carried on at the same time
that the rest of the University was on a semester system, effectively
isolating Tech as far as the classroom was concerned. All non-Tech classes,
very few in number, were specially designed and set-up on a quarter basis
for engineering students only.
During the following academic year 1942-43,
September to June, Tech operated as a civilian school. The enrollment,
totaling 818 students was the largest in the history of engineering at
Northwestern. However, during the year the military situation caused considerable
turnover, with possibly more than 250 students leaving for service.
At the beginning of the 1942/43 academic
year, the Tech faculty was still relatively small and in chemical engineering
there were still only two members, Brinker and Williams. Chemical engineering
was totally new at Northwestern and the departmental program was being
developed from scratch by these two men. Our courses were mostly conventional
but our laboratories only partly so. The Physical Measurement Laboratory
had available standard equipment and experimentation and testing was somewhat
usual. Our Unit Operation Laboratory was completely different and provided
a very unusual experience. Although there were a few pieces of standard
equipment, (the only piece I can remember was the Oliver filter) the lab
was essentially the design of V.C. Williams. Most of the Williams designed
equipment was built and assembled at Northwestern by Williams, the department
mechanic and the students. The laboratory, therefore was in part experimentation
but also provided a large dose of shopwork, assembling, and construction.
We sharpened our techniques in welding, plumbing, steam fitting and machining,
as well running pilot units demonstrating heat transfer, distillation,
filtration, and other unit operations.
During the spring quarter coop assignment,
word was circulated as to Northwestern's increased war effort responsibility
in association with the Navy. At a May 1943 faculty meeting, Dean Eshbach
outlined the Navy College Training Program, a six semester curriculum
to be offered by selected schools across the country. At Tech it would
be necessary to provide a course of study that would accommodate students
with advanced standing coming from other schools and have them graduate
at the regular time. The number of students to transfer to Northwestern
in this program, commonly called the V-12 program, during the summer was
known and was a number that would double the enrollment in engineering.
A considerable problem was anticipated in that the distribution between
departments and classes was completely unknown.
With additional programs, in particular
the Navy V-12 program, the teaching load in engineering alone was increased
more than 60% over the previous year. To meet the increased instructional
need, eight regular faculty and sixteen lecturers were appointed during
the year. Consequently, upon returning to campus following the spring
coop quarter, we found a new term arrangement, a substantial increase
in the Navy population, and a number of new faculty. The chemical engineering
faculty had three new members, George Brown, LeRoy Stutzman and John Sutherland,
certainly welcome additions.
The adoption of the Navy V-12 program required
that the work in that program be on a Navy term basis essentially a semester
or one third of a calendar year, all three terms being required each year.
However, with only 40% of the junior and senior classes in engineering
being enrolled in the Navy, it was decided that the upperclasses class
civilians and Navy students would attend the same classes on the Navy
term. Underclass civilians were to be kept on the quarter system and the
cooperative plan as long as draft regulations would allow. This arrangement
was generally well received by the students.
Student status was in a continuous volatile
state; during the 1943 year, directives from the War Manpower Commission
to the draft boards changed three times. By the end of the summer of 1943,
it was the rule that engineering students would be permitted to continue
studies, only the studies were full-time and that the degree could be
attained in two years or less. These provisions made continuation of the
cooperative plan through the full program an impossibility, except for
students holding deferments for physical.
Under the V-12 program, Northwestern became
predominately a Navy school, some called it a naval base. The center of
campus including Lunt and Swift Hall was set-off for the Navy and the
Quonset hut behind Lunt was set up as their mess hall. Navy classes were
held in Tech and many of the dormitories and fraternities in the north
quads were reserved for the Navy units. All students in the V-12 program,
including NROTC and V-7, were fully provided with pay, tuition costs,
room, board, and uniforms (which were worn at all times). From a student
standpoint, this provided a most excellent scholarship. However, in exchange
there was some curtailment of freedoms with very rigid discipline and
very strict hours. All military students were required at each class in
their schedule and to observe a 10 pm lights out. Areas to the west of
Sheridan Road were declared off limits to naval personnel which left Scott
Hall student center a civilian domain.
Those of us who were civilians found many
military effects in the classroom. Class times were rigidly adhered to
and the Navy section reader would call the class, including civilians,
to attention at the beginning of the hour and also at the close. Accurate
attendance records were kept at each class meeting. Difficulties were
created in some of the laboratories by the Navy rules requiring all work
be completed in the laboratories and in some cases by truncation of the
lab time to accommodate physical training. Examinations were required
every four weeks and for upperclass civilian students grades were reported
on the same basis.
The V-12 program provided another rather
unusual effect. Major sports were continued during the war years with
some rather unusual arrangements. Principal military bases were represented
by outstanding football teams some including professional players. During
the emergency these teams competed with college teams in non-conference
play. This situation made for an interesting season. Somewhat out of character,
in the fall of 1943 Northwestern had a winning season with a record of
6 and 2. The team included a number of seasoned V-12 athletes who had
played at other schools.
My undergraduate career at Northwestern
experienced one last Navy effect, when on November 3rd, Dean Eshbach explained
that the NROTC members of our class would be graduated and commissioned
on December 18th and that civilians in the class would be graduated at
the same time. This required a special shortened term and the development
of special ad-hoc courses. These courses were appropriate and complete
but, in haste, may have had some strange definition. Several of us upon
returning after the war found that for examples of courses we took together,
we received grade reports with different titles and numbers, possibly
a Navy effect.
Although I had looked at opportunities
in industry and in the military, I was persuaded by Professor Edward Obert
to accept an appointment as an assistant in Mechanical Engineering and
begin graduate studies in Chemical Engineering. In this latter role, I
joined two other students as the first graduate students in the department.
My assignment in Mechanical Engineering was as assistant in the Heat Power
Laboratory. I entered into this arrangement with the feeling that I could
at least complete studies into summer since I had just been issued in
December a Selective Service Classification of 2A (deferment) until June
14, 1944. Such was not to be the case, in June I was in naval uniform
at Great Lakes.
The graduate courses in Chemical Engineering
for three students were very informal. The format was essentially that
of a tutorial. We would gather around the faculty person's desk and agree
on the topic and, by way of group discussion with the guidance of the
instructor would develop the subject and a summation of notes. The end
result was a "set of transactions" close to a textbook.
That the military urgency was stepping
up was brought to our attention when on February 8th, 1944, a special
faculty meeting was called to announce that 78 NROTC students (41 seniors
and 37 juniors) had been called to service at the end of the current term
on March 1st. The University Senate with the support of the deans, recommended
to the Board of Trustees that degrees be granted to the V-12 students
who had completed 180 quarter hours of credit. The degree was an undesignated
Bachelor of Science, conferred by the University rather than the professional
schools and was commonly known as the "Senate Degree." The Tech
faculty adopted the policy of for this purpose only, granting 3 quarter
hours of credit for each 3 months of cooperative work in industry.
The urgency was felt personally when in
April, the War Manpower Commission issued a directive that terminated
the University"s ability to employ anyone under the age of 26 who
would be eligible for military service. Although I had applied for a direct
commission in the Navy, I was called directly into service in May and
received a commission in late June, reporting directly to Princeton University
for officer indoctrination.
My last opportunity to observe a wartime
effect in the University was in late September, I returned to campus very,
very briefly while on military travel time. I attended the first and possibly
the only night football game in Dyche Stadium. It was a contest between
Northwestern and Indiana University held on the evening of Friday, September
22nd, 1944. What might be called wartime jitters had caused this night
game to take place. The annual college all-star game had been scheduled
to be held in its usual location in Soldiers Field in Chicago in 1944,
but the assemblage of thousands of people under lights in a stadium in
the middle of a large city was thought to be too hazardous. So, in compromise,
the location was changed to Dyche Stadium where temporary lights on wooden
poles were erected. The University took advantage of the light setup to
offer something different with the Indiana game. Following that weekend,
I reported ship board and spent my time, until the end of the war, half
way around the world in the Pacific. My contact with Tech during that
period was by way of frequent correspondence with Bill Roberts and Ed
Obert in Mechanical Engineering and Bill Brinker, chairman of Chemical
Engineering.
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THE EARLY YEARS
by
Burgess H. Jennings
During the spring of l940 I was contacted
by Dean Ovid Eshbach to inquire whether I might consider leaving Lehigh
University, where I had been teaching in the Mechanical Engineering Department,
to accept a position on the staff of the Technological Institute which
was being created following the generous gift of Walter P. Murphy. I naturally
agreed and was invited to Evanston to meet with President Snyder and the
other faculty members with whom I would work. I enjoyed my visit, the
people were very friendly, the campus was beautiful, and I accepted the
professorship which was offered me.
However, I was awed and even alarmed at
the responsibilities facing me and the other faculty members because here
with the new building rapidly rising, the plans for the laboratories and
work spaces in mechanical engineering were hardly off the drawing board
or worse had not even been made. I broached this topic with Dean Eshbach
and the architects and found they were as alarmed as I was. As a result
I was asked to serve as a summer employee of the architects to expedite
and coordinate University planning with how the architects could carry
out faculty wishes in regard to using the new space. Thus I left the east
in mid-June barely as soon as my classes were finished, moved to Evanston,
and shuttled between an office at the architects, Holabird and Root in
Chicago and a University office which had been provided for me in the
Swift College of Engineering.
Planning the layout for the mechanical
engineering shops at least was well along since much of the machinery
already in use in Swift College of Engineering would be moved to the new
building with space allocated for additional machines to be acquired;
the same situation existed for the power laboratory.
In my particular area of interest, environmental
engineering, no plans had been made so I devoted much of my time to allocating
space and selecting equipment for two laboratories, the first to be a
low-temperature test area for machines and equipment, reaching to -40¡,
and a second larger, controlled-temperature room, suitable for investigations
with human or animal subjects. By the time these rooms were ready to serve,
the war had come and both rooms contributed to the war effort. The low
temperature room was put at the disposal of local manufacturers to test
certain products being developed for military operations. The larger general-purpose
room also became involved in a comprehensive project designed to reduce
cross infection within groups living in confined quarters.
The availability of the latter facility
made me willing to join forces with Dr. Edward Bigg of the NU Medical
faculty and with representatives of the Great Lakes Naval Center to carry
out a research program designed to reduce cross infection in densely populated
living quarters. We did find one material, at least, that could be disseminated
into living-space air, that would make that air aseptic. We then carried
out numerous tests in our test room to show that organisms delivered in
one part of the room were killed in air and were thus no longer toxic
at other locations in that room. Tests of this type were then carried
out in full living quarters at Great Lakes.
These tests confirmed that aseptic air
could be generated and controlled in the sleeping quarters of crowded
barracks and this was fully reported in a number of research papers. However,
even though cross infection, while sleeping, was reduced or even eliminated,
the close contact of the recruits during daytime work and study programs
meant that cross infection was still a most serious problem.
When I first arrived on the scene at Northwestern,
work on the walls and roof area had largely been finished and construction
was moving on positioning the interior walls and hallways. It was then,
at that early stage in the life of a new building, that it had its first
setback: a fire. The roof or rather ceiling of the auditorium was being
set in place and there were numerous temporary wood pilings supporting
the steel roof beams. A welder's torch ignited trash which in turn ignited
the wood pilings and a somewhat intense fire raged before it could be
extinguished. Fortunately other combustible material was at a minimum
and the fire did not spread but it caused an annoying delay of several
weeks for completion of construction. Finally, the word was given and
I was allowed to move into a beautiful new office in the still unfinished
Technological Institute building, this was the way my second year at Northwestern
started (1941). It was a busy year too because the clouds of war which
had been threatening finally broke in a deluge.
With the influx of additional students
training in military programs, the campus took on a whole new character
and the department was scurrying to find the additional faculty needed
to serve these students. As it happened, Dr. Herbert Philbrick, who had
long chaired the Department in the Swift College of Engineering, reached
retirement, and I succeeded to all the additional responsibilities involved,
year 1941.
With war now in full swing, word emanated
from Washington that the citizenry should become involved to help in any
way they could to serve a useful war-related effort. To this end, the
ESMWT program was inaugurated all over the United States where the letters
stood for Engineering, Science, and Management, War-Training program.
Obviously, such a program would have little if any of its content involved
with University-level courses but the University offered its facilities
and staff to help and I was delegated to set up and direct the activity.
I forget the exact numbers but know that a teaching staff of 25-30 was
collected to teach the various subjects chosen, with some two-thirds college
faculty and the remainder selected from surrounding area industrial organizations.
The tuition-free courses each ran for eleven weeks and were given in the
evenings and Saturdays to prevent job conflicts. This training program,
carried out during the early war years, continued to some two years during
which time some 3,000 or more students participated in classes offered
in the new Technological Institute. For faculty it had been necessary
to round up some 25 to 30 teachers either from the Northwestern faculty
or from industrial companies. How much the program helped the war effort
at home will never be known but it did give some students enough courage
to enter war-work areas they would not have considered before. It even
gave some of the more enterprising students in later years a flimsy basis
on which to claim they were Northwestern alumni.
It would be impossible to overstate the
impact the war had on the early years of the Technological Institute.
Diverse indeed were the students themselves because Northwestern had several
different military groups usually attending classes along with ordinary
civilian students. These civilians too had their problems because, even
with deferments, a number of them were taken into active service and left
school before graduation. In addition to other problems, just being an
ordinary citizen during wartime was a problem because rationing and other
restrictions were in vogue. Gasoline, in such limited amounts, was allowed
that absolutely no luxury travel was possible. That was bad too, because
I also remember that at my favorite station for buying my limited supply
the cost was l7 cents a gallon. In l993 I remember paying $l.39 a gallon
by way of contrast. Food too was rationed and you couldn't always get
as much as your coupons allowed, particularly meat.
The students were fine and I enjoyed the
limited amount of time I had for teaching; they were serious and really
more dedicated than in postwar years. Between administrative duties and
some war-related consultation, I kept busy and very pleased with the progress
being made by the Technological Institute in its early years.
The University was indeed fortunate in
having selected Ovid W. Eshbach as the first Dean and leader of the Technological
Institute during its formative years. He was an excellent engineer and
had a full appreciation of the problems involved in educating students
not only in engineering concepts but also in how to succeed in the complex
world of today. He worked closely with the faculty in setting up the courses
and curricula for the various engineering areas. His leadership in these
matters was remarkable as he was so diplomatic that the final solution
was usually exactly what he wanted even though his working groups often
didn't realize that this was the case. His door was always open both to
faculty and students and he worked hard to find solutions to all the problems
(both academic and personal) which were brought to him.
Under his leadership, the Institute prospered
and grew both in student body and in the assemblage of a competent, (even
distinguished) faculty while a steady stream of fine graduates were being
turned out. Dean Eshbach reached retirement age so a new dean was sought
and finally found. Unfortunately, he lacked the outgoing qualities of
his predecessor and his leadership became so irritating to the faculty
that all of the departmental chairmen resigned and refused to work under
him. This led to his removal as dean and to his later departure from the
University. His successor was Harold B. Gotaas, a most successful dean
and administrator who served the Institute and University well for many
years.
Meanwhile, in my department of Mechanical
and Industrial Engineering, events were occurring that made it more and
more obvious that the areas of finance, manpower, and administration were
sufficiently important that they didn't have to be associated with thermodynamics,
power, and mechanical design. Thus planning was started to create a separate
Department of Industrial Engineering and the separation took place a few
years later.
The importance of research in the universities
had been growing for years. For not only did it aid the welfare of mankind
but it added to the prestige and financial support it provided the universities.
Dean Gotaas asked me to accept the position of Associate Dean to serve
the Institute and implement the many research projects which were being
carried out by the faculty. I served in this capacity until I reached
retirement in l968.
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REMEMBRANCES OF THE
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
According to
David Mintzer
I came to the Technological Institute*
of Northwestern University as a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and
Astronautical Sciences on September 1, 1962. I had been teaching and doing
research in acoustics in the Physics Department at Yale University and
had become acquainted there with Marvin Lewis, who had received his Ph.D.
in the Physics Department at Northwestern, where he had specialized in
statistical mechanics. We began to study the burgeoning fields of irreversible
statistical mechanics, kinetic theory of gases, plasma physics and magnetohydrodynamics.
These had become very active fields with the onset of the US space program,
since the reentry of a spacecraft into the very rarefied upper atmosphere
involved problems that could only be solved in the context of those fields,
classical fluid mechanics was no longer enough! At about that time the
Northwestern University Mechanical Engineering Department, under the Chairmanship
of Professor Ali Cambel, had developed a strong experimental program in
reentry problems. Cambel offered Lewis a position as Associate Professor
in the department, which he accepted in 1960, and I accepted an offer
to join the department in 1962.
The most senior members of the department
(in terms of service at Tech) were primarily involved in the more traditional
areas of mechanical engineering: Professor Merhyle Spotts in machine design,
Professor Burgess H. Jennings (who was also Associate Dean of Graduate
Student Affairs) in environmental control (heating and air conditioning),
and Professor Richard S. Hartenberg in kinematic synthesis (and the history
of technology). In related research were: Professor Severin Raynor, who
was involved in engineering analysis and instrumentation; Associate Professors
Donald D. Kilner in stress analysis; and Jacques Denavit in kinematic
synthesis and the use of digital and analog computers in mechanical engineering
problems (a few years later he started research in computer analysis of
plasma physics problems). More modern problems of mechanics, in that they
had a close relation to the space program, started with the work in astrodynamics
of Associate Professor Yechiel Shulman. The remainder of the department
specialized in various thermo-fluid dynamics aspects of the space program:
Professor Ali Bulent Cambel led the large experimental program in gas
dynamics; Assistant Professors Richard Tankin, Chad F. Gottschlich, and
Thomas P. Anderson worked in shock wave problems, high temperature phenomena
and related experimental fluid dynamics problems. Professor Ilya Prigogine
carried on his research in modern theoretical thermodynamics; Associate
Professor Arthur Kovitz and Assistant Professor Ching-Shi Liu and I were
engaged in theoretical research in fluid mechanics; and Marvin Lewis and
I in the fields noted in the first paragraph.
The department at that time was an example
of the changes taking place in much of engineering as a result of the
Second World War and the subsequent growth of the defense industry, the
space program and related national activities. The emphasis on the "art"
aspects (e.g., experience) of engineering was giving way to an emphasis
on the underlying science (in other departments similar forces were resulting
in an emphasis on materials science, biomedical engineering, computer
science, etc.). The year before, Professor Cambel had written (in a report
A Synopsis of the Department of Mechanical Engineering "...
we aim our education to the superior youth who is intellectually versatile
and who has the basic knowledge which will endure over the years as new
technologies replace old ones". Indicative of that trend was the
recent dismantling of a welding shop, a foundry, a pattern shop and a
wood shop; instead, laboratories for Kinematics, for Vibrations and Stress
Analysis, and for Gas Dynamics were developed and the need for a digital
computer (in addition to the department's analog computer) was acknowledged.
The developing research activity in the
non-traditional areas of the profession was mirrored in the changes in
courses and curricular. In the five years before I came into the department
it had changed from a Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
to a Department of Mechanical Engineering; around 1962, it had become
the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Astronautical Sciences (absorbing
Special Programs in Space Sciences and in Astronautical Engineering).
During that period (in the Fall of 1958), the Cooperative Engineering
Program, which required eighteen months of "practical work experience"
in industry during the (five years of) undergraduate work, was changed
from a requirement for all undergraduates in Tech to an option. In the
1956-57 Northwestern University Bulletin the department's required undergraduate
courses included, among others, courses in Production Processes, in Introductory
Accounting and in Industrial Organization and Management; courses in Heat
Power Fundamentals, Internal Combustion Engines, and in Heating and Air
Conditioning; courses in Foundry and in Gas and Steam Turbine Analysis
were recommended electives. These were, of course, the tools of the practicing
mechanical engineer of the era just past which enabled the US to become
the great industrial power of the time. These required courses, and others,
were dropped in the 1961-62 Bulletin; in their place were required courses
in Ordinary Differential Equations, Gas Dynamics, and many electives.
Moreover, the nature of the possible electives changed. In the 1956-57
Northwestern University Bulletin the department's undergraduate course
listing (which included Industrial Engineering courses) contained, among
others, three courses in Metal Processing (including welding, forging,
and casting, and details of the methods and tools used in manufacturing
plants); three courses in Foundry Technology (including melting and casting
methods and metallurgical principles, with laboratory) ; Precision Gaging
and Analysis; and Engineering Tool Design. These courses were replaced
by such courses as Aerodynamics, Experimental Methods in Jet Propulsion,
Exterior Ballistics and Astrodynamics, and Rockets and Thermal Jets, all
of which gave representation to the new industries developing in the country.
These changes reflected the new engineering
curricula adopted by most universities, which emphasized the science base
of engineering. It recognized that the more practical aspects were best
learned "on the job", and that engineering was undergoing such
rapid changes that schools had better stress those things which would
change little or only slowly over the years, namely, the engineering sciences.
Thus, for example, the introductory course in thermodynamics -- in which
I was much involved-- changed markedly. From a course which included "...problem
solution by the use of property charts; applications to problems selected
from the fields refrigeration, steam power cycles, and internal combustion
engines." (1956-57 N. U. Bulletin, course 740-B20) we changed to
a course which included "... Zeroth Law and the meaning of temperature;
... equations of state, the Third Law of Thermodynamics, and introduction
to cycles" (1960-61 N. U. Bulletin, course 740-B20). At the graduate
level similar changes were taking place. Courses in internal combustion
engines, and in gas and steam turbine analysis were dropped during this
period, and Combustion and Plasma Radiation, Engineering Spectroscopy,
Transport Phenomena, Magneto-Gas Dynamics, and Rarefied Gas Dynamics "among
others" were introduced.
I remember those early days with a great
deal of nostalgia. The members of the "space research" groups,
both experimental and theoretical, became good friends. We not only attended
the same seminars, and discussed related problems, but we usually lunched
together, and often had non-technical "bull-sessions" in one
office or another. Cambel was an excellent department chairman, utilizing
every opportunity to try to cement the department into a coherent whole.
He knew the importance to the department's reputation of having a "high
profile", and was active in the professional societies. He started
a Gas Dynamics Colloquium in conjunction with the Gas Dynamics Laboratory,
which added much to the departments reputation (in 1959-60 talks were
given by 19 non-NU speakers). In 1955 he organized, with the American
Rocket Society, and was Chairman of the first national conference on gas
dynamics; subsequently, in 1967, the Seventh Biennial Gas Dynamics Symposium
was held at Northwestern, with Cambel playing an active role.
Subsequent years brought about an increased
emphasis on the basic and applied sciences and mathematics, and, as new
faculty replaced retiring ones, even courses retaining an "old"
name took on a different character.
In 1963 Professors Prigogine and Gottschlich
left the department, and Professor Thomas P. Goodman and Assistant Professor
Richard C. Warder, Jr. had been given appointments. Sadly, Professor Goodman,
who had been expected to bolster our work in the more practical aspects
of engineering, died in 1965. In 1964 Professor Spotts retired, Kilner
left, and Assistant Professors William E. Olmstead, John A. Walker, and
Man-Chen Yuen were appointed to the department. Olmstead's interests lay
in applied mathematics, so that his appointment was joint with the Department
of Engineering Science ; Walker's, in control theory; and Yuen's in experimental
fluid dynamics. In 1965 Jaques Denavit was promoted to full professor;
and Warder left. In that year Larry Holmes was appointed an assistant
professor (gas dynamics); he left in 1969. In 1966 Professors Shulman
and Anderson left, and Vincent H. Larson was appointed an Associate Professor.
Larson's interests were in engineering design, particularly in transportation.
(Associate Dean of Science Lucius P. Gregg, Jr. was given an honorary
appointment as an Instructor, and Michael C. de Malherbe, from the University
of Witwatersrand, a Visiting Professorship.)
A major change took place in 1966 with
Professor Cambel going on leave to become Director of Research and Engineering
Support of the Institute of Defense Analysis, a "think tank"
in Washington, D.C. He subsequently (in 1968) resigned from the department
to become Dean of Engineering at Wayne State University. Professor Hartenberg
was named Acting Chairman by Dean Gotaas, and a search for a new department
chairman was started. This was a time of much difficulty for the department,
especially in its relationship to the Dean. He was a strong advocate for
a chairman solidly in one of the "classical" areas of mechanical
engineering; the vast majority of the department wanted a chairman whose
interests were in the more modern aspects. One prospective chairman after
another was interviewed by the dean and by members of the department;
one after another they were found unacceptable by him or us. Finally,
the department realized that the dean would have his way, and Dr. Ralph
A. Burton, whose area of expertise was in lubrication and wear, was appointed
a professor and chairman as of September, 1969.
In 1967 a new faculty Council on Theoretical
and Applied Mechanics was formed to administer the teaching and research
in those and allied fields; it was to give greater visibility to our activities
in those areas, and provide more coherence to our course offerings. Members
of the council came from the Departments of Civil Engineering, Mechanical
Engineering and Astronautical Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Materials
Sciences, and Applied Mathematics and Engineering Sciences. Professors
George Herrman, of Civil Engineering, and David Mintzer were Chairman
and Vice-chairman, respectively. A new Fluid Dynamics Colloquium was started
and sponsored by the Council.
During the period 1966-69 several new appointments
were made: Associate Professor Er-Yung Yu (astromechanics) and Assistant
Professor William E. Schmittendorf (systems and controls) were appointed
in 1967; Associate Professor Herbert S. Chang (lubrication) and assistant
Professor Gilbert D. Stein (molecular beams) in 1968; and Professor Alan
Kistler (gas dynamics) in 1969. Olmstead was promoted to Associate Professor
in 1967; Walker and Yuen to Associate Professor in 1968, and Kovitz to
a full Professor in 1969.
These changes in the curriculum were reflected
in the student body in the department. During the 1960 -62 period an average
(I have used a three year average in this analysis since the number of
students who graduate fluctuates significantly from year to year) of 31
students received their Bachelor of Science degree in the department,
16 received the Master of Science degree, and 4 received the Doctor of
Philosophy degree (of these last, 2 had theses related to gas dynamics).
For the 1967-69 period, there were an average of 20 BS degrees, 8 MS degrees,
and 10 Ph.D. degrees (6 of which had gas dynamics-related theses). Thus,
in this seven year period (say, from 1961 to 1968), while the undergraduate
graduation rate (presumably reflecting a trend in enrollments) fell somewhat,
the master's degree enrollment fell markedly, and the Ph.D. enrollment
rose markedly. The perception had taken hold nationally that Northwestern
was one of the best places to go for a good research-oriented advanced
degree.
In 1969 the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers held a joint applied mechanics and fluids engineering conference
at Tech, also indicative of the growing national prominence of the department.
When I first came to the department Ethel
Majerus was the department secretary and Brenda Wilson (who also was new)
was one of the office staff; Anton Matheson and Robert Klaub were machinists
in the department shop. (There were other staff members, but I had little
to do with them.) In 1965 Lillian Warren became department secretary,
and remained as such until after the period covered by these reminiscences.
Lillian Kurtz joined the department in 1967; and Judy Kozlov, who subsequently
left for another department after many years, came in 1969.
With the coming of the 1970 period, major
changes took place at Tech: the retirement of Dean Gotaas and the appointment
of Dean Walter Owen; the student unrest associated with the Viet Nam War;
a new president of the university. In many ways the pre-1960 period appears,
in retrospect, to have been a prelude (although an active prelude) to
the much stronger research focus of the department in the 1960's. This
latter period was one of camaraderie and singleness of purpose: to make
the department nationally famous for its research activities. I suspect
we will never see such a time again.
* I will refer to what is now called the McCormick School of Engineering
and Applied Sciences by the name it was known as during the period
of these remembrances: the Technological Institute and Tech.
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COMPUTER SCIENCE AT NORTHWESTERN
by
Gilbert Krulee
Officially, the Department of Computer
Science was established in 1970 as a stand-alone department. In 1983,
it was re-established in its present form as one half of a Department
of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. A brief historical review
of the field of Computer Science at Northwestern, leading up to the recognition
of the need for an academic enterprise devoted to teaching and research
in the field of Computer Science is presented.
If we leave out slide rules and mechanical
desk calculators like the Marchant, the first computer on the Northwestern
campus was an IBM 650 which was housed in the Dearborn Observatory. Beginning
in 1957, it was brought to the campus on a rental basis through the efforts
of Jim VanNess in Electrical Engineering and two others. This computer
was digital in design and used vacuum tubes in order to carry out its
computations. By present day standards, it was expensive, not particularly
reliable, and of surprisingly limited capabilities. Note that, in terms
of capacity, it could not compete with even present day personal computers
which can be purchased for not much more than $1000. What distinguished
this computer was that it was digital in design, unlike the analog computers
that were already in use in electrical engineering.
This first computer was soon replaced with
more modern IBM computers, the 709 and then the 7094. These changes took
place in the early 1960's, at which time the reliance on vacuum tubes
was eliminated, to be replaced by the newer transistor technology. This
change has been one of the keys to the dramatic increase in the use of
digital computers. In addition, by the early to middle 1960's, there were
at most two one-quarter courses that could be taken by students, whether
undergraduates or graduates. Jim Van Ness and Roger Jenness introduced
the first course, EE C18. This was an introduction to numerical methods
and is still being taught, although with significant changes in the content
being covered. There was also a course available in the Math Department,
taught by Virginia Klema, organized around the then newly developed high-level
language ALGOL. As an aside, prior to this time, one wrote programs in
either machine language or assembly language. FORTRAN became available
in 1960, followed by ALGOL and by some of the list processing languages
like IPL and LISP, used primarily for applications in Artificial Intelligence.
Then in 1963, Bruce Johnson and I, both
in Industrial Engineering, began to teach a 3-quarter sequence with more
of an emphasis on data processing, simulation, and statistical analysis.
By the middle to late 1960s, there had emerged an interest among the faculty
in computers scattered throughout a number of departments. These included
Professors VanNess, Aagard, Tou, Murphy, and Yau in Electrical Engineering,
Professor Stevens in Chemical Engineering, Professors Grau and Wouk in
Engineering Sciences (now Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics),
and Professor Kliphardt, also in Engineering Sciences. As an aside, it
is important to note that the faculty members interested in the development
of a program in computer science were primarily located in The Technological
Institute. During this early period, there was limited activity among
the faculty of other schools at Northwestern. This was not always the
case at other universities. And there are other universities in which
there were formed two departments, one in Arts and Sciences and another
in a School of Engineering.
As the interest in computers began to increase
throughout the McCormick School, we began to deal with two rather complex
problems which raised difficult questions about organization of programs
and about who should take responsibility for the recruiting of additional
faculty. As to additions to the faculty, Professor Van Ness had served
as director of the Computing Center. After his resignation in 1966, we
recruited a successor. At that time, I served as chairman of the Faculty
Computer Committee and by coincidence as chair of the Department of Industrial
Engineering. Perhaps it should be no surprise that Ben Mittman, the next
director of the Computing Center, had his initial appointment in Industrial
Engineering, even though his academic background was primarily in mathematics.
As another example, Mike Flynn was also hired in the late '60s into Industrial
Engineering, with a joint appointment in Electrical Engineering, even
though his training was in Electrical Engineering and his interests focused
on the design of computers and computer architecture.
As for graduate programs and students,
by the early '60s, several of us began to support students who majored
in Computer Science and sometimes Artificial Intelligence. These students
mainly graduated through Industrial Engineering or Applied Mathematics
even though they have never worked in those fields and currently view
themselves as working in the field of Computer Science. These academic
complications were partially resolved in the late '60s while Ben Gotaas
was still the Tech dean. We established, with the formal approval of the
Graduate School, an interdisciplinary committee. The committee included
representatives from several departments in Tech, with the strongest representation
coming from Electrical Engineering, Engineering Sciences, and Industrial
Engineering. Students could work through this committee and receive a
degree that was designated as Computer Science. To be more precise, the
1969 catalog reference is to a Center for Computer Sciences.
In 1968, there came into existence a General
Engineering course (i.e. without being the responsibility of any particular
department) called Introduction to Engineering: Computer Fundamentals.
This course was organized around FORTRAN and it emphasized "the study
of a variety of computational problems from different fields of engineering."
Professor Kliphardt coordinated this effort although it was team taught
using representatives from most of the departments in Tech. By implication,
the existence of this course represented an awareness that all engineers
would have a need to program and to solve problems using a computer. In
1969, however, this was an optional course, open to Tech freshmen. After
the new department was founded, this course became CS A01, Introduction
to Computer Programming. Soon afterwards, it became a requirement for
all Tech freshmen.
This pattern of treating Computer Science
as interdisciplinary, without forming a department, is a pattern that
was followed by many universities throughout the country. But by the late
'60s, the pattern began to change as many schools established departments
of Computer Science. Among the most influential, we can point to Carnegie
Mellon, Stanford, University of Texas, Penn State, and the University
of Pennsylvania as important pioneers. Interestingly enough, MIT followed
a somewhat different pattern of development. Computer Science became a
separate program within Electrical Engineering. Since this is a very large
department, there are two associate chairs, one for EE and one in Computer
Science. From a functional perspective, these can be viewed as separate
departments.
Thus, by 1970, it became clear that we
needed to formalize our investment in Computer Science and that the interdisciplinary
committee was no longer a wholly satisfactory situation. The newly appointed
dean, Walter Owen asked me, as chair of the interdisciplinary committee
to make a formal proposal concerning the establishment of a separate department.
At that time, each of the three departments that had the most at stake
could (and did) make a case for the possibility that the new program should
be incorporated into one of the existing departments. Perhaps for reasons
that are significantly political, the most acceptable solution was to
establish a separate department within the Technological Institute. This
change was approved in 1970 and the new department began officially in
1971. I became the first chair of the new department. Within the first
year or two, four interesting developments took place. First, our approach
to appointments in the new department followed a principle of inclusiveness
rather than exclusiveness. Any faculty member who wanted a joint appointment
could become a member of the new department. Second, through a process
of negotiation, certain courses from existing departments were transferred
to the new department. For example, a number of courses in IE and in Engineering
Science moved over to the new department, particularly those that had
little to do with the primary mission of the original department. Third,
we designed and introduced an undergraduate curriculum in computer science.
This effect was undertaken by Ben Mittman and Mel Schwartz and it followed
rather closely the proposed undergraduate curriculum that had been published
by the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) which was the relevant
professional association. Fourth, we began to add faculty into the new
department with Larry Henschen and Hal Sudborough being the first. Interestingly
enough, prior to this time none of our faculty had done graduate work
in Computer Science, primarily because departments of Computer Science
had not yet come into existence. Beginning with 1970, our recruiting was
primarily limited to Departments of Computer Science. And thus Computer
Science at Northwestern was born.
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REFLECTIONS ON MY EXPERIENCES
AT
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
by
William F. Stevens
I. Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Program - (1940-1944)
My early years (before NU) were spent in
Harvard, Illinois, a small town close enough to Chicago to benefit from
the many advantages of the city yet far enough removed to be free of most
of its disadvantages. Northwestern University had always been high on
my list of possible places to go for my college education (my mother had
graduated from NU and we were all aware of the opportunities there), but
it was not until the announcement of the founding of the Northwestern
Technological Institute and the beginning of the construction of its new
building, early in 1940, that I gave serious thought to attending myself.
A visit to the school in the spring attracted me further, so I applied
and was admitted for the fall of 1940, as a member of the second class
to enter Tech.
As originally set up, Tech had four basic
curricula - civil, mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering. All
involved the cooperative plan, with students taking a five-year program
leading to the BS degree. The entire first year was spent on the campus,
after which all students were to participate in four years of quarterly
alternation between college and industrial work. Unfortunately, the advent
of World War II required that significant changes be made to this plan,
but the combination of education and industrial experience has been retained,
wherever possible, over subsequent years.
I arrived on the Evanston campus in September,
1940, ready for the undergraduate experience I had heard so much about,
and I was not disappointed. Northwestern had much to offer and I tried
to take advantage of it all. The new Tech building was under construction,
so all of my classes met on the South Campus -chemistry in Fayerweather
Hall, mathematics in Locy, and all of my engineering classes (drafting,
shop, etc.) in Swift Hall, previously the headquarters of the School of
Engineering and now the home of the new Tech Institute. No chemical engineering
teachers were on the faculty this first year, but the beginning years
of the ChE program had been carefully developed, so that I was kept busy
with various preparatory requirements in mathematics, science, and general
engineering.
In addition to my regular classes, I found
time to take part in many of the other activities open to college undergraduates.
After going through rush week, I joined a fraternity and was a participant
in many of its get-togethers. Following through on my high school interests,
I joined the marching band and the a cappella choir, both of which I enjoyed
a great deal. (It was good that I did so, as a freshman, since my schedule
as an engineering student made it impossible for me to do so in later
years.) Believe it or not, NU had an excellent football team in 1940,
and I was able to go to most of the games. With Lynn Waldorf as coach,
the team's record was 7 wins and 2 losses, with a 20-0 win over Notre
Dame in the last game of the season. (No school on the following Monday,
to celebrate!) I was able to go {as a member of the band) to two of the
football team's away games - to Wisconsin, on the train (NU won 27-7),
and to Michigan, by air because 3 of us overslept and missed the train
(it was close, but we lost 13-12). All in all, it was a wonderful year
for this small-town boy!
During my first year on campus construction
work continued on the new Tech building, financed by the generous gift
of Walter P. Murphy, and we were all looking forward to being able to
occupy the building early the next fall. Unfortunately, one morning in
December, some of the wooden construction scaffolding caught fire from
a misplaced "salamander" and oil-soaked canvas covering the forms carried
the fire to other portions of the building. The damage was considerable,
resulting in a serious delay for the entire project, but repairs were
made and overall construction continued.
The fall of 1941 saw several of my classes
being held in the still to be completed Tech building. In particular,
the various new laboratories and classrooms were of great help to my overall
program. However, war clouds were looming and Pearl Harbor Day arrived,
a complete surprise for most of us in the Midwest Much of the space in
the new building was utilized for a Navy radio school, and we all became
involved with war activities. All of the Evanston campus went onto the
quarter system, and the entire area began to operate on "war" time - actually
daylight-saving time in the middle of the winter. My cooperative work
experience got underway in January, 1942, and I alternated work and school
for the next eighteen months.
The spring of 1942 saw the arrival of the
first member of the faculty of the Department of Chemical Engineering,
Professor William E. Brinker, from the University of Pittsburgh. As chair
of the department, Dr. Brinker played a major role in developing detailed
plans for ChE courses and securing new faculty to carry them out. Professor
Virgil C. Williams joined us that September, and Professors Leroy F. Stutzman,
John B. Sutherland, and George M. Brown became faculty members in July,
1943. All of these men were major contributors to the excellent education
I received as a chemical engineering undergraduate at Northwestern.
The new Technological Institute building
was formally dedicated at a convocation held on June 16, 1942, on the
front patio of the Tech building. Many dignitaries were in attendance
and gave their strong endorsement of the new building and the program
it would be serving. The following statement was made:
"And so it is toward an ideal that the Institute will hold itself.
First, there is the immediate need for giving all aid possible to the
war effort. Second, there is postwar reconstruction and conversion.
Third, there is the ideal of service to mankind in ever increasing quantity
- service so that our American ideal of life and liberty will not die."
By the fall of 1942 our participation in
World War II began to have a much greater effect on campus life. Many
students left school to be involved more directly in the war effort, and
those that remained played major roles in war-related activities. The
annual Waa-Mu show was canceled and few if any off-campus dances were
held. I continued my coop involvement, but my assignments were more closely
related to the war effort. Fortunately, our faculty continued their strong
interest in and involvement with the undergraduate program, as evidenced
by the founding of the "Northwestern Engineer" and the establishment of
a chapter of the engineering honorary, Tau Beta Pi, on the NU campus.
It was still a great place to be an undergraduate engineer.
The winter of 1943 found a considerable
number of chemical engineering undergraduates ready for unit operations
laboratory experience, but with an incompletely constructed unit operations
laboratory to work in. As a result, we students were fortunate that we
were called upon to do much of the work of actually building the experiments
to be used in the lab. Upon completion, the laboratory had equipment to
demonstrate most unit operations, as well as a number of instruments for
measurement and control. The students found it more than satisfactory,
since we had had a major part in the laboratory's construction.
Our country's involvement with the war
effort continued to grow during the spring of 1943, with the result that
the NU campus was soon to be taken over by the Navy. In June, a large
group of Navy reservists were called to active duty and sent to various
college campuses to train, in so-called V-12 programs. I was fortunate
enough to be assigned to Northwestern University, and permitted to continue
on my undergraduate program in chemical engineering. The Navy took over
all of the housing units at the north end of the campus, where more than
1200 new apprentice sea- men and ROTC men were housed. We went back on
semesters, with our courses accelerated to the point where the first Tech
class graduated in December, 1943 and the next (mine) in June, 1944. It
was definitely a changed environment, but our course program continued
to be a good one, thanks to our dedicated faculty. The war had great effect
upon us all, but perhaps those who felt it most were the Navy ROTC students
who were scheduled to graduate in June. Because of the escalation of our
involvement in Europe, these men were called to duty in February, 1994,
just one term before they were to complete their undergraduate programs.
Graduation for the members of our class
came in June, 1944, with the formal exercises held out-of-doors on Deering
meadow. The chemical engineering class consisted of 12 individuals, most
of whom went directly to various involvements within the war effort. I
was sent to Columbia University for a 4-month program, after which I was
commissioned as an Ensign and sent to Harvard University and MIT to train
for radar operation and maintenance. This latter was especially fortunate,
because it gave me a start in developing an interest in automatic control.
After active duty on various assignments,
primarily in ports on the Atlantic coast and on ships in the Atlantic
Ocean, I was discharged from the Navy in April, 1946, and became a graduate
student in chemical engineering at the University of Wisconsin. I feel
strongly that the Technological Institute gave me a good foundation in
chemical engineering, and I'm proud to have been associated with Northwestern,
over more than fifty years.
II. Early Experiences as a Faculty Member - (1951-1960)
My direct involvement with the Technological
Institute came to a temporary halt with my graduation, with a BS, in 1944,
and did not begin again until August, 1951. During this seven-year period,
I served two years as an Ensign in the Navy, attended graduate school
for three years at the University of Wisconsin, where I received my PhD,
and then worked for two years as a research engineer with the B.F.Goodrich
Co., in Akron, Ohio.
During this entire period, 1944-1951, a
good deal had been happening at the Technological Institute as well. The
return of many students who had been forced to interrupt their academic
programs because of the war effort, combined with a larger than expected
group of new students resulted in large undergraduate classes, but the
faculty and staff were able to meet the challenge successfully, under
Dean Eshbach's excellent direction.
Within the Department of Chemical Engineering
a number of significant changes took place. Dr. Brinker resigned as the
Department Chairman, to take a position as Director of Research at Corn
Products Company, and Professor V. C. Williams succeeded him. Within the
next few years, the Department continued to grow and develop, at both
the undergraduate and graduate levels. Significant personnel changes took
place as well. Professors Donald A. Dahlstrom and William T. Brazelton
joined the faculty, after completing their doctoral studies here at Northwestern,
and Professor Sutherland left to take an industrial position. In 1950
Professor Williams also left to return to industry, and Dr. Stutzman was
named Department Chairman to replace him.
Late in 1950, although still employed at
B.F. Goodrich, I began to realize that my long-term career objective -
to become a university faculty member - had not yet been satisfied, with
the result that I began to investigate opportunities in the teaching profession.
After a good deal of serious consideration, I accepted an offer from Northwestern
University and returned to the campus in August of 1951. My initial appointment
was as a full-time research associate within the Department of Chemical
Engineering. The Technological Institute was rapidly increasing its research
activity, so my position was as a researcher on a fairly large project
investigating the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere of a submarine, under
the auspices of the US Navy. Fortunately, during the 1951-52 academic
year a faculty position opened up in the Department, and I was appointed
as an Assistant Professor, effective for the Fall of 1952.
During the next several years I kept busy
developing my research program and building the background required for
a teacher of chemical engineering. My principal research interests were
in applied mathematics, process dynamics and control, and computer applications.
Early in this period, our departmental faculty was strengthened by the
addition of Professor Robert Zinn to our group. His many years of practical
experience in the chemical industry were invaluable to our Department,
and I interacted with him regularly.
My career seemed to develop very satisfactorily
during those first few years in the Department. My research was progressing
well and my classes were well-received. Unfortunately, in 1953 things
began to change. Our well-liked and much-respected Dean, Ovid Eshbach,
was approaching retirement age, so he resigned his position and was replaced
by Donald Loughridge. As a young member of the Tech faculty, my interactions
with Dean Loughridge were few, and most were quite satisfactory. However,
several department chairmen, including my chairman and good friend, Leroy
Stutzman, were having serious difficulties in working with the new dean.
Problems continued to arise and to become more serious until December,
1955, when Professor Stutzman and four other Tech administrators resigned
their duties, stating that they could no longer work with Dean Loughridge.
Two days later, Dean Loughridge also resigned and ex-Dean Eshbach took
over as acting Dean.
The next year and a half went quite well,
in spite of the confusion caused by the several resignations. Professor
William Brazelton replaced Professor Stutzman as Chairman of Chemical
Engineering, and he helped Dean Eshbach keep the Institute on an even
keel until the middle of 1957. At this time, our new Dean, Harold B. Gotaas,
arrived from the University of California, and our growth and development
continued under his direction. Professor Brazelton was appointed as Assistant
Dean, with primary responsibility for Tech's undergraduate program, with
Professor Joseph Smith joining the faculty as the new Chairman of the
Department of Chemical Engineering. The Department continued to expand
under Professor Smith's direction, and three new faculty were added, Professors
Joshua Dranoff, John Slattery, and George Bankoff, all of whom have made
excellent contributions, in both research and teaching.
Over these years I was fortunate enough
to be able to grow and develop professionally, as were most of my colleagues.
My knowledge and experience involving process control and computer applications
increased to the point where I was able to serve as a consultant at Vern
E. Alden Co., Pure Oil Co., and at Argonne National Laboratory. Full-time
summer employment at Vern Alden and at Argonne added to my store of practical
experience in these areas. As my research program developed and my teaching
kept up with new developments, my contributions to Northwestern were recognized
and I was promoted to Associate Professor in 1966.
By 1959 my interest and expertise in the
area of chemical process control by computer had developed to the point
where I decided to investigate the possibility of leaving the University
and obtaining a position in industry, thus getting more involved with
the development of computer control, which I could see was rapidly coming
into use. After a serious investigation into the the available opportunities,
I accepted an offer from Control Data Corporation, in St, Paul, Minnesota,
and left NU to join CDC in July, 1960. Unfortunately, all did not work
out as planned. My wife and I were on our way to Minnesota when we were
involved in a serious auto accident. She lost her life, and I spent a
number of weeks in the hospital and at my parents' home, recuperating
from my serious injuries. During this period many of my associates from
Northwestern were very supportive. Dean Gotaas sent Dean Brazelton to
invite me to return to my old position at NU, which I did, in January,
1961. It was a wonderful vote of confidence from my Northwestern colleagues,
and I've never been sorry that I returned to the campus. The Technological
Institute has been a major factor in my life, and I am pleased to have
been a part of its program for so many enjoyable years.
III. Later Experience - Faculty and Administration - (1961-1969)
I came back to Northwestern in January,
1961, after spending several months recuperating from the serious results
of my auto accident. It was a real pleasure to return. Professor George
Thodos had succeeded Professor Smith as Chairman of the Chemical Engineering
Department, and he and the rest of the Tech faculty made me very welcome.
Dean Gotaas was instrumental in expediting my return as well. He and Dean
Brazelton helped me feel that I had never left the Technological Institute.
Under Professor Thodos's capable direction,
the Department continued to grow and develop. Our newly-arrived faculty
group, Professors Dranoff, Slattery, and Bankoff, contributed a great
deal to the increase in research and graduate study which took place during
the early 1960's, while our undergraduate program also thrived. It was
truly a time when Tech moved toward being a major factor in education
and research. My personal situation also improved greatly in 1962, when
I married Lillian Fort, a Glenview friend who had been widowed a few years
earlier. Her two children and my three combined to make us a happy family.
These years were a time of change for me
professionally as well. My interest and involvement with computers continued,
with several publications as the result. My interest in interactions with
students resulted in my becoming the departmental contact for new and
prospective graduate students. Tech's total graduate program was growing
rapidly, due to the research activities of our new faculty, and there
was an increasing need for cooperation between the Graduate School and
the various Tech departments. My involvement with the admission of graduate
students to Chemical Engineering brought me to the attention of the Graduate
School, so that in 1993 Dean Moody Prior invited me to join his staff,
on a part-time basis. It was an inviting opportunity to become involved
in administration, so I accepted and was appointed as an Assistant Dean
of the Graduate School, to work primarily with applicants for admission
to graduate study. I found the assignment to be very enjoyable, since
it gave me an opportunity to work with faculty and staff in all areas
of the University, and to learn the details of many interesting programs.
Since it was a part-time position, I continued to teach and carry out
research within the Department of Chemical Engineering, thus maintaining
my professional standing as an engineer. Truly, it was the best of both
worlds, and I greatly enjoyed being able to be involved in two different
areas of the University.
My tenure as an Assistant and Associate
Dean of the Graduate School was both enjoyable and educational. It was
an excellent way to learn more about the entire University. Under Dean
Prior, and later working with his replacement, Dean Robert Baker, I was
responsible for coordinating the various aspects of admission to the Graduate
School. We had the authority to approve or deny the admission of each
applicant, but we did not act without the recommendation of the Department
or Program which the applicant wished to enter. As a result, regular interactions
with many individuals were necessary, most of which were pleasant and
very interesting. I was able to learn a great deal about the rest of the
University and to become acquainted with many other faculty members during
my service as a Graduate School administrator.
When I first became associated with the
Graduate School, our offices were located in an older frame house on the
SW corner of Clark Street and Orrington Avenue. In 1965, construction
began on the new Rebecca Crown Center, which was to consolidate most of
the administrative offices of the University, including those of the Graduate
School. When the building was completed, in 1966, it was decided to combine
the undergraduate and graduate offices of admission and to house them,
together, in one of the offices in the new administrative center. I was
in charge of graduate admissions activity at that time, so the consolidation
gave me more responsibility, but it separated our operations from the
rest of the Graduate School, which had been assigned its space in a different
wing of the new building. This arrangement continued from 1967 until 1970,
after which graduate admissions were again housed in the office of the
Graduate School.
My interest in computer applications was
utilized within the Graduate School by my being assigned part of the responsibility
for the development of a system for maintaining the graduate admissions
records on the University's central computer. It was a significantly different
procedure than might have been developed today, but it enabled us to keep
the necessary data on file and to prepare regular status reports, which
were sent to Departments to keep them informed as to the characteristics
of their several applicants and the status of the admission process for
each.
During this period I was active both in
the Department of Chemical Engineering and in the Graduate School. Most
of my mornings were spent at the Graduate School office, evaluating admission
applications and carrying out related activities (such as meetings with
faculty of various departments and programs). My afternoons were spent
at the Tech Institute, where I taught one course and met with individual
graduate students to discuss their research activities. My usual graduate
student group consisted of from six to ten students, many of whom were
PhD candidates. In addition, regular attendance at professional meetings
and graduate administration societies, along with some outside consulting,
left little time for other activities, but somehow my wife (who was a
teacher in the Glenview schools) and I found time to spend with our five
children, seeing them through college and into their respective careers.
It was a busy time for us all, but we enjoyed it greatly. We were fortunate
to have been a part of Northwestern University during this period.
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SOME RECOLLECTIONS
by
S. George Bankoff
I came to Northwestern in September l959,
after spending a year at Cal Tech as an NSF Fellow. I had been Chairman
of the Chemical Engineering Department at Rose Polytechnic Institute (now
Rose-Hulman), Terre Haute, Indiana. Joe Smith, the Chairman of Chemical
Engineering at Northwestern, had only been there for a couple of years.
He had been on my doctoral committee at Purdue, and he had come out to
Cal Tech to interview me. I was late in getting my Ph.D. but I had already
been a subgroup leader on the Manhattan Project at the University of Chicago,
and had six years of experience with duPont, and so I came in as a full
professor. Joe was an outstanding researcher, and quickly garnered important
national awards. He was also an impressive administrator, and, in fact,
had been brought in partly to clean up the department where the administration
had gotten very lax, and the research output was quite weak. In fact,
one senior professor (whom I never met) was working full time as chief
engineer of an architect-engineering firm in Chicago, while theoretically
full-time on the NU faculty. In my opinion, Joe did an excellent cleanup
job. Joe later went to the University of California, Davis. He wanted
to retire in California, his native state, and he wanted his daughters
to marry Californians (or at least Westerners), so that he could visit
his grandchildren easily. (It actually worked out that way.)
By the time I arrived (September l959)
the offending faculty member was gone, and within a year he brought in
John Slattery, Josh Dranoff and myself. John came from Wisconsin where
he had done his Ph.D. under Bob Bird, and he was very much interested
in the mathematical analysis of fluid mechanics, and particularly in non-Newtonion
fluids. Josh had come from Princeton, and had interests in photochemical
reactions and ion exchange. I was interested in boiling heat transfer
and taught a new graduate course in applied mathematics in chemical engineering.
After that it was a very stable department. Only three persons were hired
(Hugh Hulburt, John Butt and Dick Mah) and only one left (Smith) over
a nearly 25 year period. The profession was then all-male. I remember
only one female undergraduate student, and no female graduate students,
in the sixties. She was quite good, as well as being rather attractive,
but she couldn't find a job as a chemical engineer. She finally took a
job as chemical librarian with one of the big chemical companies. The
chemical engineering faculty got along well with each other, and we turned
out a number of students who have since made their marks in the profession.
The Dean was Ben Gotaas, who loved to talk and to visit with people, but
was actually quite shrewd in his judgments. He would drop by unannounced,
and just gossip and visit with key faculty, and I am sure he kept a very
good finger on the faculty pulse in that way.
In l959 Smith and Thodos were very active
researchers, and the new hires added considerably to the research volume.
All in all, the reputation of the department started to move up, and it
has been going up ever since. We have had a succession of chairmen on
a rotating five-year (or less) basis, so that we never had to contend
with a long-term autocratic person. In those days the chemical engineering
undergraduate laboratory covered the basic unit operations, and was a
large area with three stories of unobstructed head room, since nearly
industrial-size equipment of various types was used. Nowadays the equipment
has been miniaturized, and is much better instrumented, with computer
data-acquisition, and, in some cases, control.
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THE DEPARTMENTS OF ENGINEERING
DRAWING, ENGINEERING GRAPHICS AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES
by
Raymond A. Kliphardt
The continuum suggested by the title may
be thought to be incorrect by some readers, but I believe the record reveals
its historic value. The author is the only person who was part of all
the phases of the mutations. Portions of his personal saga serve as a
framework for the succession of events. The reader whose interest is limited
to the Department of Engineering Sciences may skip to the seventh paragraph.
Dean Eshbach gave me my start at Northwestern
in the Spring of 1943 after my medical release from the United States
Navy. He didn't offer me a position by name or salary, but sent me to
Professor George Maney with the assurance that there was plenty I could
do at Tech. George Maney was Chairman of the Civil Engineering Department
and widely known for definitive work on indeterminate structures, the
slope deflection method. He was the principal investigator of several
research projects for the War Production Board. My buoyant walk from the
Dean's office to that of the Civil Engineering Department came to an abrupt
pause when George Maney stated flatly that he hired his own people. Perhaps
at least partly because of his serious difficulty with ulcers, he quickly
relaxed, showed me around the Civil Engineering Laboratories and explained
the ongoing research in spirally bound reinforced concrete columns, reinforced
concrete railroad ties, and fibercrete. The next day I was at work preparing
specimens, reducing test data, plotting stress-strain curves and enjoying
the start of a forty-four year experience at Northwestern. A few weeks
later Professor Maney, with some evident chagrin, asked me what day I
had started and what monthly salary he had agreed to pay me.
At that time, the freshmen of Tech had
a year of instruction in Engineering Drawing in courses listed as Civil
Engineering 101, 102, and 103. They were taught primarily by Maurice B.
Lagaard and Arthur Hathaway. They were joined starting in 1944-45 by H.
Loren Thompson, who had an appointment in Civil Engineering, and also
taught Hydraulics. Teaching on temporary appointments were Edwin Bruno,
Charles Clinton Henderson, Emerson Raymond and Earl Reed, all of whom
were practicing architects. A few years later Herbert A. LaRoy taught
the Engineering Drawing courses. They were all listed as Lecturers in
Civil Engineering.
Several weeks after the start of a quarter,
probably in 1943-44, the students in a freshman class in Plane and Spherical
Trigonometry mutinied against the instruction they were receiving. Their
faculty member probably would be diagnosed as a sufferer of Alzheimer's
disease today. For reasons I was never told, the solution decided upon
was to have me teach the course for the remainder of the quarter. There
was no adjustment in my research work nor salary, but I had a great time
and apparently successfully turned a bad situation around. The Department
of Mathematics was interested in offering me an appointment as Instructor.
The Tech Institute countered with a better offer and I started as Assistant
Professor of Civil Engineering in 1945-46. For the next three years I
taught courses in Mechanics and Strength of Materials. The work in Engineering
Drawing continued as stated above.
Starting in 1948-49 two changes occurred
that are part of this history: (l) The work in Engineering Drawing was
expanded, removed from the Civil Engineering Department and organized
in a separate department, the Engineering Drawing Department, with Maurice
B. Lagaard as Chairman. The courses offered in the new department consisted
of three required courses: ED 111 Elementary Engineering Drawing, ED 112
Descriptive Geometry, ED 113 Machine Drawing, and two elective courses:
ED 114 Structural Drawing and ED 311 Architectural Drawing; (2) The other
change was that I was appointed Registrar of the Technological Institute
for two years and discontinued teaching and research for that period due
to the requirements of that position. This situation was created by several
factors. Franklin Snyder, President of Northwestern University, extended
an open invitation to veterans who were former students to return to their
respective schools without any controls of admission. An explosion of
unpredictable scheduling problems was anticipated and about 1200 undergraduates
did enroll in the Tech Institute in 1948-49; for the first time the Tech
Building had too few classrooms. Also, Vernon G. Lippitt, who had served
as assistant to the dean, was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and departed
on short notice the previous summer leaving only sketchy plans for the
upcoming year's schedule. Louise D'Esposito, who had been Registrar, continued
her record-keeping and office management duties; there were six full-time
clerks in the office in those pre-computer days. I was also named Chairman
of the Delinquency Committee (later renamed the Committee on Scholastic
Standing). This started what may be the longest committee involvement
of any faculty member, as I continued on that committee after the chairmanship
transferred to successive persons responsible for undergraduate registration
and until retirement.
In the Fall of 1950 I returned to teaching
in association with those teaching in the Engineering Drawing Department
although Maurice Lagaard and I retained our appointments in Civil Engineering
for several years. (H. Loren Thompson had left in the late 1940s.) I stated
before that I taught 'in association with' those teaching in the Engineering
Drawing Department as the program was split and I was to teach and develop
only the Descriptive Geometry course while the others taught the other
courses. This did not promote camaraderie in the department, but probably
there have been more significant divisions in department faculties.
Many significant developments occurred
in the next twenty years. Because no personal diary nor log was maintained
for specific dates, events are reported here according to their appearance
in the year-by-year BULLETIN of the Technological Institute. In
1953-55 Donald H. Loughridge was Dean of the Technological Institute and
Ovid W. Eshbach was listed as Professor of Engineering Science. That is
the first appearance of that discipline in a professorial appointment
at the Tech Institute. He retained that title until he passed away although
he was Acting Dean from 1955-57.
In 1953-54, the first listing of the Science-Engineering
curriculum appeared. The program consisted of existing courses selected
from several Tech and L.A. departments and it was advised by members of
the engineering faculty. Its purpose was expressed in the three excerpts
that follow.
"This curriculum has been established to
meet a recognized need for basic study in engineering with more education
in science than is possible when specialization is chosen in the traditional
branches of engineering."
"Students are encouraged to choose elective
subjects in the upper years with a view toward graduate study in science
or engineering. A minimum of one-third of the elective courses must be
in one field of physical science and a minimum of one-third in engineering
subjects."
"A program wisely chosen may prepare a
student for graduate study in either science or engineering or immediate
employment in the field of his interest. The curriculum is particularly
adapted to those who plan careers in research and development and anticipate
changing opportunities incident to further developments in modern science."
Robert R. Banks was listed in 1956-57 as
Associate Professor of Civil Engineering and Science Engineering. He had
primary faculty responsibility for the Science Engineering curriculum
and the advising of students.
Miklos Hetenyi was listed as Professor
of Engineering Science starting in 1956-57 although he had been listed
as Professor of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics starting in 1947-48
and never participated in the Science-Engineering program nor later in
the Engineering Sciences department.
By 1957-58 Harold B. Gotaas was Dean of
the Technological Institute, Maurice B. Lagaard was Emeritus, and I was
named Chairman of the department whose name was changed from Engineering
Drawing to Engineering Graphics. The new name reflected the development
of additional course work in nomography, graphical analysis and graphical
reduction of experimental data. John R. Rossenga joined the Engineering
Graphics Department and participated actively in that development until
he left in 1961. The additional courses were elective and starting in
1956-57 one course, 735 A20, was the only one required of all students
in Tech. It was called Analytic Graphics and was primarily descriptive
geometry. It was taught with three lectures and one two-hour laboratory
weekly. The emphases were on spatial visualization and problem solving.
In 1958-59 the names Abraham Charnes, Professor
of Applied Mathematics, John R. Bowman, Professor of Engineering Sciences
and Associate Dean, and Ernest D. Klema, Professor of Nuclear Engineering
give the first suggestion of the future direction of Engineering Sciences.
In 1960-61 Ernest D. Klema was Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Chairman
of the Engineering Sciences Department. Ivar Stakgold was listed as Associate
Professor of Engineering Sciences. The department taught courses in Applied
Mathematics and System Analysis, Metallurgy and Materials Science, Nuclear
Engineering and Engineering Graphics. I joined the above group, the Engineering
Graphics Department was discontinued, and the Engineering Graphics program
continued unchanged except for being listed with the departmental code
760.
In the following years added strength was
brought to the Department of Engineering Sciences. In 1961-62 J. Wallace
Givens joined as a Professor with joint appointment in Engineering Sciences
and Mathematics, Robert R. Banks dropped his affiliation with Civil Engineering,
was listed as Professor of Engineering Sciences, and Paul J. Persiani
was appointed Lecturer. By 1962-63, Roy Axford was added as Associate
Professor of Engineering Sciences, but his field was Nuclear Engineering;
Earl W. Barrett and Gene E. Birchfield joined the department although
their appointments were in Atmospheric Sciences; Albert Grau and Arthur
Wouk were added with joint appointments in Engineering Sciences and Mathematics;
Ivar Stakgold's appointment was changed to joint with Engineering Sciences
and Mathematics. Atmospheric Sciences courses were added to the offerings
of the Engineering Sciences Department.
The Materials Sciences Department started
in 1959 an undergraduate program option in Engineering Science to supplement
its earlier graduate program. Materials Science courses were added to
those listed by the Engineering Sciences Department in 1964-65. There
were also joint appointments in Materials Science and Engineering Sciences
for John O. Brittain, Morris E. Fine, John E. Hilliard and Donald Whitmore.
William E. Olmstead joined the department
with a joint appointment in Engineering Sciences and Mechanical Engineering
in 1964-65. In 1965-66 Marvin Shinbrot was listed with a joint appointment
in Engineering Sciences and Mathematics; J. Bruce Wagner was listed with
a joint appointment in Materials Sciences and Engineering Sciences. The
next year, Adi Ben-Israel was listed with a joint appointment in Engineering
Sciences and Industrial Engineering; Ivar Stakgold was Chairman of the
Committee on Applied Mathematics.
In 1967-68 an option in Applied Mathematics
was detailed with Ivar Stakgold Chairman of the committee.
In 1968-69 I was Acting Chairman of the
Engineering Sciences Department and the faculty expanded in several directions.
There were Dudley Childress (Biomedical Engineering), Donald Eggen (Nuclear
Engineering), John I. Hubbard (Biological Sciences), Elmer E. Lewis (Nuclear
Engineering), Lyle F. Mockros (joint with Civil Engineering and Biomedical
Engineering). These faculty appointments and those throughout the sixties
laid the foundation for the later developments of independent programs
in Nuclear Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Applied Mathematics.
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HISTORY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING AT
NORTHWESTERN
by
Raymond J. Krizek
(From Civil Engineering News, Summer l985)
The Department of Civil Engineering at
Northwestern University has a long and distinguished heritage. As Northwestern
expanded in the 1870's from a 20-year-old liberal college to a full-fledged
university with the establishment of the Medical College, the Union College
of Law, and the College of Technology, undergraduate work in civil engineering
was initiated in 1873. Although beset shortly thereafter by some financially
difficult years which saw the demise of the College of Technology, course
work in civil engineering continued within the College of Liberal Arts
until the College of Engineering was re-instituted in 1909 in Swift Hall,
offering BS degrees in Civil Engineering and Mechanical/Electrical Engineering.
In 1927 the Department of Civil Engineering was formally established,
and during the ensuing six decades it has become one of the most prestigious
departments in the country. Described on the following pages is a brief
history of the evolution of the Department of Civil Engineering, the growing
pains it has experienced, the proud tradition it possesses, and the esteemed
status it has attained.
(A section on the College of Technology
and the history until 1927 have been omitted).
In 1927 William Henry Burger was named
the first Head of the Civil Engineering Department, and he was also appointed
Secretary of the School of Engineering. By 1929 Northwestern's School
of Engineering had an enrollment of 305 students, which was comparable
in size to the engineering schools at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and Stanford.
However, in the early 1930's, enrollment in the School of Engineering
began to decline. High tuition prevented many students from attending
without scholarships, and Northwestern could not provide the depth and
breadth of engineering course work needed to compete with Illinois, Wisconsin,
Michigan, and Purdue. A three-man committee, consisting of W. H. Burger,
Head of Civil Engineering, H. S. Philbrick, Head of Mechanical Engineering,
and G. A. Maney, Professor of Structural Engineering, was formed to study
the problem. In a report submitted in 1933, they found that the percentage
of time devoted to course work in engineering at Northwestern was only
one-quarter to one-third that spent at other universities. On the other
hand, the time dedicated to physics and mathematics was approximately
200% and 50% higher, respectively. The committee proposed that course
work in physics and mathematics be completed in the first two years of
the four-year curriculum , with the remaining two years allocated to providing
sufficient technical course work so that the degree of Engineer could
be conferred after completion of the four-year curriculum. The fifth year
of study would then be considered postgraduate work in a specialized field.
However, Dean Bauer firmly believed in the value of more generalized education
and the committee's recommendations were not implemented immediately.
In 1937 the Engineering Council for Professional
Development, a national organization representing the engineering profession
of the United States, conducted a national survey of engineering schools.
The Council was critical of the fact that the four-year curriculum contained
too many nonprofessional courses and determined that only after a fifth
year of study would students at Northwestern receive the same course work
that students at other schools obtained in four years. Because most students
did not return for a fifth year, the Council felt that the Northwestern
program was deficient and therefore denied accreditation to the School
of Engineering for 1937-1938. In November of 1937, Professor George A.
Maney replaced Dean William Bauer and set forth to implement the needed
modifications to the engineering program.
The Engineering Council was invited back
to discuss improvements to the engineering program at Northwestern, and
the meetings resulted in two major changes. The first was the faculty
decision to adopt a four year curriculum, as prescribed by the Council,
and the second was an authorization by the trustees to hire additional
faculty and to improve laboratory facilities. The Council promised that
accreditation would be returned once these changes occurred. Curriculum
changes which resulted from this meeting included substantial increases
in the number of structural design and foundations courses and the introduction
of several courses in municipal engineering and water power. A Bachelor
of Science in Engineering degree was replaced with Bachelor of Science
degrees in Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, and Industrial Engineering after
completion of the four-year program. Finally, the number of required Liberal
Arts courses was decreased. In addition, a laboratory was proposed for
use by the faculty to develop research projects. In October of 1938, the
School of Engineering at Northwestern received a two-year conditional
accreditation.
On March 20, 1939, after three years of
negotiations during which Walter P. Murphy remained anonymous and was
represented by his attorney, E. E. Cabell, Northwestern University received
a gift of $6,735,000 from the Walter P. Murphy Foundation; of this amount,
six million was spent to construct and equip The Technological Institute,
which housed the Departments of Chemistry and Physics and the Departments
of Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, and Chemical Engineering. The structure
was completed in 1942. In 1939 Ovid W. Eshbach became the first Dean of
the Technological Institute and George A. Maney replaced William Burger
as Chairman of Civil Engineering, a position he held until his death in
1948. In the transition year (1939) between the School of Engineering
and the Technological Institute, there were 17 faculty and 256 students.
Walter P. Murphy died on December 16, 1942,
leaving to Northwestern University his entire estate after payment of
bequests to relatives and friends. The resulting twenty-million dollar
endowment was to be used solely for the development, maintenance, and
operation of the Technological Institute. The Board of Trustees was given
full responsibility for managing the endowment and using the funds for
any expenditure necessary to create an Institute "second to none in America."
A condition of the bequest was that the
Institute be operated on a "work-study" principle, where students would
alternate three months of course work on campus with three months of work
in cooperating industries. The students in the cooperative education program
would spend their freshman year and the first two quarters of their sophomore
year entirely in classes. Civil Engineers spent nine weeks of the first
summer at a surveying camp. During the Spring Quarter of the sophomore
year, the students would be split into two groups; the first group would
spend the quarter working in industry, while the other group continued
with classes. The groups would then alternate between classes and industry
each quarter until the second quarter of the fifth and final year. Upon
graduation, the students would have spent twelve quarters in class and
six quarters in industry.
The laboratory facilities in the Technological
Institute, made possible by the Murphy endowment, contained state-of-the-art
testing equipment. The Civil Engineering laboratory housed a transverse-universal
testing machine with a capacity of one million pounds in compression or
tension and a hydraulic press with a capacity of 5 million pounds in compression.
In addition, the laboratory contained a large variety of other machines
and instruments for testing materials in torsion, fatigue, and impact.
Also included were laboratories in soil mechanics, hydraulics, sanitary
engineering, concrete testing, and highway construction.
World War II brought several changes to
the Department of Civil Engineering. Although civilian enrollment was
low, the Navy began a program to train officer candidates in specialized
fields of engineering. The Navy students were on active duty, in uniform,
and under military discipline, but they took classes with the civilian
students. The Navy paid all expenses, including tuition, fees, textbooks,
room and board, and uniforms. Civil Engineering research was also influenced
by the war, as was most of the research performed at Tech.
After the war, enrollment in engineering
increased due to returning World War II veterans. To handle the influx
of students, the Civil Engineering faculty was increased from nine members
in 1947 to twenty-five in 1948. It was during the mid-to-late 1940's that
graduate education and research in the Department of Civil Engineering
really began to manifest itself in the work of the faculty; this was many
years before the national thrust in this direction. For example, the team
of Philip C. Rutledge (who served as Chairman from 1948 to 1953 after
the death of Professor Maney) and Jorj O. Osterberg combined their technical
expertise and the impressive array of custom designed and built testing
equipment in the soil mechanics laboratory to give Northwestern University
in the 1940's one of the strongest programs in the country in the relatively
new discipline of geotechnical engineering, and in the brief period during
the late 1940's and early 1950's several Ph.D. and about forty or fifty
MS students were graduated. The thrust for the development of the hydraulics
laboratory was provided largely by Wallis S. Hamilton, who designed and
built much of the equipment that is still used today while doing contract
research for the US Navy. In its heyday the hydraulics lab was emulated
by the faculty from other universities and personnel from TVA, and this
prevailed until administrative decision dictated that research in fluid
mechanics would be centered in other departments. Complementing these
efforts during the same years was a strong doctoral program in structural
engineering under the leadership of Frank Baron and an excellent curriculum
in theoretical and experimental mechanics in a separate sister department
headed by Miklos Hetenyi.
However, in the early 1950's, the number
of engineers graduating from colleges nationwide began to decline. Enrollment
in Civil Engineering, in particular, was disproportionately low, and scholarship
grants and other promotional activities were proposed to improve the situation.
During this period, the faculty and staff in the Department of Civil Engineering
decreased significantly. High salaries offered to graduates by industry
and government made it difficult to recruit well-qualified graduate students
and faculty.
In a different vein, the 1950's proved
to be a changing point for all departments within the Technological Institute.
Donald H. Loughridge, a physicist active in government service, became
Dean of the Institute with a mandate to develop strong graduate and research
programs. Accordingly, the major criterion for new professors at Northwestern
was their competence in research, whereas in previous years emphasis was
placed on practical knowledge and engineering experience. However, the
administrative skills of Dean Loughridge proved wanting and his tenure
lasted only a few years, culminating with the mass resignation of all
department chairmen (except one) in Tech. Former Dean Ovid Eshbach then
resumed control of Tech and exerted a stabilizing influence until Dean
Harold B. Gotaas assumed the reins in 1957. Notwithstanding these few
tumultuous years, the Department of Civil Engineering moved ahead in the
accomplishment of its goals under the leadership of Merrill B. Gamet from
1953 to 1955. In 1955 John A. Logan assumed the chairmanship and was instrumental
in adding Seng-Lip Lee, Olgierd Zienkiewicz, and George Hermann to the
faculty to develop strength in structures and mechanics.
The space age, which surged into the national
limelight in 1957 with the launch of Sputnik, brought a commensurate change
in the educational perspective at Northwestern. Harold B. Gotaas, a civil
engineer from the University of California at Berkeley, became Dean of
the Technological Institute and initiated an aggressive move toward the
introduction of more scientific philosophy into the engineering curriculum.
Under his leadership and aided by the Murphy endowment and the strong
national trend toward increasing research activity at universities (evidenced,
for example, by the establishment of the National Science Foundation),
all departments in Tech made great strides toward improving their programs
and several new fields of study were initiated. Advancements in the Department
of Civil Engineering during the early Gotaas years were enhanced by the
chairmanship of John Logan, a close friend and professional colleague
of Dean Gotaas (both were environmental engineers). Together they built
one of the strongest environmental engineering groups in the country during
the 1960's. Professor Logan chaired Civil Engineering until 1962, at which
time he left to become President of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
Among the other accomplishments in the
Department during the late 1950's and early 1960's was the initiation
of a modern transportation program and shortly thereafter a planning program.
The central figure in this innovative move was Donald S. Berry, a South
Dakota native (as was Gotaas) who also came from the University of California
at Berkeley. Professor Berry set the tone for the transportation and planning
programs and hired a number of faculty who were compatible with this new
ideology that was being manifested throughout the country. Upon the resignation
of John Logan in 1962, Donald Berry became Chairman of Civil Engineering
and served until 1968. These were prosperous years for the Department,
as the wave of research interest and funding was reaching its peak.
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CIVIL ENGINEERING AT NORTHWESTERN
1943-1969
by
Donald S. Berry
The first graduating class at the Northwestern
Technological Institute was in 1943. The Civil Engineering faculty in
1943-1944 included two professors (Maney in structural engineering, and
Rutledge in soil mechanics), two associate professors (Gamet in sanitary
engineering, and Wyly in structural engineering), four assistant professors
(Lagaard and Hathaway in engineering drawing, Hartenberg in engineering
mechanics and H. L. Thompson in structures), and 12 lecturers. Lecturers
were not listed in some years. Two of the lecturers with Ph.D.'s were
full-time teachers and continued on to become full professors (Hamilton
and Osterberg). Much of the teaching in civil engineering faculty at this
time involved core courses taken by all engineering freshmen and sophomores,
such as three required graphics courses, and engineering mechanics courses
like statics and dynamics. Prof. Maney was Department Chairman. Faculty
with professional titles totaled only eight in 1943-1944.
After the end of World War II, the faculty
was increased in size to handle the students returning from wartime service.
1947-1948, after the death of Prof. Maney, two full professors were added
to the faculty - Kessler in sanitary engineering and Baron in structural
engineering. The total number with professional titles was 14. The total
for 1949-1950 was also 14.
In the early 1950's, after Dean Eshbach
retired, Dr. Loughridge became Dean of the Technological Institute. He
alienated the department chairmen with his methods of operation, and four
of the Department Chairmen resigned. The problems were resolved with the
resignation of Dean Loughridge and the appointment of Dr. Eshbach as Interim
Dean.
This was followed by the appointment of
Dr. Ben Gotaas as Dean of the Technological Institute in 1956. Dr. Gotaas
came to NU from the University of California at Berkeley where he had
been Chairman of Civil Engineering and an international leader in public
health and environmental engineering.
Ben Gotaas was an inspirational leader
who stressed the need for expanding graduate study and sponsored research,
while still continuing undergraduate engineering and coop programs. The
Department of Civil Engineering began an expansion program under the leadership
of Dr. John Logan, Chairman of the Civil Engineering Department who was
hired during the Loughridge regime. This was continued under the Chairmanship
of Dr. Donald Berry (1962-1968), and Dr. Jorj Osterberg (1969 on).
Substantial changes were made in the undergraduate
program. Surveying camp was dropped in the late 1950's and the last surveying
course was dropped in the 1960's. Engineering drawing requirements were
reduced. A new science and engineering group of core courses was adopted.
Groups of technical courses were selected for each of the several areas
of civil engineering (structural engineering, sanitary engineering, soil
mechanics, fluid mechanics and transportation engineering). Engineering
mechanics groups were selected jointly with mechanical engineering. Fluid
mechanics and biomedical engineering were shared with other departments.
Urban and regional planning was identified as another area of specialization.
Graduate programs of courses were developed
for each of the areas of specialization. Faculty were recruited for these
areas and intensive efforts were made to secure funds for sponsored research
and to help support graduate students, and for expanding knowledge in
these areas of specialization.
In 1962, the Civil Engineering Department
Chairman mailed a letter to many other universities to contact potential
graduate students. He pointed out that the Civil Engineering faculty at
Northwestern was made up of young men (with the oldest being 51). The
letters pointed out that emphasis was being placed on expanded graduate
programs, and that new faculty was being recruited to provide the best
possible graduate training.
During the 1960's 23 new faculty members
were hired (Achenbach, Bazant, Cember, Fleming, Franklin, Gemmell, Grieves,
Hemman, Herrmann, Keer, Kondner, Krizek, Mockros, Morlok, Mura, Satterly,
Shuldiner, Parmelee, Peterson, Quon, Rossow, Stopher, and Worall). Nine
of these 23 were still on the faculty in 1994 (Achenbach, Bazant, Cember,
Gemmell, Keer, Krizek, Mura, Mockros and Rossow) after some 30 years.
In 1969, the number of faculty members
in the Department of Civil Engineering was 26. There were four faculty
members in structural engineering, six in engineering mechanics, five
in environmental engineering, three in fluid mechanics, three in soil
mechanics, three in transportation engineering, and two in city and regional
planning. This total for 1969 compares with a total of only 12 in 1955-1956
when Dr. Gotaas arrived at NU.
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TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING
AT NORTHWESTERN
by
Donald S. Berry
In the early l930's Franklin Kreml, formerly
a police officer in Evanston, established the Traffic Safety Institute
at Northwestern University and began training police officers for traffic
duty. In l936, financial assistance was provided by the Automotive Safety
Foundation so as to provide more staff and provide grants for supporting
students for a nine-month training program for traffic police, and also
provide for short courses in accident investigation and other aspects
of traffic police administration. This program was broadened to include
two-week courses for traffic engineers. George Barton, a traffic engineer
for the Chicago Motor Club, joined the staff of the Traffic Safety Institute.
He also began as a consultant to cities and villages.
In l940, the Northwestern University Traffic
Safety Institute issued the first edition of the Accident Investigation
Manual For Police. The chapter on "Determining Vehicle Speeds from
Skidmarks" was written by me, who was a traffic engineer with the
National Safety Council. Kreml was co-author of the chapter. George Barton's
consulting firm expanded during the late l940's and the early l950's,
and the firm was moved to separate quarters in Evanston in the early l950's.
George and his associates began teaching a graduate course in evening
hours in the Civil Engineering Department of NU. (Note: Barton's sister
was married to John Sanderson, also an NU graduate in Civil Engineering
[Swift School], who was the engineer who supervised the construction department
of Northwestern University).
In l954 and l955, Frank Kreml organized
the Transportation Center at NU, with some financing from the transportation
industry. The Center's functions included developing a Transportation
library, developing multidisciplinary graduate programs in transportation
in the management area, developing in-service training courses in transportation
management, development of research programs in transportation, and helping
other departments establish appropriate graduate courses and programs.
Civil Engineering was asked to develop a graduate program in transportation
engineering, and some financial assistance was provided for supporting
a professor for three years.
I was added to the faculty of Civil Engineering
in August l957. My first participation was to attend a one-week course
on probability and statistics given by Dr. Robert Strotz. I had helped
develop programs of graduate study and research in transportation and
traffic engineering at the University of California, Berkeley during the
years l948-l956. I was a friend of Ben Gotaas who was teaching at UC Berkeley
before he came to NU as Dean of Engineering.
A full-time lecturer was also added (John
Hugh Jones from UC Berkeley), and a full complement of graduate courses
was offered, with help from Industrial Engineering, economics, sociology,
geography, and the School of Commerce.
In the l957-58 academic year, two graduate
courses per quarter in transportation engineering were offered in the
late afternoon or evening hours to facilitate the enrollment of part-time
graduate students who were employed in the Chicago area. In addition,
the international Road Federation provided fellowship funding for students
who were employees of transportation agencies of foreign countries so
they could come to Evanston and could attend a nine to twelve-month program
of graduate study in transportation engineering. As many as ten per year
were supported in this manner. Many came as graduate students; some came
as special students.
Over the first ten years graduate students
came from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia,
Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia,
Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Malaysia, New Zealand,
Nicaragua, Norway, Peru, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sudan,
Syria, Switzerland, Taiwan, Trinadad, Uraguay, Venezuela, and Viet Nam.
The early graduate programs included courses
in Highway Planning and Economics, urban transportation planning, traffic
engineering, geometric design of highways, urban and regional planning,
probability and statistics, operations research, transportation systems
analysis, transportation economics, transportation systems management,
and economics of location.
Many students completed graduate programs
while employed part time with the Illinois Division of Highways, consulting
firms, and the City of Chicago. The government of Israel sent many students
to work on a two-year program of classwork and half-time employment with
a consulting firm in Evanston where they did design work on Israeli freeways.
I taught short courses in several foreign
countries such as South Africa, Israel, the Philippines, and Thailand.
I also was Chairman, Department of Civil Engineering from l962-l968. In
l965, I was Chairman, Highway Research Board of the National Research
Council.
Research was an important part of the program,
with all graduate students required to do thesis or dissertation research.
Funding for research in the beginning was provided by the Illinois Division
of Highways.
In the five years from l966 to l970, 57
MS and 20 Ph.D. degrees were given in transportation engineering; nine
MS degrees were given in l959. The first Ph.D. was given to Matthew Betz
in l96l (he now is a Provost at Arizona State).
The graduate programs in transportation
have changed considerably since l970, with more emphasis on transportation
planning, travel forecasting, etc.
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THE FIRST THIRTY YEARS
by
Gordon J. Murphy
In the spring of 1952, I visited the Northwestern
campus and applied for admission to the Ph.D. program in electrical engineering.
Because I was married and was expecting to have a child within a few months,
I required more financial support than was provided by the fellowships
and teaching assistantships that were then available. Accordingly, I requested
an instructorship, which was not unreasonable because I would be entering
the university with an MS degree, two years of teaching experience, and
one and one-half years of industrial experience. A letter of admission
arrived soon, together with an offer of a fellowship in a letter from
John Calvert, who was chairman of the Department of Electrical Engineering
at that time; unfortunately, the Department of Electrical Engineering
had no instructorships. Because I had been very impressed by the university,
I explored the possibility of taking an industrial position in the vicinity
and undertaking a Ph.D. program at Northwestern on a part-time basis.
At the same time, however, I applied for graduate admission and an instructorship
at the University of Minnesota.
I was offered an attractive research position
at Cook Electric Laboratories, with the freedom to attend classes at Northwestern
in pursuit of the Ph.D. degree. Although the offer was tempting, accepting
it would have meant relegating my Ph.D. studies to a secondary status,
which was not desirable. Fortunately, before the deadline for a decision
on accepting the Cook offer arrived, I received a letter from the University
of Minnesota, in which I was informed that I had been awarded a full-time
instructorship in automatic control and admitted to the graduate school
as a part-time Ph.D. student. I then promptly informed Cook that I would
not be able to accept their offer, and I embarked for Minnesota in September.
Before I completed my Ph.D. program in
March of 1956, I was offered an assistant professorship at the University
of Minnesota, which I accepted. In early 1957 a colleague and close friend
on the faculty at Minnesota, Professor LeRoy T. Anderson, who knew of
my sentiments about Northwestern, gave me some interesting information.
He had just learned that John Calvert had resigned the chairmanship of
the Department of Electrical Engineering at Northwestern and that a friend
of LeRoy's, John A. M. Lyon, had taken that position. I asked LeRoy to
ask Lyon whether there might be a faculty position available in his department
for the fall of that year. When an affirmative answer was received, I
applied immediately.
I was invited by Lyon to visit Northwestern
to meet the faculty and be interviewed. During my visit to the campus
I learned that the Dean of Engineering, Donald H. Loughridge, had recently
resigned. The former dean, Ovid Eshbach, had come out of retirement to
serve again, temporarily, as Dean of Engineering while a replacement for
Loughridge was sought. An appointment to the position had just been accepted
by Harold B. Gotaas, who was a professor of civil engineering at the University
of California in Berkeley. Gotaas was to assume his duties at Northwestern
on a full-time basis in the fall, but he was already beginning his work
there during occasional short visits to the campus. My visit had been
scheduled to coincide with one of his, so that I could meet with him as
well as with the faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering.
During my visit I learned that the Department
of Electrical Engineering was probably the strongest engineering department
at Northwestern, and the university desired strongly to see it complete
the shift from emphasizing engineering practice, which had been common
practice in engineering departments prior to the Second World War, to
emphasizing applied mathematics and physics, particularly as related to
research. This appealed to me strongly, since it was in concurrence with
my own interests. Another thing I learned was that the Technological Institute,
the building that housed the engineering departments and the departments
of chemistry and physics, had been built approximately fifteen years earlier
as a result of a very large gift to the university from Walter P. Murphy,
who was not related to me, for the express purpose of developing an engineering
school "second to none".
I was very favorably impressed by the attitude
of the upper administration concerning the future of engineering at Northwestern
as well as by the new dean and the faculty, and I believed that they had
been with me. I returned to Minneapolis, therefore, with optimism and
enthusiasm. In a short time I received in the mail an offer of an associate
professorship, at what I considered an attractive salary, which I accepted
immediately.
When I announced at the University of Minnesota
that I had accepted the position at Northwestern, three of my graduate
students asked whether they could transfer to Northwestern to continue
working with me. I encouraged them to apply for admission to the graduate
school at Northwestern. All three were admitted and given assistantships.
Although my teaching at Minnesota ended
in June, I stayed in Minneapolis through the summer to complete work on
a research contract on magnetic circuits administered by a colleague on
the faculty. I had been awarded an NSF grant for research on sampled-data
systems, but it was not to begin until September. As soon as I had accepted
the appointment at Northwestern, therefore, I requested that the NSF transfer
my grant there, which was done.
In September I arrived on the Northwestern
campus. The faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering consisted
of ten people: Lyon, the chairman; Robert E. Beam; Richard W. Jones; Rudolph
Frerichs; Roger R. Jenness; James E. Van Ness; James S. Aagaard, Charles
W. McMullen; Donald S. Gage; and myself.
Beam was a co-author of a widely used textbook
on microwaves. He had had a large research project on microwaves and antennas,
which was virtually destroyed in a Tech-wide dispute with the former Dean,
Loughridge, which I was told had recently resulted in the resignations
of the chairmen of the Departments of Electrical Engineering, Chemical
Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Mechanical and Industrial engineering,
and then of Loughridge himself. As a result of this unfortunate experience,
it would develop, Beam would never again participate actively in sponsored
research. Consequently, he fell out of favor with the administration;
because of his broad knowledge and engineering competence, however, he
retained the respect of the faculty until his death in about 1987, at
which time he was a professor emeritus.
Jones was the author of a textbook on motors
and motor controls. He had recently begun to work in the field of automatic
control, and had just become interested in the application of the principles
of automatic control to physiological systems.
Frerichs was a physicist, who had recently
transferred to the Department of Electrical Engineering from the Physics
Department. He was widely known for his research on cadmium-sulfide photocells,
which he had begun in Germany and which he had continued in the United
States. I believe he had a contract from the army for further research.
Lyon had an interest in electromagnetic
theory and in operational mathematics, and Jenness concentrated on analog
computers.
VanNess had received his Ph.D. degree in
electrical engineering from Northwestern a few years earlier. His major
interests were electric power systems and motors, and he had a minor interest
in control systems. He later served as chairman of the department from
1969 through 1972.
At the same time that I joined the department,
Aagaard, who had just earned his Ph.D. degree in the department, was appointed
as an assistant professor. His interest was in the area of electronic
circuits.
McMullen and Gage were also young faculty
members. McMullen's interest was in electronic circuits, and Gage's was
in the emerging field of solid-state devices.
I came to Northwestern with a strong interest
in automatic control theory, having industrial experience in inertial
guidance. My first textbook, on automatic control theory, had been published
recently and had already been adopted widely, and I had an NSF grant for
research on sampled-data control systems.
It is possible that there were other research
contracts and grants in the department at that time, but I do not recall
any. Prior to Loughridge's arrival as dean, there had apparently been
little emphasis on research. The impression I received was that the Technological
Institute had been an excellent engineering school in the old tradition
of teaching engineering applications, and that it was in the process of
changing into a research institution.
Shortly after my arrival on the campus,
I received an invitation from Gotaas to visit him in his office. Much
to my surprise, he informed me that he had reviewed the offer he had given
me and concluded that the salary was not as high as it should have been.
He then told me that he had increased my salary to what he then thought
was the proper amount. The increase was not staggering, but it was not
insignificant, either. As a result of this incident, my respect for the
integrity of the dean and the upper administration of the university was
solidified.
Over the next few years I created and taught
new graduate courses on nonlinear control systems, sampled-data control
systems, time-varying control systems, linear systems, and statistical
control theory. The program in automatic control attracted increasing
numbers of graduate students and had become an important feature of the
department. Jones, who had begun to work in the field of automatic control
recently, shifted increasingly out of the mainstream of control theory
and into applications in physiological systems. Van Ness, who also had
had a minor interest in control systems, moved deeper into the field of
power systems. The remaining faculty members continued to work in the
same fields as before. Meanwhile the faculty had been augmented by the
hiring of Morris E. Brodwin in 1958. He came to Northwestern, in the field
of electromagnetics, from The Johns Hopkins University.
In the spring of 1959, Lyon surprised the
faculty by announcing that he would leave the university in June. He had
accepted a faculty appointment at the University of Michigan. At his departure,
Jenness became the acting department chairman, and a search for a replacement
as chairman began. During that year, John E. Jacobs, who had been with
the General Electric X-Ray Company, was hired, and he joined our faculty
in the fall of 1960. In the spring of 1960, my second book on automatic
control was published, and the decision was made by the faculty and the
dean that I should become chairman of the department. After receiving
assurance from Gotaas that I would be allowed to hire some additional
faculty to strengthen the department, I accepted and began my tenure in
June of 1960, having been promoted to full professor with an effective
date of September 1.
During the summer of 1960 I visited several
universities to seek from the faculties recommendations of outstanding
graduate students and then to interview the best prospects.
At the University of Illinois in Champaign,
I spoke with Mac van Valkenberg and S. Louis Hakimi, among others. Hakimi
had been one of van Valkenberg's students and had become an assistant
professor in the department the preceding year, after receiving his Ph.D.
degree. Van Valkenberg recommended a few of his graduate students, and
I spoke with all of them. I was particularly impressed by one of the students
from Taiwan, named Sik-Sang Yau, who planned to finish his Ph.D. thesis
in approximately a year, as I recall. As the time for his completion approached,
I invited him to visit Northwestern to present a talk at our seminar and
meet our faculty. He accepted the invitation. After he returned to Champaign,
our faculty discussed our evaluations of him and concluded that we wanted
to encourage him to join our faculty. We therefore made him an offer of
an assistant professorship to be effective after he completed the requiremnents
for his Ph.D. degree. He accepted the offer and in due course became a
member of our faculty. This was a particularly significant acquisition
for us, as is evidenced by the following sequence of events.
Yau's Ph.D. research had been in the field
of network theory, and naturally we had him develop and teach courses
in that area. Several years after he arrived in Evanston, it became apparent
to me that we needed to develop a program in digital computers, and we
had no one on our faculty with much background in that area. I asked Yau
to create and teach an undergraduate course in that field, and he willingly
and enthusiastically undertook that challenge. In a short time he became
so interested in digital computers that he changed his field of research
from network theory to computer theory, and he developed other computer
courses as well. In 1973 he became the second chairman of the Computer
Science Department that had been formed in 1970, and when the Computer
Science Department was merged back into the Department of Electrical Engineering
in 1978, he became chairman of the combined department.
Gradually during the 1960s, other faculty
members in the department became involved with digital computers also.
Beam, who had been teaching an undergraduate course on digital circuits
strengthened that course, and I began to teach it also. In about 1964
we hired Julius Tou, who was becoming well known in the field of digital
control theory. This helped strengthen our position in digital computers
significantly, as well as our program in automatic control. By 1969 there
was a strong program in digital computers in the Electrical Engineering
Department, and a number of faculty members of other engineering departments
who had interests in computer applications in their fields requested and
were given joint appointments in the Department of Electrical Engineering.
Meanwhile, in 1962, I believe, I encountered
Hakimi at the IEEE General Meeting in New York. In the course of a discussion
with him, I came to believe that he would be receptive to an offer to
join our department. Since he was rapidly developing a very good reputation
in the field of network theory, I proposed to our faculty that we invite
him to present a talk at one of our seminars and meet with various faculty
members for evaluation. Our reaction was favorable, and that fall he joined
our faculty. He, too, proved to be a particularly valuable addition: he
served as chairman of the Department of Electrical Engineering from 1973
until Yau took over that responsibility when the Computer Science Department
was merged with the Department of Electrical Engineering in 1978.
In 1960 we had hired a new Ph.D. from the
University of Michigan named Martin A. Plonus, whose research area was
electromagnetic theory and who had written to us to inquire about the
possibility of an appointment. He later wrote a textbook on electromagnetics,
which was published in 1978, bringing additional recognition to the department.
In the same year, a joint appointment in the Department of Electrical
Engineering was given to Gilbert K. Krulee, a psychologist who had an
appointment in the Department of Industrial Engineering and was interested
in linguistics.
Another physicist, named Carl E. Kannewurf,
was added to the faculty of the department in 1963. He had recently received
a Ph.D. degree from the Physics Department at Northwestern and had a strong
interest in the properties of electronic materials. As it developed, he
later became very active in strengthening the ties between the Department
of Electrical Engineering and the Materials Science Department.
A year later, while I was visiting Purdue
University to present an invited seminar on automatic control, I met a
young faculty member there named Zenonas V. Rekasius, who was gaining
recognition in the field of automatic control. I invited him to visit
us for consideration of a faculty appointment; after the usual evaluation
process had been completed, he joined our faculty and helped to strengthen
our work in automatic control.
In 1966 the second edition of my first
book on automatic control was published. By this time the department had
become well known internationally, especially in the field of automatic
control. There was also substantial strength in electromagnetic theory,
and the work in the application of control theory to physiological systems
that had been begun by Jones had attracted the interest of Grodins and
Gray in the physiology department, among others, and was gaining national
recognition. This area was further strengthened by the work of Jacobs,
who concentrated on the application of other aspects of electrical engineering
to biological and medical systems. As a result of their work, within a
few years the first federal grant to establish a program in biomedical
engineering was received by the department. This program was further strengthened
by the addition to our faculty of Franklin Offner, who had built a company
that manufactured dynograph recording instruments, which were used for
making electrocardiograms, among other things, and had recently sold that
company to Beckman Instruments. In the late 1960's Jones published a book
on the analysis of physiological systems by application of control theory,
further enhancing recognition of this program.
Also during the 1960's, Colman Goldberg
was hired to provide additional strength in the field of solid-state devices.
Throughout the 1960's research activity
in the department increased very significantly. Various other faculty
members had secured individual grants and contracts, and my NSF grant
had led to a multi-year grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific
Research. Then, in about 1967, I obtained one of about five major research
contracts awarded by the Defense Department with funding shared by the
Army, the Navy, and the Air Force under the Joint Services Electronics
Program. Other universities that were awarded contracts under this program
included MIT, Harvard, the University of Illinois at Champaign, and, I
believe, the University of California at Berkley. The scope of research
to be undertaken under this contract was very broad and extended to virtually
every member of the faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering.
Other members of the Tech faculty who participated included Abraham Charnes
and George S. Bankoff. I served as director of this program in addition
to continuing as chairman of the Department of Electrical Engineering.
It became apparent in the late 1960's that
the department had become overly theory-oriented. In an attempt to balance
the emphasis on theory, Max Epstein was hired from The Illinois Institute
of Technology. He had a strong interest in electronic circuits and acoustic
waves, and in experimental engineering.
Sometime in the late 1960's Jenness published
a textbook on analog computers, even though he was about to retire. As
I recall, both Jenness and Jones retired in 1968, and Frerichs retired
in 1969, bringing to an end the first thirty years of the Technological
Institute.
During the last several years of the decade
conditions had begun to change for the worse at the university. Along
with most other universities in the country, we began to adopt a welfare
mentality in regard to government support of our research program. Inevitably,
this resulted in a lot of research that served little purpose other than
to secure promotions and salary increases for faculty members, while driving
up the cost of significant research to the taxpayers.
During these same last years of the 1960's,
conditions at Northwestern were deteriorating in another way also. Because
of displeasure with US involvement in VietNam, some students at Northwestern
became disruptive, as was the case throughout the country. A lot of the
respect and high regard for the university administration I had had in
my first year at Northwestern was destroyed by the total capitulation
of the administration to the demands of a small group of students who
had forcibly taken over the administration building, threatened to destroy
the computer housed there, and issued "demands". Also, in yielding to
student pressure, the university agreed to institute a procedure requiring
the faculty to provide time near the end of every course for the students
to complete anonymously an evaluation form on which the students "gave
the professor a grade", in addition to supplying information on the amount
of time required per week, the quality of the textbook, the value of the
homework, and several other matters. This topic was brought before the
University Senate and debated at length. In spite of substantial opposition,
a motion to institute the procedure was passed, on the basis of assurances
that it was a matter of appeasing the students and that the information
on these evaluation forms would never be used in determinations of faculty
tenure, promotion, nor salary increases.
Within a few years, of course, these student
evaluations were being used for those very purposes. Students who believed
that too much had been demanded of them in a course, or that the grades
given them by the professor were lower than the student wished, tended
to give the professor a low "grade". Some professors, concerned about
tenure, promotion, and salary increases, began to demand less of the students
and give higher grades. This led inevitably to severe grade inflation
and a decrease in the knowledge gained by students in many courses.
Because of my relatively conservative views,
I found, too, that I was increasingly at odds with outspoken liberals
on the faculty of the department. Thus, for a number of reasons, I was
no longer comfortable serving as the chairman of the department, and in
1969 I resigned that position, electing to remain on the faculty as a
professor of electrical engineering and computer science.
Undoubtedly I have overlooked some significant
factors in the evolution of the Department of Electrical Engineering through
the decade of the 1960s. Some of the dates I have presented are probably
slightly inaccurate, because they were extracted from memory rather than
from documents. I hope that I have not overlooked any of the faculty who
made substantial, significant contributions to the reputation of the department;
if I have, I apologize with the defense that these events have been recalled
purely from memory after a lapse of from twenty-five to thirty-seven years.
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SOME THOUGHTS AND RECOLLECTIONS
by
Nicholas G. Polydoris
The story of Walter P. Murphy going to
the University of Chicago to see someone about giving a gift, and then
wandering into Northwestern and immediately being welcomed with open arms
was a popular rumor. I remember talking to Dr. Miller who had some variation
on this story, but this was always the story we heard around the Tech.
I was at a luncheon meeting after President Miller had stepped down from
the top job, and we were sitting across from each other. He verified the
story as I knew it saying that the boys at University of Chicago dropped
the ball and Northwestern picked it up.
In the early 40's, Tech school had open
houses and invited Evanston and New Trier High School students to visit.
There would be someone talking about cars, etc. I remember as a young
man coming to this open house and listening to a professor talk about
the V-8 engines made by Ford. These open houses were really great for
introducing the school to the local people.
When I attended school, Co-op was a compulsory
component for everyone. The ability to work at one or two different companies
gave one a nice insight as to what he or she would like to do. Since everyone
was on Co-op, we were all in the same boat and it was a very pleasant
experience. I have always felt that Co-op is a very strong component in
the development of our students. They could work at a company, they could
screw up, and it would not damage their careers. They could learn without
any permanent harm to their resumes. The Co-op jobs tended to be in areas
where Northwestern grads had worked. To the best of my recollection, the
Co-op companies I worked for were Streeter-Amet, Underwriters Laboratories,
Holabird, Root, and Burgee. At each company there were other Northwestern
Grads, and it was nice to have something in common with them. I fondly
recall a few luncheons and my first beer in a bar during these jobs.
In those days we published a magazine called
"Northwestern Engineer." I happened to have a number of articles
published. I think we had a circulation of 25,000 sent to all the alumni.
It concentrated on subjects students were interested in. We also ran our
own particular alumni magazine. I always thought this was a terrific publication.
The publication involved engineering alumni with pictures, which I thought
was a good idea.
We had an engineering party once a year
which (during the years I ran it) I called a cocktail party with no golf,
no tennis, but we had drinks, conversation, just for about 4 hours such
as 5:30 - 9:30. We had as many as 250 people show up.
When the students work with Tech alumni
in some format like we used to do with the engineers, it gives every student
a chance to talk to an alumnus or alumna and it gets them involved with
alumni activities on a regular basis, 2 or 3 times a year.
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BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING AT NORTHWESTERN
UNIVERSITY
by
Christina Enroth-Cugell
To define the field of biomedical engineering
precisely is difficult, but at least two components are easily recognized.
One is biomedical tools, that is, the development of instruments, devices
and systems that contribute to the quality and sophistication of patient
care and to the techniques used in clinical and research laboratories.
A second area may be described as the interaction -- in the classroom
and in the laboratory -- between engineers and life scientists who together
seek detailed, quantitative descriptions of the dynamic properties of
biological systems.
The origins of biomedical engineering at
Northwestern can be traced back to 1943 when Paul E. Klopsteg, President
of Central Scientific Company, made a donation to Northwestern for the
purpose of making possible "certain developmental activities at the University."
Several passages in the document that outlines the purpose and administration
of these funds clearly show that Klopsteg foresaw the potentials of interaction
between physics and engineering on the one hand and biology and medicine
on the other, in teaching as well as in research. The passage which suggests
that it would be valuable to introduce "a course in physical laboratory
methods, and the use of instruments and apparatus in the measurements
and control of physical phenomena, with reference to experimental problems
in chemistry, biology, medicine and other sciences" constitutes but one
example of Klopsteg's suggestions for biomedical engineering endeavors
at Northwestern. Somewhat later, Paul Klopsteg became Professor of Applied
Sciences and Director of Research at Northwestern's Technological Institute,
and in 1945 he became involved in prosthetics research (1), one form of
biomedical engineering.
However, if asked today when and how Biomedical
Engineering at Northwestern's School of Engineering took hold, the nineteen
fifties and Richard W. Jones, professor of electrical engineering at Northwestern
from 1941 to 1971, immediately come to mind. A flavor of the spirit in
which Professor Jones initiated biomedical engineering in Northwestern's
Engineering School, can be gleaned from a passage in a talk he gave in
1966 at the meeting of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation:
"To many individuals the ideas to which we have referred" (the interaction
between engineering and life sciences) "connote instruments, recorders,
and computers, devices that have appeared in profusion in clinical research.
Of possibly greater importance, however, are the concepts, the theoretical
structures, that diffuse between disciplines to profoundly affect our
ways of thinking about biological processes. This flow of ideas has
led to many refinements in our view of physiological systems, and to
the introduction of mathematical models and what might be described
as theoretical physiology."
It was in this field of "theoretical physiology"
that biomedical engineering at Northwestern started and grew during the
first few years. Medical instrumentation "joined the club" somewhat later
and the two components then flourished side by side.
Shortly after the end of the second World
War the chairman of the Electrical Engineering Department, Dr. John F.
Calvert, arranged a series of demonstrations of the analog computer facilities
on the Evanston Campus. These demonstrations were directed towards the
Medical School faculty because Dr.Calvert felt that there might be some
areas of common interest between the two schools. Among the members of
the Medical School faculty who attended were Professors John Gray and
Fred Grodins of the Department of Physiology; Professor Jones was one
of the participating engineers.
Drs. Gray and Grodins were involved in
quantitative physiological studies (something rather unique in
those days) of the mammalian respiratory system. They had acquired a large
amount of data pertaining to the effect of changes in the external environment
upon the physical variables of the different components of the respiratory
system, and they hoped that computers might help them understand the flow
of signals through the system as a whole. One of Professor Jones' fields
of expertise was feedback control, and the interaction with Drs. Gray
and Grodins led him "to become interested in the feedback aspects of the
respiratory system inasmuch as it appeared to have many similarities to
industrial regulators and servos" (1). The collaboration between these
members of the Engineering and the Medical School faculties led to a 1954
publication of a theoretical analysis of the respiratory system, treated
as a nonlinear biological regulator (2).
An even more important outcome of the early
collaboration between these three outstanding scholars was an embryo that
eventually matured into the present Department of Biomedical Engineering
at Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
The road for biomedical engineering at Northwestern from a program to
departmental status was long -- 25 years -- and at times rather bumpy.
The beginning: The Physiological Control
Systems Laboratory. In 1957 an ophthalmologist (the late Julia Apter),
then working towards a master's degree in the Physiology Department at
the Medical School, drew Professor Jones' attention to two studies; the
topic of both these papers was the response of the human papillary reflex
to light which was temporally modulated in a sinusoidal fashion. To quote
Professor Jones (1): "These ground-breaking studies seemed to open up
a whole new field in which sinusoidal techniques from engineering offered
new ways of characterizing physiological behavior, and even predicting
the onset of instability." The interaction with Gray and Grodins and the
potential of applying engineering approaches to biological problems prompted
Professor Jones to encourage his graduate students to choose life-science
oriented thesis topics. And so, by the academic year 1958-59 several of
his graduate students in electrical engineering conducted experiments
on the human papillary reflex, eye fixation and accommodative reflexes,
as well as on animal photoreceptors.
The group operated on a shoestring budget
based on a modest faculty research grant from the University. Two of the
lab tables on which "home made" visual stimulators and recording equipment
were mounted are still used in the present Biomedical Engineering Department.
They are labeled: "Physiological Control Systems Laboratory" which was
the name given to this very first phase of biomedical engineering at Northwestern.
Another relic from this period is a "tech-wide" announcement of the first
meeting held on Oct.1, 1959 by The Physiological Systems Group for the
purpose of discussing micro electrodes and measurements of signals from
retinal neurons, and the presence of noise in retinal signals.
In 1983 Dudley Childress organized a symposium
at Northwestern to honor Professor Jones. Peter Dallos, one of the first
to receive a Ph.D. degree in Professor Jones' biomedical engineering program
made some remarks that better than any statements I can make reflect both
the atmosphere that existed within the Physiological Control Systems Group,
and the major reason for the early growth and success of biomedical engineering
at Northwestern, namely Richard W. Jones. I quote:
"Northwestern was a very different place
25 years ago than what it is now. Graduate programs were small appendages
to undergraduate training, some professors loudly proclaimed the immorality
of taking federal money to support research, and publications by professors
were only occasional and by graduate students almost unheard of. Disciplinary
lines in the Technological Institute were tightly drawn. Within this
low-key, small-scale, somewhat complacent atmosphere the seeds of an
entirely new mode of operation were germinating. Among these was the
realization by one of the electrical engineering professors that living
systems are made up of a jumble of biological control loops, and that
studying these was a major challenge. Thus a new avenue of study opened
up for graduate students: the mathematical and engineering analysis
of biological control systems. The time was ripe for these ventures
to arrive in Evanston. The work of Wiener and Shannon was very fresh,
Hodgkin and Huxley had just barely published their series of papers.
Some of us graduate students were caught in the excitement, communicated
by Professor Jones, about the new frontier of cybernetics.
The first thesis efforts by C.C.Li and
Andy Meyer were on mathematical analysis of neural coding. Emphasis,
emanating from Professor Jones, soon shifted to the visual system and
Dan Green, Jay Warshawsky and myself analyzed various control loops
for papillary reflexes, accommodation and eye fixation. Dr Enroth-Cugell
was attracted to Evanston and set up a laboratory for visual neurophysiology.
Bob Pinter was the first to take advantage of this development and he
ventured into "wet" physiology to the great consternation and hilarity
of the rest of us. He worked on the horseshoe crab, Limulus, which was
inedible even for graduate students. From the initial efforts of one
visionary professor and a few misfit graduate students grew one of the
largest bioengineering programs in the country.
How was it to be one of Dick Jones' students?
In one word, dignified. He treated us like colleagues, not as minions
or slave laborers. He did not force his attention or criticism upon
us, but was always available for consultation. His spoken and written
communication was precise, and his use of the English language inspiring.
He is the only man I know who could describe a given pole-zero configuration
in poetic language. I still find myself using certain sentence constructions
that I learned from his finely crafted classroom lectures. Even he,
however, could not prevent the rest of my sentences from being rough
translations from the Hungarian.
He instilled in us the necessity of completing
a project including the publication of results, but insisted on dotting
all the i's before sending out a manuscript. He taught us the importance
of publication but discouraged the submission of bits and pieces. He
favored putting together the complete story and did not approve of the
now fashionable habit of printing the "least publishable unit of research".
Dick was a perceptive supervisor of research
but he also knew when not to ask questions. I was putting together my
research apparatus to measure human eye movements before any grant support
or financial backing was available for building equipment. Consequently,
I used to range the dead storage rooms and depots of Tech after the
midnight hour to "requisition" what was needed. Soon an entire room
was filled with shiny brass constructions and jerry-rigged electronics.
Dick did not ask where it all came from. I suspect that he knew."
Today Peter Dallos is a Professor in the
Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders and The Department
of Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern. He is a world leader in his
field, auditory physiology, and his laboratory attracts investigators
from near and far. In 1966 another early "graduate from the Physiological
Control Systems Laboratory", Dudley Childress joined Northwestern's Department
of Orthopedic Surgery and the Department of Electrical Engineering. His
activities have been concentrated on the development of modern technological
systems for disabled individuals. He too is a world leader in his field
and he has contributed immensely to the development and success of his
branch of biomedical engineering.
Although biomedical engineering originated
in the Electrical Engineering Department, Professor Jones felt quite strongly
that similar cooperation between life scientists and other engineering
disciplines would be equally valuable. He appeared before the faculty
of each department in the Engineering School, describing the activities
in the Physiological Control Systems group and suggesting to his fellow
engineers that "problems and opportunities for cooperative investigations
between other engineering departments and the life sciences were equally
great." (1). At first interest was minimal but with time these efforts
bore fruit and biomedical-type projects were soon under way in biofluid
mechanics, diffusion and transport, biomaterials and biomechanics, thus
making the program a truly interdepartmental one.
One of the many strengths of Professor
Jones was his conviction that if biomedical engineering was to "fly" and
become an important discipline at Northwestern, engineers and life scientists
had to be thoroughly "blended"; both by working together in a research
laboratory and to the extent that each partner had to have some knowledge
of the other's field. Consequently he looked for one or several Northwestern
biologists with an interest in the kind of studies that he and his students
were already pursuing in the Electrical Engineering Department. At this
time -- in the late nineteen fifties -- an engineering approach or training
in physics and mathematics, were not considered important for biological
research. There was very little interest in the new developments in the
engineering school. However, during a scientific meeting in Washington
DC in either the fall of 1958 or spring of 1959, Professor Jones met Dr.
Fergus Campbell from the Physiological Laboratory of the University of
Cambridge. Dr. Campbell, a physician specializing in ophthalmology, expressed
considerable interest in the work in Professor Jones' group, and he was
already knowledgeable in, not to say infatuated with, Fourier analysis
and sinusoidally modulated stimuli as applied to the study of various
visual functions. Dr. Campbell's enthusiasm had been ignited earlier by
the work of two engineers. One of them, O.H.Schade (3), measured the human
visual response to spatial sinusoidal modulation of the stimulus luminance.
The other one, K.H.de Lange (4), used temporal sinusoidal luminance changes
to study human vision. As a result of the contact between Professor Jones
and Dr. Campbell, the latter spent one quarter as a visiting professor
in the Physiological Control Systems Laboratory in the fall of 1962, and
he thereby became the first biologist to receive an appointment in a Northwestern
engineering department. During his brief tenure in the Electrical Engineering
Department as a representative of the "bio" component of biomedical engineering
he did experiments with the students working on the visual system. The
value of his participation was enhanced by his ability to converse with
the students in their own language, and thus he helped them shore up their
confidence in the future of the unorthodox field they had chosen. He also
gave a course in vision which was the very first biology course at Northwestern
specifically designed for engineering students.
In 1959 Professor Jones obtained a research
grant from The National Institutes of Health to continue his work on various
aspects of the visual system. It was the very first grant application
submitted to the National Institutes of Health by an engineer and the
study section which reviewed it was initially somewhat suspicious. One
of the projects in Professor Jones' overall program was mathematical modeling
based on experimentally determined dynamic properties of single visual
neurons. To accomplish this Professor Jones needed someone trained in
visual neurophysiology who was willing to collaborate with engineers.
By coincidence I then held a research position in the Ophthalmology Department
on the Chicago campus, and I had just been awarded a research grant from
The National Institutes of Health to study individual cat retinal ganglion
cells, that is, the output neurons of the retina. I gave a seminar and
spent a day with Prof. Jones' group and shortly thereafter was invited
to set up my laboratory in the Electrical Engineering Department instead
of in the Medical School, an offer which I gratefully accepted. Experimental
collaboration with Professor Jones and serving as an unofficial graduate
student advisor in matters biological was a most valuable learning experience
for me. I became the first life science faculty member permanently located
in the Engineering School.
As the new decade dawned it became abundantly
clear that the engineering school's biomedical program, which Professor
Jones had almost single-handedly initiated, was recognized far beyond
Northwestern University, both in this country, in Europe and even "down
under." In the beginning of 1963, "Science" published a lead article entitled
"Systems Theory and Physiological Processes," jointly authored by Richard
Jones and John Gray. In England, at the University of Cambridge, one of
the members of the Department of Physiology had been charged with compiling
a pamphlet to guide British students in their search for institutions
where they could pursue graduate study in quantitative physiology with
an engineering flavor. Northwestern's Control Systems Laboratory was included
in that booklet with Professors Jones and Gray mentioned as possible advisors.
In Sydney, Australia, an electrical engineer heard about Professor Jones'
group and came to Northwestern to obtain a Ph.D degree under Professors
Jones and Gray.
The Biomedical Engineering Center.
In the early nineteen sixties there were important administrative developments.
In 1960 the University made a formal commitment to biomedical engineering
by establishing a Biomedical Engineering Center, thus greatly enhancing
the presence of this field at Northwestern. Professor John Jacobs was
appointed to the Department of Electrical Engineering as the Director
of the Center. Under his leadership a group of faculty members applied
for and were awarded the nation's first Biomedical Engineering Center
Grant from The National Institutes of Health, as well as an NIH Training
Grant in Biomedical engineering. The Center provided seed funds for new
projects in various departments on both campuses, thereby bringing more
graduate students into the field. A Biomedical Instrumentation Laboratory
was established in The Medical School to support research there. Initial
support for new faculty members, salaries for visiting faculty members,
as well as funds for inviting seminar speakers also became available.
The Center played an important role in establishing connections between
the engineering school and clinical units such as the Childrens Memorial
Hospital and the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. Professor Jacobs' own
field of expertise was medical instrumentation and his arrival at Northwestern
initiated a boom in this branch of biomedical engineering on both campuses.
From some of Professor Jones' written recollections
about the early years of the Physiological Control Systems Laboratory
to the day of his retirement in 1971 (1), it is clear that although he
was frustrated at times with some administrative attitudes towards the
fledgling biomedical engineering program, his efforts did receive very
considerable University support. One clear expression of this support
was the new facilities given biomedical engineering in 1963 when a new
wing in the North East corner of the Technological Institute building
was completed. A large proportion of those involved in biomedical experimental
research were given contiguous laboratory and office space, and space
was also assigned to the offices of the Biomedical Engineering Center.
Thus, from the fall of 1963 almost all of the third floor was "biomedical
engineering territory." This does not, however, imply that biomedical
engineering was restricted to that space as we entered the nineteen
seventies.
The development (and decline) of a life
science curriculum for engineers. During the early years of the nineteen-sixties
graduate students engaged in interdisciplinary research were urged to
take some of the life sciences courses that were available on the Evanston
campus. But these courses were almost totally descriptive and thus did
not serve engineering students very well. An alternate plan, taking courses
in the Medical School, was met with little favor as noted by Prof Jones:
"Strong arguments were put forth by the administration to have engineering
students go to the Chicago Campus for Medical School courses even though
they were not of the character desired, and the travel problem seemed
severe" (1). There was little understanding at the administrative level
of the need for a life science curriculum designed for and controlled
by the engineering school. Professor Jones' suggestion that one, or ideally
several, life scientists with a strong quantitative background be appointed
to an engineering department, even if they did not have an engineering
degree, was steadfastly opposed. Somehow these difficulties were circumvented
and a life science curriculum suitable for engineers slowly developed.
In 1962 Professors Gray and Grodins offered a course on the Evanston Campus
aimed at engineering graduate students and delivered in engineering language.
The title of this course, which covered the respiratory and circulatory
systems, was "Homeostatic Physiology". Professors Gray and Grodins offered
this course on an entirely voluntary basis. Shortly after the "Homeostatic
Physiology" course was introduced another course was added to the emerging
life science curriculum in the engineering school. Dr. J. Randall, a biophysicist
with an interest in a quantitative approach to biology, joined the faculty
of the Physiology Department. He developed a course entitled "Cell biophysics",
that was given on the Evanston Campus. It admirably prepared students
with minimal life science backgrounds for the "Homeostatic Physiology"
course. When Dr. Franklin Offner became a professor in the Electrical
Engineering Department in 1963, another quantitative biology course, membrane
biophysics, became available to engineering graduate students. My own
course, covering basic neurophysiological concepts, was given for the
first time in 1963. Although not presented with an "engineering-math"
orientation, it was specifically aimed at the engineering students who
worked on different aspects of neural function. In 1965 Dr.Robert Gesteland,
an M.I.T trained engineer and neurophysiologist, was appointed jointly
to the Department of Electrical Engineering and the Department of Biology,
and another highly quantitative biology course, this one dealing with
all of the mammalian sensory systems, was added to the electrical engineering
curriculum. In 1962 Dr. Peter Dallos was appointed to the faculty of the
Audiology Department in the School of Speech and in 1966 he also became
a member of the Electrical Engineering Department. His physiological acoustics
course was yet another biology offering that served engineers very well.
By this time Electrical Engineering was no longer the only department
within the Technological Institute participating in the biomedical engineering
program. In 1967 Professor Lyle Mockros of the Civil Engineering Department
began his contribution to the biologically oriented graduate curriculum,
with a course in biofluid mechanics. Together all of these courses provided
a foundation for the highlight of the nineteen-sixties "engineering-biology"
courses, "Control Systems in Biology", taught by Professor Jones. Thus,
by the middle of the nineteen-sixties a reasonable choice of quantitative
biology courses for biomedical engineering graduate students was available
in spite of administrative reluctance to support the development of such
biology courses within the engineering school. Disciplinary lines within
the Technological Institute were indeed tightly drawn in those days.
In 1961 both the Electrical Engineering
Department and the Physiology Department on the Chicago Campus added a
Biomedical Engineering option to their Ph.D programs. In 1969 the Graduate
School approved an interdisciplinary masters and a doctors degree program
in biomedical engineering to be administered by a committee appointed
by the Dean of the Graduate School. In the spring of 1971 an interdisciplinary
undergraduate program in biomedical engineering was approved by the Tech
Curriculum Committee.
In spite of the fact that biomedical research
had grown remarkably in several engineering departments, and that by 1965
a reasonable choice of quantitative biology courses had been "patched
together" on the Evanston Campus, several faculty members felt that to
secure stability of the curriculum and future growth in research, a Department
of Bioengineering and Biophysics should be established in the engineering
school. Such a department was envisaged as having the autonomy to appoint
biologists and biophysicists, who might not have an engineering degree,
to its research faculty and to oversee the curriculum. However the Central
University Administration did not support this suggestion at that time
and no action with regard to the establishment of a Biomedical Engineering
Department was taken in the nineteen sixties. An independent full-fledged
department of Biomedical Engineering was established in 1985.
Regrettably, by the end of the nineteen-sixties
a large part of the curriculum created earlier had disappeared. Drs. Grodins
and Randall had left Northwestern, Dr. Gray had chosen not to continue
teaching on the Evanston Campus, Dr. Gesteland gave up his affiliation
with the Engineering School and Professor Jones retired in 1971. Thus
the struggle to assemble a suitable life science curriculum for engineering
graduate students had to begin once again, and, now the task at hand included
the creation of a biomedical engineering undergraduate curriculum, not
just options in other engineering departments. Such curricula were developed
and "non-engineer" quantitative physiologists were appointed to the Engineering
School during the nineteen seventies, but the details of these and subsequent
developments are beyond the scope of these historical notes.
In conclusion, when the decade of 1970
began, Northwestern's biomedical engineering youngster was very much alive,
had acquired experience from the "school of hard knocks" and was thus
prepared for, and did exhibit, continued growth and maturation.
References:
- Jones, R. W., 1983. "Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern; the early
years". Recollections prepared in booklet form by Professor Jones at
the occasion of the symposium held in his honor October 28-29, 1983.
- Grodins, Gray, Schroeder, Norins & Jones, 1954. Journal of Applied
Physiology,7,pp.283-308.
- Schade, O.H., 1956. Journal of the Optical Society of America, 46,
pp.721-729
- De Lange, H., 1957. Doctors Thesis, Technical University of Delft,
Holland.
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THE FIRST THIRTY YEARS
According to
Morris E. Fine
I first visited Tech in 1950. My friend
from Minnesota, Don Whitmore, had joined Chemical Engineering in 1948
to teach metallurgy. Also Willis Chandler, another Minnesota friend, was
in Mechanical Engineering to teach foundry. They knew of my interest in
an academic career and arranged for me to see Dean Eshbach while I was
in Chicago for an ASM/AIME-IMD meeting. Don was actively trying to convince
the University Administration to start a Metallurgy Dept. Dean Eshbach
told me a new Department of Metallurgy would have to wait for a new building
to be built across Sheridan Road which would house Metallurgy and the
Earth Sciences. Such a building was actually planned, there were drawings
of Tech showing two buildings across Sheridan Road, but, of course, they
were never built. I don't know the circumstances for this decision.
During the period between 1950 and 1953
Don successfully convinced the University Administration to start a Graduate
Department of Metallurgy. By that time Ovid Eshbach had stepped down as
Dean and Donald H. Loughridge was Dean. One should not underestimate the
amount of effort that Don Whitmore put into starting the new Department.
A convincing proposal had to be prepared along with a complete curriculum
and descriptions of courses.
Don Whitmore recruited me. He arranged
that I meet Loughridge at a Physical Society meeting in New York in the
Fall of 1953. I was impressed by Loughridge's vision for an engineering
school and the future of Northwestern because of the Murphy gift. I subsequently
visited Northwestern in Feb. 1954. At that time President Miller told
me of his vision to make Northwestern an outstanding research university.
I accepted the University's offer of Full Professor without tenure but
with the promise that I would be considered for tenure after a few quarters
so my teaching could be evaluated. I arrived in September 1954.
After I accepted the position and before
I arrived, Don wrote me that he was taking a year's leave of absence to
return to MIT to complete his ScD. Don also informed me that Jack Frankel
had joined the Department in the Spring of 1954 because of his background
in Nuclear Engineering.
When I arrived, Loughridge asked me to
be Acting Chairman and one of my first duties was to assist in recruiting
a Department Chairman. In going through the files I noted there had been
correspondence with a number of truly distinguished people with no success.
I arranged for several candidates to visit including two on MIT's faculty
but Loughridge could not convince any of them to leave their well established
positions to take leadership of a fledgling department. I was appointed
Chairman the following year and granted tenure. Loughridge was very supportive
of the new Graduate Department of Metallurgy. Don received his ScD from
MIT in 1955 and returned to Northwestern as Associate Professor.
Shortly after I was appointed Chairman
and Don returned from MIT, I decided with the concurrence of the faculty
to put the Chairmanship on a rotating basis. I had a number of reasons.
Don had worked very hard to establish the Graduate Department of Metallurgy
and I thought he deserved a turn as Chairman. The strongest science department
was Chemistry and they rotated Chairmen. Bob Burwell who was then Chairman
explained their policy at a Department Chairman's meeting shortly after
I arrived at Northwestern. I knew of other departments (not at Northwestern
or Minnesota) where I considered their chairmen had stayed in the job
too long. This has remained a policy of the Materials Science Department
and has contributed significantly to the success of the department.
When I first arrived at Northwestern in
September 1954, I met Fred Riske, a machinist who had been hired by Don
Whitmore before he took off for MIT. Fred had already set up an office
with a nameplate for me (room 104, renumbered 1394) located on the first
floor just north of the main entrance to Tech. This office was shared
with Jack Frankel.
The first Metallurgy Department laboratories
were located in the basement of Tech in three large rooms under the front
main corridor. There were two large rooms for metallography, a sample
preparation room and a microscope room (rooms 1 and 2, renumbered B388
and B384). A third room (55, renumbered B396) was just north of these
and had been a student lounge, the student lounge having been moved to
the fourth floor where it is now located. An X-ray lab was in room 208,
renumbered 2381. The metallographic sample etching facility did not have
a hood (a mistake by the building architect). Also the former student
lounge, although a very nice room, did not have the facilities needed
for a research laboratory and the x-ray lab was an inner room without
adequate ventilation. One of my first duties was to arrange for a hood,
have needed services installed in our research lab and air conditioning
in the X-ray lab. Then as now I was impressed with the very high cost
of building modifications. The initial estimate for bringing a modest
amount of power, water, and drains into the former student lounge was
$40,000, a large amount of money in those days. I scaled down the request,
argued with B & G (George Reichert) over a large "contingency" in the
estimate, and finally the job was done for $25,000.
The first faculty member hired in the Metallurgy
Department after I came to Northwestern was John Brittain who arrived
in the Spring of 1955. He had received his Ph.D. with Max Gensamer at
Penn State and then moved to Columbia with Max. The decision to forgo
a senior appointment for Department Chairman freed funds for two assistant
professors, Jack Kauffman, for solid state physics and Tony Kelly for
dislocation theory and x-ray diffraction. Tony had done seminal research
on X-ray microbeam determination of dislocation density with Peter Hirsch
at Cambridge and built a microbeam unit for Paul Beck at the University
of Illinois. In 1954-55 Tony was with Cottrell at Birmingham and we recruited
him from England. Jack had finished a thesis on irradiation damage with
Koehler at Illinois. The original faculty who developed the early Department
were then John Brittain, Jack Frankel, Jack Kauffman, Tony Kelly, Don
Whitmore, and myself.
Realizing there would be no summer salary
for me was an important motivation for writing a proposal to ONR during
the 1954 Winter break. This was a study of phase transformations using
elasticity and internal friction measurements. Soon after submitting the
proposal, Prof. Pol Duwez of Cal. Tech., a friend of Loughridge, visited
and informed me that the Air Force Office of Scientific Research was beginning
to support research at universities and suggested I send an information
copy to AFOSR. I did this. AFOSR discussed my research proposal with ONR
and my first AFOSR grant was the result. Jack Kauffman and John Brittain
obtained research grants soon after they arrived as did Don Whitmore when
he returned from MIT. A report given to the faculty in the Fall of 1956
mentions $60,000 annual research support from contracts and grants.
The first graduate student in the Graduate
Department of Metallurgy was Ann Wilfert who arrived in the Winter of
1955 and received her MS in 1956. Jack Frankel was her advisor. By the
Fall of 1955 there were 9 graduate students. The first Ph.D.'s were awarded
to Charles Chiou, Mike Meshii, and Soji Nenno in 1959. Nenno had finished
earlier but had to return to Japan to put finishing touches on the thesis
after his final exam. His finished thesis was temporarily displaced among
Kauffman's papers at home. Nenno had originally applied to the University
of Chicago to work with Charles Barrett, but since Chicago didn't have
a program in metallurgy, Barrett directed Soji to Northwestern. Other
students came from Japan the next year on Nenno's recommendation.
When I arrived the only X-ray apparatus
in the Department was a Hilger unit with a changeable target. It had a
soft vacuum, i.e. it had to be pumped down prior to operation and had
not been used because of leaks in the vacuum system. I spent many, many
hours trying to obtain a stable beam and Hilger sent two engineers to
Northwestern to try to fix the vacuum system. The system could not be
made to work. Fortunately Loughridge provided funds to purchase a GE XRD
3 X-ray diffractometer and it arrived in time for me to teach an X-ray
course, 750 C61, to a class of 11 in the Fall of 1956 before Kelly arrived.
While the Metallurgy Department was primarily
a graduate department, it had responsibility to teach materials courses
to undergraduate students in other departments. The Science Engineering
undergraduate program provided an opportunity for students to major in
metallurgy. I taught a course in corrosion-oxidation for the first and
only time in the Fall of 1956 as an inducement to John Tesk and Bob Blumenthal
to major in metallurgy. Bob Bowman, Lyle Schwartz, and John Wilkins were
also early undergraduate metallurgy majors.
Loughridge's term of office was stormy
and difficult for the Technological Institute. An undercurrent of dissatisfaction
was not apparent to me when I visited in February, 1954. Friction between
he and the faculty led to the resignation of the Chairmen of the Chemical,
Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical-Industrial Departments and subsequently
the resignation of Loughridge. I was not involved in the controversy and
took a neutral position. The other Chairmen purposely did not involve
me in the affair. Shortly before the controversy became public Leroy Stutsman,
the Chairman of Chemical Engineering, came to see me to inform me what
was going on. The Chairmen besides myself had presented President Miller
with a detailed case against Loughridge. I never knew the particulars
but the general complaint was that he took actions detrimental to Tech
without due consideration and with insufficient consultation with others.
I do recall that at the periodic meetings of the Department Chairmen major
issues were usually not discussed. Reminiscent of Parkinson's writings,
I remember a long discussion as to whether University accounts could be
used to purchase lab coats.
One of the sources of friction between
Loughridge and some of the faculty members was that he was a practicing
physicist and not an engineer. He came from the University of Washington
where he was a Professor of Physics. He had also been associated with
the Manhattan Project and later the US Atomic Energy Commission. On coming
to Northwestern one of his major priorities was building up Physics. There
was a search on for a Murphy Professor of Physics. There had been a very
popular local candidate for the Deanship, John Calvert who was Chairman
of Electrical Engineering. Calvert left soon after Loughridge arrived.
Being an Electrical Engineer, Eshbach had been very successful in building
a strong Electrical Engineering Department. It was the strongest department
in Tech with a very high level of external research support for the time,
including the Aerial Measurements Laboratory, a contract research laboratory.
Prior to Loughridge's arrival the University policy was to allow one day
per week extra pay from a contract or grant in lieu of consulting. This
was common practice in EE as well as by a number of faculty members in
other departments. Loughridge administered a sudden change in University
policy disallowing the extra day's pay. This change in policy I was told
had been decided by the Presidents of the Big Ten Universities and President
Miller asked Loughridge to implement it. The resulting drastic reduction
in pay to the faculty members affected led some to give up their contracts
and grants and others to leave the University. A rather large project
in Chemical Engineering to manufacture vitamin B from Millorganite was
terminated at the insistence of Loughridge because he deemed it inappropriate
for the research oriented engineering school he was attempting to develop.
Testing for industrial clients along with abuse of the one day a week
consulting policy were also discouraged. One of Loughridge's pet projects
was to try to convince the University Administration to replace the existing
heating plant with a nuclear reactor. These and no doubt many other factors
led to the Chairmen and Dean resignations. In a letter to me in August,
1963, Loughridge stated referring to when he was at Northwestern, "research
and graduate work was very poorly understood there." That was not the
whole story.
After Loughridge's resignation Eshbach
returned as acting dean and did a marvelous job of cooling things down
and putting Tech on an even keel. A search committee was appointed to
nominate a slate of candidates for dean. The committee consisted of Bob
Beam, Chair, John Logan, John Lyon and myself. The committee considered
many names and took an Eastern trip to visit potential candidates. John
Logan brought Ben Gotaas to the attention of the committee and also told
the committee that Alice Gotaas would be a big plus for Tech. Ben's name
was on the final list submitted to President Miller and subsequent to
a visit, fortunately for Tech, an offer was extended to Ben that he accepted.
One of Jack Frankel's major interests was
in developing a unified materials course covering all kinds of materials.
He was a disciple of Daniel Rosenthal at UCLA who was Jack's thesis advisor.
Rosenthal had developed such a course at UCLA. Jack convinced several
Tech departments to substitute this course, 750 B01, for the required
metallurgy service course. While at Northwestern, Jack wrote "Principles
of the Properties of Materials" which was published by McGraw-Hill in
1957. By that time Jack had returned to UCLA but the book was based on
the lecture notes he developed for his course at Northwestern and was
written while he was at Northwestern. This course and Jack's thinking
were key elements in developing materials science at Northwestern.
Early faculty meetings tended to be stormy
because Jack Frankel liked to debate and be argumentative just for the
love of a lively discussion. Our policy was to adjourn to the Nautical
Inn on Dempster in Skokie where discussions became much more amicable.
I don't remember the subject of any of the arguments so obviously there
was substantial agreement on how the Department should develop.
The original chairs in the Tech Building
were covered with orange leather upholstery. We had to order additional
furniture and probably under Tony's influence we ordered green covered
chairs. When they arrived Eshbach was acting Dean, and he wanted to send
them back because they didn't conform with the standard decor. Since Tony
is Irish and orange chairs were inappropriate we got to keep the green
chairs.
The metallurgy faculty members continued
to be highly successful in obtaining research funding and space soon became
a big problem. Gotaas told us not to let lack of space keep us from obtaining
research contracts. So we wrote proposals even though we didn't know where
the research would be done if funded. Very few of our proposals to AFOSR,
ONR, DOE and NSF were turned down and we were faced with the problem of
finding space. Gotaas's instructions were to look around for underutilized
space and then make a request to him. In order to keep from losing friends
this procedure was not followed. We generally were able to find storage
space which could be converted to lab space. One such lab is the current
temporary mail room under lecture room 2. It had been used to store surveying
equipment. Merrill Gamett graciously found some space in Civil Engineering
for the surveying instruments. Aerial Measurements Laboratory was moved
to an off campus site and this also freed up some space. The Metallurgy
shop was located in space vacated by them.
Gotaas was a strong believer in the departments
rotating their chairmen, a policy in force at U. Cal.- Berkeley. He supported
the Metallurgy Department's policy to rotate chairmanship and most other
Departments in Tech adopted this policy as well. Gotaas tried to introduce
a faculty load policy similar to that at Berkeley at that time. This took
four courses a quarter to be a full load. Teaching was reduced for other
activities such as administration or research according to well defined
criteria. Almost any research or scholarly activity would reduce the course
load to three under this plan. Bob Banks who also came from Berkeley coined
the term "Berkeley points." This was a difficult policy to enforce. There
continued to be a large variation among "loads" for individual faculty
members. Gotaas referred to those who didn't put in the level of effort
he thought they should as "coasting on their oars."
Almost from the beginning the Metallurgy
Department moved to broaden itself into being a Materials Science Department.
My letter of acceptance dated March 1954 suggests starting a materials
science program in cooperation with other departments. My education and
experience pointed in this direction. The first paper published from the
Department was by Charles Chiou, my first graduate student, and myself
and was on Mn3O4 following previous research I did at Bell Laboratories.
Frankel's course has already been mentioned. The research in the Department
covered metals, ceramics, and electronic materials. As a new Department
I believed we should do something different than a traditional metallurgy
department, many of whom were struggling with low enrollment. The faculty
members of the Department were of the same mind and the Tech Catalog of
1956 states that an undergraduate student taking most of the undergraduate
course taught by the Department would be prepared for the field of materials
science. Soon thereafter discussions with the Dean were started and the
change in name to Materials Science was approved by the University Trustees
in January 1959. We were the first such department in the USA. On advice
from Earl Parker at Berkeley, Gotaas recommended that we use the name,
"Metallurgy and Materials Science" because a new name might give us problems
in recruiting students. The Department followed this advice for a short
time, but the official name was "Materials Science."
In 1954 many graduate students were supported
on fellowship for their full programs to the Ph.D. Under Gotaas the fellowships
were named Murphy Fellowships, to honor Walter P. Murphy. Other students
were supported as TA s or RA s on contracts or grants. The Cabell Fellowships
were restricted to terminal year graduate students, the policy in force
when I arrived. Gotaas tried to reduce the number of fellowships given
to first year foreign graduate students. This met resistance.
A serious blow to the Metallurgy Department
was Tony Kelly's leaving in 1958 for Cambridge, England where Alan Cottrell
(whom Don first and I later had approached to be Chairman of Metallurgy
at Northwestern) had just become the Professor of Metallurgy. Since Tony
taught both X-rays and dislocation theory and the Department was doing
well, Gotaas gave us permission to add two new faculty members and Hans
Weertman and Jerry Cohen were brought on board. This has to be one of
the best recruiting success stories anywhere.
In mid-August 1959, President Miller while
on vacation received a letter from Rear Admiral John E. Clark, Acting
Director of ARPA announcing the competition for establishing "interdisciplinary
laboratories concerned with basic research in materials." Bill Baker,
my former boss at Bell Labs several times removed, whom I met in Washington,
told me he had put Northwestern on the list of approximately 70 Universities
to be contacted. Julius Harwood who was then head of Metallurgy at ONR
but assigned to ARPA to help establish the Interdisciplinary Laboratory
(IDL) program, also was instrumental in having Northwestern University
included. He called to tell me that a letter inviting us to submit a proposal
would be coming soon with a short deadline. I arranged with Miller's secretary
for the letter to be given to me as soon as it arrived. A proposal due
in late September was requested. Pierce Selwood, in Chemistry, Arnie Ewald,
in Physics, and I as Chairman formed an unofficial ad-hoc committee to
prepare the response. Actually the discussions started before the letter
arrived. It stated that funds for buildings and facilities were contemplated.
The Materials Science Department was poorly housed and needed an electron
microscope. Physics and Chemistry were desirous of some expensive equipment,
especially a big magnet for Jules Marcus and an EPR unit for Malcolm Dole.
These were important incentives. Miller told me that the University policy
at the time was not to accept Government money for buildings. He was desirous
of changing this policy and considered this proposal a good vehicle for
approaching the University Trustees to change it. The proposal to ARPA,
dated Sept, 28, 1959, contains some statistics of historical interest.
In August 1959, the level of support for
basic research in materials from Government sources including Physics
and Chemistry was estimated to be $430,000 (approximately $3,000,000 in
current dollars). The number of graduates in the Materials Science Department
were 30 with 3 post doctorates. We proposed to set up a "coordinated interdisciplinary
interdepartmental basic program of education and research in materials."
A cornerstone of the preproposal was the establishment of 20 interdisciplinary
laboratories or central facilities. A 55,000 sq. ft. net addition to Tech
east of the existing building was proposed to house the Department of
Materials Science and the expansion of Physics and Chemistry in this field.
An increase in number faculty members in the Materials Science Department
from six (Hans Weertman and Jerry Cohen had already accepted our offers
but had not yet arrived) to 16 was offered, along with 1 1/2 to 3 in Electrical
Engineering, 1/2 to 1 1/2 in Mechanics, 1/4 to 1/2 in Chemical Engineering,
1/4 to 1/2 in Civil Engineering, and 0 to 1 in Mechanical Engineering.
Increases in Physics and Chemistry were also included giving a total increase
from 18 to 40. The total proposed budget was $2,000,000 per year steady
state budget excluding the cost of the building.
Our proposal made the final list and a
site visit was arranged for early in the following Winter. Prior to the
site visit Serge Gratch in M.E. and Rudy Frerichs in CE were added to
the committee. We were one of 10 to 15 finalists from approximately 55
universities who had submitted proposals. The site visit including research
presentations by the faculty members involved went well and in a letter
to President Miller from Brigadier General A. W. Betts, Director of ARPA
dated February 24, 1960 Northwestern was requested to send representatives
to Washington to "assist us in establishing an appropriate scope and basis
for entertaining a formal proposal from you." This trip was made, an understanding
was reached, and a final proposal dated April 25, 1960 was submitted.
In the proposal, space for materials in the new addition to Tech was scaled
down to 45,000 sq. ft. net. The number of central facilities was reduced
to 18. The total faculty number in materials was scheduled to grow to
35 including 14 in Materials Science and 6 in other Tech Departments.
The agreed upon annual steady state budget for the Center was $1,250,000
with an additional annual use fee of $235,000 for 10 years to partially
pay for the cost of the addition. Northwestern was one of three universities
to receive grants to establish materials research centers in 1960. The
others were Cornell and Pennsylvania. The contract is dated June 20, 1960.
It was for three years and called for an annual renewal proposal also
for three years.
Faculty members who proposed research for
support through ARPA were John Brittain, Jerry Cohen, Jack Kauffman, Hans
Weertman, Don Whitmore and myself in Materials Science; Martin Bailyn,
Bob Cashman, Arnie Ewald, Rod Hines, Jules Marcus, and Edson Peck in Physics;
Lou Allred, Fred Basolo, Dick Bowers, Malcolm Dole, Ralph Pearson, and
Pierce Selwood in Chemistry; Morris Brodwin and Rudy Frerichs in Electrical
Engineering; Jorj Osterberg in Civil Engineering and Serge Gratch in Mechanical
Engineering. Their research presentations were key to our winning the
competition because we were not as well known in materials research as
many other schools even though at that time we were the only school with
a Materials Science Department that was already doing in a small way what
ARPA was seeking to accomplish.
A statement on materials design included
in the proposal may be of interest in view of the present desire to increase
the amount of 'design' in the engineering curriculum. "Lastly, this basic
information may be used in the area of materials synthesis, the 'design'
of new materials, which need not await complete knowledge of the field
but can be carried out with more fundamental studies and may point out
areas in need of further study."
Following instructions from President Miller,
the Chairman reported to the Dean of Tech even though Physics and Chemistry
were in the College of Arts and Sciences. Miller wanted the Center to
be in the academic chain of command for better integration into the academic
functions of the University. Dean Leland of CAS was very cooperative and
I had direct access to him. The proposal called for the Center to be administered
by a committee of 5 including the Chairman. The others on the initial
committee were Ewald, Frerichs, Gratch, and Selwood. The proposal stated
that "While individual laboratories of the Interdisciplinary Center, general
and special, will be associated with existing departments, it shall be
the responsibility of the committee to maintain the interdepartmental
and interdisciplinary character of the individual components of the Center."
Cutting up the "pie" among the departments was vigorously resisted.
The ARPA contract was for expansion of
the University activities in the materials sciences. Any withdrawal of
University funds would pose a problem in the annual reports to ARPA. The
Center chairman did not have any control over departmental budget allocations
and preventing withdrawal of funds for support of the materials sciences
proved to be a problem. This problem was discussed with Vice President
Payson Wild who gave the Center a modest discretionary budget.
Gotaas decided that the Administrative
Committee of the Materials Research Center would be advisory to the Chairman
rather than a decision making body. He thought rule be a committee would
be unworkable. All major decisions were taken up with the Committee and
I can't remember a case while I was Chairman when there was not unanimity.
The Committee represented materials science as a whole and the individual
members were not parochial to their departments. In one case a Department
Chairman of Physics was upset that a member from his department had been
part of a unanimous decision to not fund a particular research and threatened
the committee member. I called Dean Leland who took me out to lunch (including
drinks) and subsequently settled the matter amicably.
The original concept for the Center was
to include a graduate program administered by the Center. One graduate
student advised by Selwood actually enrolled in this interdisciplinary
program but the Chemistry Department was opposed to Center administering
a graduate program. The Dean of the Graduate School, Moody Prior (Bob
Baker was Associate Dean), took the side of Chemistry and the Center's
graduate program was a casualty. While I was initially upset, I eventually
realized the Materials Science Department was better off, allowing it
freedom to develop a complete graduate program. This was featured in our
reports to ARPA.
The Materials Science Department prior
to the Materials Center had not developed any activity in polymers. Malcolm
Dole in Chemistry was a world renowned researcher and teacher in the field
and Serge Gratch in Mechanical Engineering had developed a program in
polymers. Serge soon left to join Ford Motor's Research Laboratory after
receiving several offers in series each at a higher salary. The Chemistry
Department decided that polymers had become primarily an applied field
and they did not wish to develop it further. An arrangement was made for
Malcolm to have a joint appointment with Materials Science. This arrangement
between the two Deans was made much easier because the Geology Department
wanted to give Hans Weertman a joint appointment because of his interests
in glaciology and continent drift. Soon Bill Graessley joined the Chemical
Engineering Department and then it was decided that polymers would be
the joint responsibility of the Materials Science and Chemical Engineering
Departments. Bill Graessley and all subsequent faculty members in polymers
in Tech were given joint appointments in the two Departments. This has
gone very smoothly with benefit to everyone concerned.
Soon after the Materials Research Center
began with me as Chairman, Don Whitmore rotated into Chairman of the Materials
Science Department. During the first years of the Materials Research Center
I came to the conclusion that the Center and I would be better off with
a rotating chairman policy. I very much wished to spend more time on teaching
and research and not lose touch with my field. I also believed rotating
the chairman would be better for the long term health of the Center. I
began discussions with Gotaas and then ARPA and was able to convince them
of the wisdom of my decision. Northwestern was the only IDL to adopt a
rotating chairman policy at that time. After I had served four years,
Malcolm Dole became Chairman of the Materials Research Center. I served
as Associate Chairman for a year to ease the transition. During that year
Malcolm had an extended illness requiring surgery and I was Chairman again
for a time.
One of the burdens of the Materials Research
Center is putting out an annual report. Julia Weertman was editor of the
first report. The first reports had standard informational covers. Later
I decided to introduce some art and I hired an art major student to design
a stylized version of a dislocation for the cover. Prints of research
result photographs were used for report covers in following years. One
year Malcolm had Bill Kobes make a stylized sketch of me for the cover
as a surprise. The picture was not flattering.
The Materials Research Center staff included
an Assistant Chairman and Colonel Gerald Ward was the first appointee.
Col. Ward had supervised construction of air fields in Europe and the
Far East and in the early years of the Center he assisted in planning
the construction of the new space which had begun just west of the Lake
Michigan shore as it existed at that time. Jorj Osterberg advised on the
foundation. It floats like a boat but on sand without pilings. The whole
structure is anchored to the older part of the Tech building. We made
sure there would be adequate electricity for a long time in the future.
Heavy bus bars go through the laboratories.
The University decided to build a much
larger structure than that needed for the Materials Science Department
and the Materials Research Center expansion. Space for Industrial Engineering
and Nuclear Engineering was included. The Industrial Engineering space
included a machine shop with a wood parquet floor but by the time the
construction was finished the Industrial Engineering Department had gone
in the direction of management sciences, and operations research. The
"shop" became offices for graduate students to do "desk top" research.
Many faculty members got offices with beautiful lake views but of course
many other faculty members, particularly in Chemistry and Electrical Engineering,
lost their lake views.
In finishing the offices a number of decisions
needed to be made such as location of the blackboards. Gerald Ward and
I decided on their location without consulting the faculty members who
were moving in. This would have been a time consuming and tedious process
and office assignments frequently change. Of course, the blackboard was
always located in the wrong place. Gerald and I took a lot of flack. Offices
for Materials Science Department faculty members were interspersed with
some Physics and Chemistry offices in keeping with the interdisciplinary
nature of the Center. Gerald was in charge of the move for the materials
faculty and had worked out a schedule coordinating the moves with the
telephone installations. The Center office in the old building was highly
inadequate, so I decided to move before telephone installation. Gerald
was upset with me.
In 1961 an International Conference on
the Chemical Physics of Nonmetallic Crystals was held in our new space
before we moved in. Gerald Ward was in charge of local arrangements. It
was not his fault that some of the Swedish attendees swam in Lake Michigan
sans clothing and were seen by some graduate student wives. Poor Gerald
took abuse from some of the foreign visitors over obtaining proper receipts
to substantiate travel funds requested. The policy was no receipts, no
funds. The Conference was supported by NSF and DOD and our business office
wanted no future problems with auditors. One irate attendee threatened
to take the matter up with the US State Department. Gerald who had been
on General Lauris Norstad's staff suggested he go directly to President
Kennedy.
Ben Gotaas liked to discuss matters that
were on his mind with individual faculty members who were not involved.
I can remember many such discussions with Ben up to the time he retired
as Dean. He was a very fair minded person who always wanted to do the
right thing for his faculty members without malice or prejudice. He also
was very active in recommending faculty members for honors and awards.
Ben was a strong battler for what he thought was right and for Tech to
get its fair share. There were a number of sources of irritation between
Ben and the University Central Administration. There were problems with
central recruiting of undergraduate students. Ben thought Tech could do
a better job on its own. Cross tuition was paid from the Murphy Endowment
income for CAS courses taken by Tech students, but there was no such cross
tuition for CAS students taking Tech courses. After much effort this was
arranged but it was not a major source of funds. There was resistance
to a program in applied math in Tech. The established University policy
was that there would be only one math department. Ben won that one too
and Ivar Stakgold was brought in to establish a program in applied math.
Other writers will say more about Ben Gotaas's efforts and battles to
make Tech into a better engineering school.
For many years there was only one Murphy
Professor in Tech namely Nick Heytenyi. Ben Gotaas thought others should
have this distinction as well. George Thodos and I became Murphy Professors.
Ben had continued his very active and distinguished research program in
environmental engineering while he was Dean. He was clearly deserving
of the Murphy Professor rank. Unknown to Ben we recommended him to Payson
Wild for this rank. This was endorsed by both Payson Wild and President
Miller and sent to the Trustees for approval, Ben became a Murphy Professor.
He was the first member of Tech to be elected to the National Academy
of Engineering.
It was my privilege to have been Chairman
of the Materials Science Department and then Chairman of the Materials
Research Center in their beginning years. The success of Northwestern
University in the materials field is due in large measure to the foresight
and pioneering spirit of the early faculty members to pursue materials
broadly rather than a collection of narrow fields.
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MY YEARS AT NORTHWESTERN
by
Lyle H. Schwartz
The Northwestern University of 1954, the
one I first came to as a young, uncertain student, was far different from
that of today. Try to picture a charming, ivy league-type setting, nestled
in the quiet suburb of alcohol-free Evanston (home of the Women's Temperance
Union). The campus was fully surrounded by an iron fence - most of which
was torn down years later during the student protest days of the Vietnam
War-Kent State Massacre. Northwestern was best known in nearby Chicago
as the home of young coeds who aspired to and often won the Miss Photoflash
beauty contest. Social life was dominated by the "Greek" fraternities
and sororities and the nearest thing to a student union was the basement
cafeteria in Scott Hall.
The Technological Institute building was
relatively young in those days; women and minority students were rare,
and the typical white male engineering student, recognizable by the slide-rule
hanging from his belt, was known derisively by his counterpart in other
schools as a "Tech-Weeny."
In those days, engineering students took
five courses per quarter - four technical and one liberal arts to round
out our education. Those "fifth" courses were some of the best offered
on campus, tailor-made for the engineering students with somewhat lighter
reading loads, but oh-so-well taught. I recall courses on cost-accounting,
Keynsian Economics, Pavlovian Behavioral Psychology, and especially that
wonderful course on American History taught by Clarence VerSteeg (yes,
the same Dean VerSteeg who was so influential in so many ways over the
next four decades in the development of Northwestern as a University of
distinction).
I also remember taking courses which no
engineering school would consider offering today, but which helped mold
my bent for metallurgy as well as a hobby developed later in life - courses
on foundry, on welding, and on machining. In those days, no self-respecting
engineer could be developed without such exposures to actually making
things as well as to courses on how things worked.
Two courses, in particular, influenced
my decision to focus on materials (I began in Industrial Engineering -
a choice based not on knowledge of the field, but rather an intention
to be an "engineer working in industry"). I did very badly in my first,
required, course in mechanical drafting - and then learned that I would
have to take a second, more demanding, course in drafting if I stayed
in I.E., so I was exposed to Introduction to Materials (a course still
taught to most engineers throughout the world). For me, the source was
a revelation. The professor, Jacob Frankel (who left NU several years
later), used his own draft textbook which he delivered to us on mimeographed
sheets. (You can tell how very long ago that l955 event was by the lack
of photocopy capability). Frankel had a provocative teaching style which
matched my needs and I loved the challenge of the material. I was hooked.
In those days, of course, there was no possibility of doing an undergraduate
degree in materials or metallurgy, for that matter. In fact, the graduate
program in metallurgy didn't really begin until the next year. Fortunately,
providence intervened in the person of Morrie Fine, and the experimental
program called Science Engineering. With Morrie's help as advisor and
the flexibility that that program offered, I was able to take a major
in physics, a minor in mathematics, and still fit in most of the beginning
graduate level courses offered in materials. Although I was to participate
actively in later years in the development of the undergraduate curriculum
in materials science at Northwestern, I still feel in my heart-of-hearts
that my own undergraduate experience was nearly ideal as a preparation
for graduate study in materials. On the other hand, if I had gone on to
industrial work with that background, I would have been an embarrassment
as an engineer!
Undergraduate engineering education on
the l950's and l960's required a co-op experience - six quarters of work
in industry or a research lab, expanding the baccalaureate experience
to five years. I've always regretted the decision to make co-op optional,
as I felt that the experience, at its best, could be the defining elements
for the undergraduate. Today, as more and more schools search for ways
to expose their students to real world engineering examples, and step
back somewhat from the all-theory educational experience we achieved in
the late seventies, co-op like industrial exposure at graduate as well
as undergraduate levels is increasingly more common.
It's hard to believe in these days of multimillion
dollar Federal research programs and hundreds of graduate students and
post-docs, but in the mid-l950's very few faculty in Tech did much research
and that which they did was funded by occasional grants from some young
Federal agencies, a few nearby industries or small research stipends from
the University. In a very dramatic way, things changed in l959-l960 when
spearheaded by the vision and drive of Morrie Fine, Northwestern became
one of the first three Interdisciplinary Materials Research laboratories.
The team of faculty Morrie assembled from physics, chemistry, civil engineering
(applied mechanics) and metallurgy won out over many competitors because
of the true commitment to interdisciplinary research in that newly developing
field dubbed "Materials Science." For me, this new program and the opportunity
to work with Jerry Cohen, who was one of the first hired because of this
grant, were the principal reasons for staying at NU and majoring in materials.
I could to into detail about the influence
that program had on stimulating cross-departmental interactions, one of
Northwestern's great strengths today, on setting the stage for the many
subsequent research centers which developed in all parts of the university,
and on the extraordinary range of technical accomplishments which that
Materials Research Center developed, but I'll leave those details to others.
Instead, I want to note the impact of the Federal funding on research
space. The contract from the government including funding which allowed
the university to add the two eastern-most wings to Tech. Those "new"
wings, now some 23 years old, completed the original design for Tech and
opened up experimental facilities for materials and biosciences, rapidly
developing areas which had been dispersed throughout the old wings of
Tech. I remember this period with some poignancy, as the occupation of
the new wings occurred while I was completing my Ph.D. thesis work in
l962-63, and I elected to keep my equipment in the old building rather
than risk the almost certain disaster which I knew would accompany disassembly
and reassembly of equipment. I did move my office, and that was just in
time. I and my fellow grad student occupants of the fifth floor cubbyhole
over the elevator shaft were particularly relieved to escape the roaches
which seemed to especially love to nibble on the spines of our books.
To this day, I'm reminded of those days whenever I chance to glance at
the roach-eaten cover of "Little-Cottrell", my first primer on materials
science, which occupies a place of prominence on my bookshelf. One of
the most unfortunate aspects of Federal support of science and engineering
at universities in the current era is the virtual lack of support for
the physical facilities in which that part of the Federal government's
R&D is carried out.
During most of the l960's, as the field
of materials science and engineering developed, academic departments all
over the country experimented with undergraduate programs which built
in most cases on preexisting programs in metallurgy or metallurgical engineering,
Northwestern's program had been targeted at graduate education, with a
few undergraduates encouraged to major in materials while obtaining that
flexible science engineering degree. In the late l960's the department
agreed to pursue a formal undergraduate program, and I was privileged
to be given the charge by Jerry Cohen (then department chairman) to pull
it all together. We worked to develop new courses, to modify old ones,
to create undergraduate laboratory facilities and, most importantly, to
recruit students who would major in MSE. I felt then, as I do now, that
the most important product we could offer prospective converts to MSE
was the openness of the faculty and their genuine interest in working
with students. I hope that that warmth and student involvement has not
been lost in the more demanding recent years in which finding funds to
support research has become such a time-consuming aspect of academic life.
From recognition as the home base of Miss
Photoflash to recognition as one of the outstanding engineering schools
in the Nation, the transition is amazing. When I put on my class ring
each morning, I feel a special sense of pleasure in the knowledge of Northwestern's
great success in engineering and a good deal of nostalgia for the friends
and colleagues of those many years. But uppermost, I feel a special sense
of pride for my small part in that transition to greatness.
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HISTORY OF MATERIALS SCIENCE
AND ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
by
Thomas O. Mason
Prepared for the 25th Anniversary of the Department in
1979.
Only the portion to 1969 is included and a new ending has been added.
The occasion of the 25th Anniversary of
the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University
affords an opportunity to review the history of the Department's first
quarter century. Any and all who have been associated with the department
through the years will derive benefit from the following account which
is derived largely from the contributions of the past and present department
chairmen. Naturally, not every name associated with the department through
the years can be mentioned in the following, condensed history. It is
to the myriad of students, staff and secretaries, whose names will go
unmentioned, but who played nonetheless a significant role in the development
of the department that the following account is dedicated.
The First Materials Department in the US
In the Fall of 1953, Professor Whitmore,
then a professor in the Chemical Engineering Department at Northwestern
contacted a fellow Minnesota graduate by the name of Morrie Fine, who
at that time was a research scientist at Bell Labs. Northwestern had finally
decided to initiate a Graduate Department of Metallurgy and Professor
Whitmore wanted to know if Dr. Fine desired a faculty position. After
a discussion with Dean Loughridge, Dr. Fine visited the campus in February
of 1954 on a beautiful day which reached nearly 70¡ F. In retrospect,
Dr. Fine often wonders that if his visit had been on a typical dreary,
cold winter day, that his career would rather have continued at Bell Labs.
At any rate, a professorship was offered and Dr. Fine planned to join
the faculty in the Fall of 1954.
Meanwhile, Jack Frankel, due to his expertise
in Nuclear Engineering, was asked to join the department in the Spring
of 1954. The summer of 1954 found Professors Frankel and Whitmore both
in the Boston area. Professor Whitmore was on leave of absence at the
time at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Together with Professor
Fine, these three plotted the future Department of Metallurgy.
On arrival at Northwestern University in
September 1954, Professor Fine was asked to assume the acting chairmanship
and to attempt to attract a permanent chairman. When attempts failed in
1955, Professor Fine was asked to assume chairmanship of the Department.
When Professor Whitmore returned from MIT, he and Professor Fine agreed
that the chairmanship would be rotated among members of the department.
This is a practice that has been successfully employed by the department
to the present day.
The next faculty arrival was John Brittain. Prior
to coming to Northwestern, he was a postdoctoral researcher with Max Gensamer
at Columbia University. Acquaintance was made with Professor Fine at various
AIME meetings and on visits by Professor Fine to the Gensamer laboratory.
Professor Brittain began at Northwestern in the Spring of 1955.
As a result of foregoing a senior person
for the chairmanship of the fledgling metallurgy department, permission
was granted to add two assistant professors. These were Jack Kauffman,
who at the time was a Ph.D. student under Koehler at the University of
Illinois, and Tony Kelly , who had done postdoctoral work with Paul Beck,
also at the University of Illinois, but was then at Birmingham. Professor
Brittain's opinion of Dr. Kelly was that he had outstanding promise of
a truly distinguished career. This brought the Department to five full-time
faculty with 19 students, and over $100,000 of sponsored research according
to the annual report of 1957-58.
Here are some interesting facts about the
department during its early years. Departmental facilities consisted of
two metallographic laboratories, an X-ray laboratory and a former student
lounge which was converted to laboratory space by Buildings and Grounds.
Additional laboratories were picked up as time went on by converting storage
space or by prying space away from other departments. It is interesting
to note that space limitations have always plagued the department since
its earliest years.
One interesting fact is that the first
graduate student who arrived in the Winter of 1955 was also the first
degree recipient in 1956. This was Ann Wilfert who received her Masters
in 1956. The first Ph.D.'s were awarded to Soji Nenno, Charles Chiou,
and Mike Meshii in 1959. Although space prohibited the teaching of an
undergraduate curriculum, almost immediately a Metallurgy option was offered
for undergraduate students in Science Engineering. Some comments are appropriate
regarding the faculty and staff during those early years. One of the earliest
departmental secretaries, Mary Elliott, joined and remained with the department
until the early 1960's. Two other familiar names, Clarisse Nelson and
Dot Johnson were also added as project secretaries. During this time,
faculty offices and labs were literally scattered throughout the old portion
of the Technological Institute. Following lively debates, faculty meetings
were adjourned to drinks and dinner at the Nautical Inn on Dempster Street.
Soon after the formation of the Graduate
Department of Metallurgy, it became obvious that a broader charter was
necessary to cover the total field of materials science. The mid 1950's
saw the rapid growth of the semiconductor industry and physical ceramics
emerged as a field unto itself. Departmental research already covered
metals, ceramics and electronic materials. After much discussion among
the faculty and with Dean Gotaas, the name of the department was formally
changed to the Graduate Department of Materials Science in a memorandum
dated December 23, 1959. This is particularly timely in view of the ARPA-IDL
materials program which was announced in August of 1959. Northwestern
University was the only university at that time which had such a department.
In 1958, after Tony Kelly left for Cambridge
where Allan Cottrell had just become Professor of Metallurgy, the department
was permitted to add two new faculty members. This was because Professor
Kelly had been responsible for both X-rays and diffraction theory. In
the words of then Chairman Fine, "Lady Luck really smiled on the department."
The two selections were Jerry Cohen and Hans Weertman. Dr. Cohen was a
student of Mike Bever at MIT and did part of his thesis with the help
of Bert Warren and also had worked with Professor Guinier in France. Dr.
Weertman had achieved an outstanding reputation while at the Naval Research
Laboratory although he was on leave at the time with the Office of Naval
Research in London. Professor Cohen joined the Department in December
1959 and Professor Weertman joined the Department in January 1960. This
brought to six the number of faculty in the Department of Materials Science.
The Advent of the Materials Research Center
Perhaps the most significant event in the
department's history was the establishment of the Materials Research Center.
In August of 1959, the University received a letter from the Advanced
Research Project Agency inviting a proposal for participation in the ARPA
Interdisciplinary Materials Laboratory Program. Professor Fine chaired
the ad-hoc committee to prepare an appropriate response. Together this
committee proposed a "Coordinated Interdisciplinary Interdepartmental
Basic Program of Education and Research in Materials," in part consisting
of "Approximately 20 Interdisciplinary Laboratories" (Central Facilities).
A 55,000 square foot net addition to the Technological Institute east
of the existing building, was proposed to house the department plus the
expansions of Physics and Chemistry departments in the area of Materials
Science. The department was proposed to increase from 6 to 16 with approximately
$2 million steady state budget excluding the cost of the building.
Northwestern University was one of 10 to
15 finalists chosen from 55 universities which had submitted preproposals.
After more correspondence and a site visit involving research presentations
by the faculty, the university was selected along with Cornell University
and the University of Pennsylvania in February of 1960 to submit final
proposals to ARPA for the IDL program. The Technological Institute addition
was scaled down to 45,000 square feet net, the Materials Science Department
was to grow to only 14 faculty, the number of Central Research Laboratories
was scaled down to 18, and a steady state level of support of $1,250,000
was agreed upon. In addition, ARPA agreed to pay an annual building use
fee of $235,600 for 10 years to partially defray the cost of the building
addition, bringing the annual budget to $1,587,000. In 1960, Professor
Fine became the Chairman of the Materials Research Center and Professor
Whitmore rotated into the Department Chairmanship.
The effect of the Materials Research Center
on the department was instantaneous and dramatic. Much of the department's
research equipment was added in the first years of the Materials Research
Center including most of the optical microscopes, the first transmission
electron microscope, and much additional X-ray equipment. In the expansion,
Professors Freise, Hilliard, Johnson, Meshii, Schwartz and Wagner were
added to the department. For polymers, Malcolm Dole was given a joint
appointment. In addition, Bill Graessley joined the Chemical Engineering
Department and was also given a joint appointment. Valuable additions
were made to the staff as well. After the new addition was occupied, Al
Nelson came to the metallographic facility, Lenny Morrison was first hired
for the machine shop but soon went with Professor Cohen for the X-ray
diffraction facility. Fred Riske convinced his close friend Dick Bartels
to join the machine shop in the luxurious new facility in the Tech addition.
Jim Hahn also joined the machine shop at this early period of MRC history.
In 1961 the International Conference on the Chemical Physical of Non-Metallic
Crystals was held at Northwestern in the new quarters before the department
moved in.
Years of Growth
The years immediately following the initiation
of the Materials Research Center resulted in a dramatic growth in the
Department of Materials Science under the MRC Chairmanship of Professor
Fine and the Department Chairmanship of Professor Whitmore. The faculty
increased from 6 to 14 and the number of graduate students tripled. With
the addition of Professors Dole, Graessley and Johnson, polymer and ceramic
activities were developed to complement the ongoing metallurgy activities
within the department.
Professor Wagner's excellent research program
in electronic materials and Professor Meshii's electron microscopy capabilities
helped strengthen the department's scientific reputation and broaden the
scope of operations. Many of the department's most distinguished alums
received their graduate training during the early 1960's and the department's
reputation in no small measure was enhanced by their efforts.
Professor Hans Weertman inherited the Department
Chair from Professor Whitmore in 1965. He considers the most significant
accomplishment of his chairmanship to be the fact that numerous faculty
were offered prestigious positions elsewhere but all elected to stay at
Northwestern.
During this period Professor Waber arrived
from Los Alamos to work in the area of corrosion and Professor Davidson
was added to the polymer group. The MS Industry Program was initiated,
largely through the efforts of Professor Cohen. Lively faculty meetings,
discussions were enjoined concerning the merits of adding the words "and
Engineering" to the department's title.
Here are some interesting facts about the
department during these years. Professor Meshii (with Dr. Cottrell of
Argonne) organized an international conference on lattice defects that
was held at Argonne and jointly sponsored by the department. The Physics
and Chemistry Departments bid to take over space in the subbasement was
successfully deflected. The department was, however, unsuccessful in blocking
the construction of the exit from Tech to the Biology building that passed
directly through Professor Wagner's lab. A department safety committee
was first established. The comprehensive exam was first waived for those
students who had maintained a good grade point average and the language
requirement for the Ph.D. was reduced to translating two or three papers
in the candidate's field of expertise with the aid of any dictionaries.
This was the last weigh-station on the way to eliminating the requirement
entirely.
In 1968 Professor Brittain rotated into
the Department Chairmanship. Professor Whitmore became director of MRC.
Professor Dole took emeritus status in 1969 to accept the Robert Welch
Chair of Baylor's Department of Chemistry. During 1969-70 Professors Walter
S. Owen, who was also Dean, and Stephen H. Carr in polymers joined the
faculty of the department.
During the period 1954 to 1969, the Materials
Science Department became established as one of the prime graduate departments
in materials in the United States. This is due significantly to the excellent
graduate students who enrolled in the department and their successes after
they left Northwestern.
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INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING AT
NORTHWESTERN
by
Gilbert K. Krulee
INTRODUCTION
My first visit to Northwestern was in the
summer of 1959 in response to a letter from Bob Lehrer, the chair of the
department. I met Lehrer, Jack Mitten, Al Rubenstein as the core faculty
in IE at that time. I also remember meeting Gordon Murphy who was very
active in the field of control theory, along with Dick Jones, professor
in Electrical Engineering, who was pioneering in his effort to develop
a program in Biomedical Engineering. I should add a note on the rationale
of Lehrer's interest in having me in the department. It was a matter of
adding a competence in ``Human Engineering'' to complement the existing
resources of the department. Soon after, I received an offer at the level
of Associate Professor which I accepted. My actual tenure began in January,
1960. Before continuing, let me try to review some of the circumstances
leading to the formation of the department in 1958 and then review how
the department has evolved over the ensuing years.
ORIGINS
The field of Industrial Engineering has
its origins in manufacturing and the problems of managing those activities
more efficiently. Indeed, its original home was as an option in Mechanical
Engineering, a pattern that was typical of Industrial Engineering at many
universities. More specifically, the roots of these programs can be traced
back to the work of Frederick Taylor and his pioneering work in ``Scientific
Management''. As one landmark, there is an early work by Taylor on ``Shop
Management'', published in 1911. By the 1940s, it had become fashionable
to make fun of Taylor particularly because of his emphasis on time and
motion study, stopwatch techniques, and individual incentive systems.
On looking back, it would appear that Taylor was ahead of his time and
that he did his best with very limited tools and in the absence of adequate
theoretical foundations.
At any rate, the first activities in Industrial
Engineering were based in Mechanical Engineering which offered an option
in Industrial Engineering during the early 1950s. Ray Lindenmeyer was
the key person at that time. It is significant that he also ran the ME
machine shop laboratory and supervised courses that used that laboratory.
This was a period in which undergraduates were expected to have ``hands
on'' experience and this certainly applied to the program in Mechanical
Engineering.
To a significant extent the impetus for
change and expansion in Industrial Engineering was sparked by the remarkable
success of the new field of ``Operations Research'' which was an outgrowth
of efforts during World War II. It is significant that this work in Operations
Research was quite different in orientation from the earlier work in Industrial
Engineering. First, it made extensive use of mathematical techniques.
These included statistics and experimental design but there was also a
significant emphasis on the topic of ``optimization'' as sparked by the
early works in linear programming. Second, there was a focus on larger
and more complex systems. While Taylor tended to limit his attention to
one ``man'' with one ``machine'', the work in OR would model, in principle,
any productive system, including a complete productive enterprise. Third,
as a side effect of this use of more abstract tools, the close tie to
Mechanical Engineering was broken. From the OR perspective, one might
just as well apply these new techniques to problems in Chemical Engineering,
Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or to problems in non-engineering
fields, such as hospital management, banks, schools, etc.
THE EARLY TIMES
Ben Gotaas came to Northwestern in 1956
and one of his first efforts was devoted to establishing a new department
of Industrial Engineering, building upon the existing option in Mechanical
Engineering. To chair this new department, he recruited Bob Lehrer who
came from Georgia Tech. Bob had been educated as an industrial engineer
but was certainly aware of the new developments which were then taking
place. One key appointment was to hire Jack Mitten who came from Ohio
State. Jack's graduate degree was in Industrial Engineering but his specialty
was in Operations Research. Indeed, he is best known for his research
in the field of Dynamic Programming. Another key appointment was to hire
Abe Charnes from Purdue, who was a pioneer in Linear Programming and Optimization
Theory. Interestingly enough, since Charnes was a mathematician, his primary
appointment was in the newly formed department of Engineering Sciences
which later became the current department of Applied Mathematics. Abe
also had a joint appointment with IE.
Although Bob Lehrer gave strong support
to works in OR, he had a broader vision of what should be included in
the newly formed department. By this time, major developments had taken
place in the area of ``human relations,'' with regard to an understanding
of the human side of an industrial enterprise. This was one of the great
weaknesses of the original work in scientific management. Indeed, Taylor
was often criticized not so much on technical grounds but on his inability
to cope with the influence of labor unions or to understand how individuals
could be motivated. At any rate Lehrer decided that the department needed
competence in ``Organization Theory'' as representing the new emphasis
on human relations. To this end, he hired Al Rubenstein as the senior
person in organization theory. Al came to Northwestern from MIT by way
of a PhD from Columbia. There was a third area in which Lehrer felt the
need for some competence. That was in ``Human Engineering'' which was
another discipline that emerged from World War II. And I was hired to
be the key person in that area. This completed Lehrer's vision for the
new department. In this fashion, the IE Department began its work at both
the undergraduate and graduate levels. I want to make some observations
about some of the implications of these early appointments and the emphasis
on OR, Organization Theory, and Human Factors Human Engineering. Traditional
engineering departments have close ties to work in mathematics and the
physical sciences, such as Physics and Chemistry and more recently in
Physiology. Although, IE continues its ties to the field of mathematics,
there is an increasing emphasis on the social sciences. For example, Economics
is of considerable importance to work in OR and it is more than a coincidence
that Art Hurter, a key member in IE, has a PhD in Economics. With respect
to Organization Theory, there are ties to Experimental Psychology, Cognitive
Psychology, Social Psychology and Sensory Psychology. As a consequence,
IE has linkages to a number of social science departments in the university
while most engineering departments maintain equivalent ties to the physical
sciences. What all departments seem to have in common is their emphasis
on mathematics.
SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENTS
Let me now try to review developments over
the ensuing years: departmental chairs, faculty additions, and program
developments.
CHAIRS
Bob Lehrer was the first chair of the department
and, in many respects, deserves credit for its foundation and for the
overall breadth of its activities. For a variety of reasons, the OR activities
have been the most successful perhaps because they are easily defined
and because of their relationship to mathematics. As a result, they have
the feel of the ``hard'' sciences and of applied science which is less
obvious with the activities in Human Factors and Organization Theory.
At any rate, Bob was not wholly comfortable with the evolving characteristics
of the department and with what he perceived as a growing lack of balance.
He resigned his position as chair in 1963 and returned to Georgia Tech.
Later he became dean of their school of Industrial Engineering, continuing
in that position until his recent retirement. He was succeeded by Loring
``Jack'' Mitten, the senior professor in the area of OR. Like many professors,
Jack was more committed to research activities and soon resigned as chair.
Then in the middle 60s, he left for the University of British Columbia
where he is currently located. I succeeded him as chair in 1965 and continued
until 1970. In retrospect, one of my main objectives was to work out an
acceptable equilibrium between all segments of the department. This was
complicated by my growing involvement with computer science leading to
the formation of that department in 1970. I shall have more to say about
this under the heading of Faculty Developments.
FACULTY ADDITIONS
I will review these developments with respect
to the three programmatic emphases that originally characterized the department.
In the area of organization theory, there has been only a single addition,
Charles Thompson, who is also a graduate of the department (PhD). Thus,
this area has been staffed for some time by Al Rubenstein and Charles
Thompson with no changes taking place whatsoever. In the area of Human
Factors, often referred to as Systems Design, there has been little change.
Gus Rath came to the department in the early 1960s. With my departure
from active involvement in the department, that has left Gus as the only
person in this area, although Charles Thompson is also a relevant faculty
member. Not surprisingly, most of the faculty growth and change has been
in OR and the department is often perceived as heavily involved in OR.
In the area of Optimization, we have had a number of distinguished professors,
including Adi Ben-Israel, Elmore Peterson, Jim Falk, and Bob Bixby. Unfortunately,
all have received attractive offers from competing institutions and have
left.
One of the more critical areas in the department
is that of statistics. But it has also been a difficult area to staff.
The first appointment in this area was Sidney Singer from Johns Hopkins.
He later took a position in industry. He was followed by Marilyn Sorum,
from the University of Minnesota. She too left for a position in industry.
Two more influential faculty members were Erhan Cinlar and Stan Pliska
both of whom combined an interest in statistics proper with activities
in Stochastic Processes. Unfortunately, after having been very influential
in the affairs of the department, both left. Erhan is now at Princeton
and Stan is at the University of Illinois - Chicago. Currently, Ajit Tamhane
is the key faculty member in the area of statistics. Not long after he
came to Northwestern, there was formed a new department of statistics
in the College of Arts and Sciences and Ajit has an active role in that
department. This helps to stabilize our activities in statistics through
the development of a larger community of scholars with shared and supporting
interests and through the availability of a broader set of course offerings.
In the main areas of OR, there have been several important additions to
the faculty. These include Art Hurter, Phil Jones, Mark Spearman, and
Wally Hopp. I mention these four first because they share an interest
in economic issues and in applications in areas that have some relationship
to manufacturing and design. Unfortunately, Phil Jones has just left for
a position at Iowa State and Mark Spearman will soon be leaving for Georgia
Institute of Technology.
For a brief period during the middle to
late 60s there were also some additions in the area of Information Systems.
These included Ben Mittman who came as Director of the Vogelback Computing
Center and Mike Flynn whose interests were primarily in Computer Architecture.
Ben has recently retired and Mike moved on to Stanford. Perhaps it will
be appropriate to include some explanation for this development and for
its eventual disappearance from the department. Soon after I joined the
department in 1960, I became interested in the growing use of computers
and in the powerful impact they were likely to have on the engineering
profession. As a consequence, I convinced Bob Lehrer that we should develop
a year-long (i.e. three quarter) sequence in Information Systems. At that
time, there was only a single course available in Tech, taught by Jim
Van Ness in Electrical Engineering. Moreover, its primary emphasis was
on numerical analysis and there seemed to be room for other courses with
more of an emphasis on information systems and data processing. Accordingly,
a sequence was introduced and it was taught initially by Bruce Johnson
and myself with assistance from Dave Kuck who was then a graduate student
in our department. Dave later moved on to a very distinguished career
at the University of Illinois. Bruce was part of the OR faculty and he
had strong interests in computer simulations. Bruce later left for Rutgers.
Since there was not yet in existence a department of computer science,
it seemed reasonable to add faculty to IE in this area, particularly since
we were attracting a substantial number of graduate students with an interest
in majoring in Computers and Information Systems. However, when the new
Department of Computer Science was formed in 1970, the relevant faculty
moved on to the new department. To continue with this review of faculty
additions, in the area of Mathematical Programming, the senior person
is Bob Fourer. Other faculty who have joined the department in recent
years and who add strength to the OR activities are Collette Coullard,
Gordon Hazen, Sanjay Mehrotra, Yehuda Bassok, Maria Rieders, and David
Simchi-Levi. Finally, among the faculty additions, I need to include Don
Frey, the retired CEO of Bell and Howell. I won't attempt to assign Don
to any single area of the department. But he has an important influence
on all of the department's activities, particularly in areas that involve
applications of IE methods to the broad field of manufacturing.
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENTS
I have referred to the activities of the
department under the three headings of OR, Organizational Theory, and
Human Factors. From a historical perspective, I believe that these headings
are descriptively accurate about the early years although they have been
gradually replaced by a different and expanded set of headings. These
can be described as follows.
First, in the early 70s, the department
changed its name from Industrial Engineering to Industrial Engineering
and Management Services. Why the change? To some extent, there was an
attempt to make clear that the department represented the new industrial
engineering rather than the older and somewhat discredited (i.e. overly
practical) work in industrial engineering. There was also the emphasis
on greater breadth and greater reliance on an appropriate theoretical
foundation. Second, in describing the undergraduate core areas, the department
lists five. These are ``probability, statistics, and simulation; operations
research; production and economics; applied behavioral science; and systems
analysis and design''. The older operations research has been broken up
into the first three areas. Organization theory and Human Factors have
been combined into a single area of Applied Behavioral Science. To some
extent Systems Analysis and Design represents an opportunity to build
bridges among all of the specialized areas. At the graduate level, there
have been evolutionary developments. The current catalog lists the following
as the areas most closely related to the original OR: Applied probability,
economics and production, optimization, statistics, and decision theory.
Organization theory still receives a separate listing along with systems
analysis and design.
Of particular interest, there now exist
several new programs, one at the undergraduate level and three at the
graduate levels. Each of these has an interdisciplinary flavor and an
attempt to relate the activities of the IE/MS Department to problems in
manufacturing. These include:
1. At the undergraduate level, there is a new degree in manufacturing
engineering which ``prepares students for careers as specialists in manufacturing
firms. It also provides a solid technical foundation for a career in manufacturing
management.''
2. At the graduate level, Al Rubenstein pioneered in the development of
a master's level program: Master of Engineering Management, which is designed
for engineers working on a parttime basis. Al has also been responsible
for the development of the CITT program - Center for Information Technology
Transfer - which is interdisciplinary in nature. It involves members of
the EE/CS Department as well as members of the Department of Communications
in the School of Speech.
3. In cooperation with the Kellogg School of Management, there now exists
a 2-year program: Master in Manufacturing Management. This is also an
interdisciplinary program designed to emphasize applications of material
from Industrial Engineering and the School of Management to problems in
manufacturing.
I would like to conclude this historical
review with two broad comments about the special interdisciplinary characteristics
of this department. At the undergraduate level, the department has always
been blessed with a substantial enrollment. Although the enrollment at
the freshman level is small, it continues to grow until graduation. Since
a general engineering program does not exist at Northwestern the IE/MS
Department tends to attract students who want a broad technical background
in order to move on to a variety of careers, often in manufacturing. Similarly
at the graduate level, this department attracts students from a variety
of engineering backgrounds who want to apply their technical backgrounds
to a variety of settings including manufacturing as well as management.
The challenges for this department continue to focus on maintaining a
complex equilibrium among the variety of specialties supported by the
department and to maintain its interdisciplinary linkages to other programs
in Engineering as well as in Management.
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HISTORY OF
DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
by
Arthur P. Hurter
The Department of Industrial Engineering
was established January 1, 1958 by Dean Harold B. Gotaas and the University
Board of Trustees. Robert N. Lehrer served as the first department chair,
a position he held until 1962. Professor Lehrer reported that Dean Gotaas'
vision and enthusiasm for the unique opportunities for an innovative industrial
engineering effort were infectious and that the resources available at
Northwestern, both tangible and intangible were outstanding.
The vision that drove the formation of
the Industrial Engineering Department at Northwestern was that the future
would belong to those who could realistically exploit the full range of
technologies: hardware, software, behavior, and common sense. The initial
educational and research programs, based on this philosophy, were developed
by the key initial faculty recruits: Ray Lindenmeyer in manufacturing
technology, Loring (Jack) Mitten in analytical modeling and operations
research, Gil Krulee in man/technology interactions, and Al Rubenstein
in organization theory. These few faculty were supported by faculty in
other areas including Abraham Charnes in Engineering Science and Gordon
Murphy in systems and control theory.
The fledgling department almost immediately
attracted outstanding Ph.D. students and quickly outgrew its original
headquarters located on the second floor of the "old" Technological Institute
building between the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Departments.
Fortunately, plans were already in the making to expand the original Technological
Institute building by adding what are now the South East and the North
East wings. This expansion in 1963 provided room for the growing Department
of Industrial Engineering on the first and second floors of the North
East wing.
With strong support from Dean Gotaas and
from Professor Charnes and outstanding effort on the part of the overworked
faculty, our department grew not only in space but in numbers of students
and course offerings as well. This core faculty, supplemented by the additions
of Professors Hurter and Rath in the middle 1960's, was dedicated to academic
excellence in both research and in teaching at all levels.
The earliest BS in Industrial Engineering
at Northwestern appears to have been awarded in 1935 but the first full
sized class of BS degree recipients was in 1951. Prior to the establishment
of the Industrial Engineering Department in 1958, an undergraduate program
had existed as an option under the auspices of the Mechanical Engineering
Department with some courses administered by faculty in the School of
Commerce. By 1957, as many as 20 students received their BS degrees through
this option. The earliest Ph.D.'s in Industrial Engineering were awarded
in 1961. Of the three recipients of Ph.D.'s that year, one has since become
a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
The objective then was and to this day
is to approach the traditional problem areas of industrial engineering
using up-to-date methodologies developed for that purpose and borrowing
heavily from the disciplines of mathematics, economics and other social
sciences, as well as from engineering specialties. This approach requires
a diverse faculty with expertise in many disciplines. Accordingly, early
additions to the faculty were specialists in operations research, organization
theory, manufacturing technology, economics, psychology, and computer
languages.
In 1963 the name of the department was
changed to Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences. The argument
made by the department faculty was that "Industrial Engineering," by itself,
was misleading as a reflection of our general field of academic endeavor.
"In the first place it implies that our educational and research programs
are similar to those of the perhaps fourscore traditional Departments
of Industrial Engineering, when in fact we offer not one course or program
in classical Industrial Engineering specialties. Secondly, our present
title does not in any was indicate our extensive engagement in the new
fields (such as Operations Research, Systems Analysis, Computers and Information
Systems, etc.) which have emerged over the last two decades and are now
known under the appellation "Management Sciences." Although we presently
are more like other Industrial Engineering Departments than we were in
1963, because they have incorporated Operations Research and Systems Analysis
into their programs and we have developed a specialty in manufacturing,
our emphasis remains on Management Science.
The IE/MS Department grew and prospered
throughout the 1960's (and the 70's and 80's). In 1983, at the time of
the 25th anniversary of the founding of the department, faculty size had
grown to 17, MS/PhD enrollment to 65, Master of Engineering Management
enrollment to 95, and BS enrollment to 205. We were consistently ranked
as one of the top five research oriented IR/MS/OR Departments in the United
States.
The period of the late 1960's was one of
social unrest and, of course, NU and IE/MS were caught up in it. In 1969
the Technological Institute Building was closed for a number of days and
classes canceled as members of the university community made their feelings
about war and social injustice known. As a fledgling chairperson I vividly
recall monitoring the IE/MS corridors at night in an attempt to thwart
any attempts at vandalism - there were none that I can recall within the
building. While this period was upsetting and detrimental to our work,
other aspects of the period had a positive influence. Funding for research
through US Government agencies like NSF. ONR, NASA, EPA seemed easier
to obtain, perhaps because of more limited competition than seems to be
the case now. Student activists caused us to think more carefully and
to work harder on our undergraduate teaching assignments and our relationships
with students.
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RECOLLECTIONS
by
Joel D. Meyer
Since Tech was separately endowed by the
Murphy gift, Tech paid CAS for teaching to engineering students. The system
was called cross tuition. This created considerable friction between the
Tech and the Central Administration. For the Tech Engineering School,
the Asst. Dean for Administration was the so-called keeper of the financial
records of income and expense. He was constantly pressed by Dean Gotaas
to verify the accuracy of the net deductions for cross tuition as reported
in the Annual Cost Accounting Report for the Tech Institute, prepared
by the Office of the Controller. This report was purported to account
for every administrative charge accruing to Tech and in turn deducted
from the Murphy Income Reserve fund. It was almost like the game of "Put
and Take" for it appeared as though, for every class hour charged to CAS
for course hours taught by Tech faculty, ten hours were charged to Tech
for courses taught by CAS faculty for Tech students. Between the records
kept by Assoc. Dean Brazelton, Dean for Undergraduate Affairs, and Central
Administration, there was always a question as to whose records were accurate
and few changes were ever made and these were minimal. And the suspicion
went on...were we being taken for a ride? Whenever we thought we had a
legitimate complaint for the various other charges made, we were told
that we shouldn't complain for if they really charged us for everything
they should...such as for all of the maintenance of the grounds surrounding
the building, we would have even less in the reserve account. Until the
day during Bruno Boley's regime when all of the accounting for charges
against the Murphy account was totally retained by Central Administration,
and we no longer saw the annual report, the internal discontent remained.
In the never ending quest for space in
which to expand for the purpose of carrying out their research in 1960,
the Materials Science Department was about to procure an electron microscope
and needed a place in which to locate it. Where else then in the men's
washroom and locker room located at the north west corner of the building.
Who would have thought that politics would rear its ugly head at the thought
of removing a men's washroom in a building that had so many? The City
of Evanston objected on the grounds that the building code required one
washroom for every so many male attendees in the building (I don't remember
the exact formula). Apparently they gave way on the grounds that we promise,
as soon as the planned addition to the building was completed, we would
return the space to its original intent. And this we did.
Prior to 1961, proposals were made to The
Advanced Projects Agency (ARPA) of DOD for a major addition to the Technological
Institute. On the successful awarding of this contract two additional
wings were erected and the Materials Science, Biomedical Engineering,
Industrial Engineering departments and the Materials Research Center were
able to move into new and expanded quarters. ARPA repaid the University
for part of the cost through an annual use fee for ten years. This was
in addition to the overhead charge.
In 1965 a major fire took place in a laboratory
of the Electrical Engineering Department. It was this fire that gave us
the confidence that the building was truly fire retardant, for although
the fire destroyed the contents of a large laboratory and damaged the
structure of the room, it fortunately did not spread beyond the enclosure
of the lab.
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF
THE TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE LIBRARY
by
Robert C. Michaelson
The Technological Institute Library had
its roots in small departmental libraries: an Engineering Library in Swift
Hall, and Chemistry and Physics departmental libraries. In addition, materials
on engineering and science were taken from the collection in Deering Library,
Northwestern's main library collection of the time. In all, about 20,000
volumes were gathered for the collection at the opening of the Technological
Institute Library on February 16, 1942. (Its first Librarian, Hazel Walz,
had been on duty for a month prior to opening date, setting up service
routines and inventorying books). The Tech Library was then receiving
117 periodicals, which was increased to 128 by the end of the year: fifty-one
in engineering, forty-seven in chemistry, twenty-seven in physics, and
nine in general sciences.
In its earliest years the Library was open
from 8:30 to 5:30 Monday through Saturday, and from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Monday through Friday. It consisted of a reading room with seating for
140 students, and a double-tiered book stack with an estimated capacity
of 75,000 volumes -- this proved to be optimistic -- and 40 carrels for
researchers (when the Library first opened, access to the stack area was
restricted to faculty and approved graduate students). This represented
some expansion from the plans in the earliest architectural drawings,
in response to a memo from the University Librarian Theodore W. Koch to
University President Franklyn B. Snyder, on May 26, 1939:
"If the prophecy of an eventual enrollment of a thousand students comes
true there will be needed accommodations for at least 300 readers...,
and shelving for from fifty to a hundred thousand books... The Massachusetts
Institute of Technology Library contains 335,000 volumes, receives currently
over 1,500 periodicals and has a library staff of twenty-six people,
with two more to be added on July 1. Northwestern University has only
15,000 in Engineering, Chemistry, and Physics and receives currently
95 periodicals in these fields, and the three departmental libraries
concerned are serviced by secretaries."
Still, the Library did not have space problems
when it opened, and the number of seats was adequate for the size of the
primarily undergraduate Technological Institute of the time. Rather the
chief problems mentioned in the first annual report were the difficulties
in getting periodicals from Axis-controlled countries and the wartime
tightening-up on supplies. Hazel Walz remained for less than a year and
was replaced by Carmen Wilson Walsh, who was Librarian through 1946. By
the end of the war, the Library had increased its holdings to about 24,500
volumes and 266 periodicals received. Some of this growth was promoted
by war-related projects going on at Northwestern, which brought in publications;
for example Library users included Army Signal Corps students and National
Defense Research Committee researchers in chemistry and in physics.
In 1947 Librarian David A. Webb began a
subscription to the Engineering Index abstracting service on index cards,
which came daily and thus allowed much more rapid access to the literature
than the annual Engineering Index volumes. Although the service was canceled
by Webb's successor George Bonn in 1949, as expensive and underutilized
despite promotional efforts, this represented an early instance of what
would be a continuing theme in the Tech Library: providing better access
to information through new services. Bonn remained at the Tech Library
for just three years, but during his tenure opened the stack area to all
students. One result was increased circulation despite significantly declining
enrollment as the number of students on the G. I. Bill decreased. Increased
use of the stacks exacerbated the poor ventilation there, and an exhaust
fan was installed. Bonn greatly increased the number of periodical subscriptions
(there were 742 by the time he left in 1951) and added center-aisle shelving
to the reading room, expanding its capacity by 2,000 volumes.
Alan Krull, who was Librarian from 1951-1956,
introduced a course on "Library Research" for upper-class engineering
students (this had been suggested seven years earlier by Carmen Walsh
but had not then been approved). Krull also instituted key access to the
Tech Library after hours for all faculty and research personnel having
departmental keys, as well as for Ph.D. candidates upon the recommendation
of their department. Like Webb before him, he began to investigate ways
to expand the capacity of the stacks. And some who were in Tech at the
time may recall that he brought in an FM radio and played a classical
music station in the Reading Room on Friday afternoons.
In June 1956 John P. McGowan, who was to
play a major role in the history of the Northwestern University Library,
became Librarian of the Technological Institute. An inventory taken at
about the time of his arrival showed that over 1,000 books were missing
since the previous inventory in 1950; a control desk was placed as a check
point at the exit from the stacks to try to minimize losses. Because of
increasing crowding in the stacks, older periodicals were transferred
to a storage area. In 1957 McGowan began plans to increase purchases of
Russian materials.
Also in 1957 Janet Ayers, known to everyone
who used the Tech Library from that time on, was hired as the Library's
first Reference Librarian "to make possible information service to assist
faculty in contract research." Finally, McGowan's attendance that year
at the Conference on Information Retrieval Systems held at Western Reserve
University presaged his leadership in the later development of Northwestern's
on-line information system NOTIS.
By 1959, the Library held over 60,000 volumes
and was at the limit of its capacity. McGowan invited an architect who
specialized in library buildings to make a preliminary survey. Since the
Trustees objected to any alteration to the Reading Room, planning centered
on the possibility of constructing two additional tiers. McGowan left
in 1959 for the Franklin Institute Library, and it was during Marshall
Fisher's term as Librarian that the stacks were expanded by the addition
of two tiers on top of the original stack area. Because the reading room
and stacks were located over the main auditorium, without supporting pillars
able to carry the weight of two additional tiers of books, special lightweight
steel beams were used, and the walls of the addition were made of aluminum
panels coated with baked enamel. This $250,000 addition officially opened
on September 15, 1960, and was said to nearly double the capacity of the
Library; it was expected to handle the needs of the Library for the next
fifteen to twenty years.
The application of information retrieval
technology continued to be of interest. The June 3, 1963 report of the
Technological Institute Library and Publications Committee indicates that
Richard W. Trueswell, a Ph.D. candidate in Industrial Engineering, was
preparing an analysis of the information service needs of Northwestern
University Library to explore the feasibility of using data processing
and computer techniques. Another important new technology is mentioned
that year: it is reported that arrangements can been made at the Circulation
Desk for Xerox reproductions.
John McGowan returned to Northwestern to
be Associate University Librarian for Engineering and Science in 1966.
He immediately began a series of projects which ultimately transformed
not just the Tech Library but all Northwestern University libraries; one
of these projects, which led to the development of NOTIS, had an impact
on all modern libraries. The administration of the engineering and science
collections was removed from the Deering Library operations and a pilot
project began to ascertain which parts of the operation could be adapted
to machine and computer techniques. Dr. James Aagaard of the Electrical
Engineering and Computer Science faculty joined the project on a half-time
basis, and the project also employed Velma Veneziano, who was one of a
very rare breed at the time, a computer systems analyst. During 1967-68
the program moved into preliminary operational stage with the installation
in Tech of a 2740 terminal linked to an IBM 360-30 computer in the old
administration building. The Tech Library also developed a chemical information
service using Chemical Abstracts tapes. On a more mundane technological
level, coin and key operated photocopy machines were placed in the Tech
Library in 1967.
The expanded Technological Institute Library
was still unsatisfactory in many ways: the added tiers in the stack area
were stiflingly hot in summer, and the added space filled up much more
quickly than had been hoped. Moreover, even if the stack space had been
adequate, the seating space was not -- there was seating for only 11%
of the primary user group, whereas standards demanded seating for at least
30-50%. Finally, in March 1968 a committee was appointed to develop plans
for what would become the Seeley G. Mudd Library for Science and Engineering,
incorporating the Technological Institute Library collection. The history
of that committee's plans, of the 1975 $1.4 million grant from the Seeley
G. Mudd foundation, and of the construction of the new library which opened
in July 1977, are beyond the scope of this narrative.
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PART OF THE PAST
by
Raymond A. Kliphardt
Until the time of the Robert R. McCormick
School of Engineering and Applied Science, both the Engineering Program
at Northwestern University and the building that housed it were called
the Northwestern Technological Institute. This was especially troublesome
as not all the university departments in the Technological Institute (building)
were administered by the Technological Institute (program). Also the admittedly
awkward adjective "technological" was used because "Northwestern Institute
of Technology" had an unfortunate acronym.
A few facts about the original building
as constructed in the 1940's may surprise many of today's occupants. Its
floor space was more than adequate for the faculty, staff and students
during the closing years of World War II. (This was a source of irritation
to south campus departments, some of whom had misgivings about engineering
as a university discipline.) For all its impressive Collegiate Gothic
exterior and interior elegance by Northwestern standards of that day,
it probably had less than a dozen telephones, a lesser number of women
employees (all secretaries), and, to my knowledge, only one washroom for
ladies. The elevators required a key to operate them and the initial theory
was that only faculty and staff would have keys. Knowing the traditional
ingenuity associated with engineering and the general spirit of students,
one can easily imagine how long that theory survived.
The engineering faculty of the 1940's,
and perhaps engineering in general at that time, was in somewhat of an
identity crisis. Engineers had often been self-made practitioners with
baccalaureate degrees, enormous creativity and matching courage. They
awed society with their accomplishments, but generally were thought of
as rough and ready men of construction sites, steel mills, industrial
plants, power generating stations or as operators of steam and diesel
locomotives. Often on a university campus, at least in Evanston, they
were regarded as neither gentlemen nor scholars.
Everyone knows there were no electronic
computers in the Tech building, as it was called. But how many can imagine
the storms over slide rules? What specifications and recommendations to
give to an incoming student to aid in his purchase of a "slip stick";
what content and scheduling of courses in the use of slide rules; the
matter of requiring such courses, listing such as a prerequisite for other
courses and the matter of credit toward graduation? The question of credit
precipitated a proposition to offer a credit-bearing course in the use
of the library. One Civil Engineering professor was known and respected
by his students as he could operate his slide rule without the slide.
Ovid W. Eshbach, the first Dean of the Technological Institute, was widely
known as the editor-in-chief of the Engineering Handbook bearing his name.
He, also, wrote a manual on the use of the slide rule.
Changes in a variety of areas are of interest.
For several departments, at least, Differential and Integral Calculus
were in the curriculum but regarded as esoteric by the faculty. Large
testing machines for student laboratories and for what would be regarded
now as routine testing by the faculty occupied prime spaces and were prominently
illustrated in brochures. Large areas of the building were designated
and equipped for courses in shop practices, engineering drafting, kinematics,
and design. Their reduction and demise even before CAD have long histories.
The quality of teaching by the faculty
was a prime consideration in appointments. Present awards for and recognitions
of excellent teaching tend to lift it from being the least of a faculty
member's activities but fall short of giving faculty classroom performance
the importance it had in the early days.
In the postwar years more and more faculty
members were recruited with research degrees and reputations. Important
discussions related to pure research, applied research, routine testing.
There was an increasing shift from the empirical and manual to the theoretical-engineering
was moving from an art to a science. The graduate program was expanded
greatly; one might almost say that effectively it began in the late 1940's,
but the facts vary widely by departments. In later years selection of
a Dean brought many changes into focus. What about a Dean of Engineering
who is not an engineer? Is that a contradiction, a recapitulation, a proper
recognition of or necessity for the future of engineering, a correct approach
to selecting the best person without regard to discipline?
With this background of change, the curriculum
was under constant and appropriate revision. The major constraint was
that there was not enough time in a four-year program to include all the
material for which a convincing case could be made. It was also clear
that almost every course could be presented more effectively if it followed
a group of other courses. All members of the faculty brought their own
experience to bear in the discussions. To my knowledge, there were no
surveys to collect the opinions of successful graduates as to the courses
they had found most important in their later professional experience.
Administrative judgments and practices related to appointment and promotion
of faculty members influenced the curriculum. In the democratic environment
of 'one man, one vote' smaller departments or course faculties became
successively smaller as their specialties were voted out in a controlled
but steady manner. To be sure, most faculty members on both sides of any
curriculum content vote would say, and generally believe, that their position
was based on what was best for the present and future students.
There probably are other factors to be
stated, but it is more useful to try to assess the changes in retrospect.
On the one hand, it seems clear that the manual dexterity traditionally
associated with engineers has declined. It may, also, be argued that persons
with talents more essential in the modern world, are now included in the
profession. Perhaps it would be difficult to make a strong case for reinstating
the past forging, welding, and machining experiences. Yet, historically
the Ancient Greek and Gothic architectures are hailed for their excellence
because they were designed and executed by craftsmen who had thorough
experience with their materials and tools. However, few would venture
into a skyscraper whose design was based on intuition.
The two-dimensional representation and
analysis of three-dimensional objects and systems were significant goals
of courses in graphics methods. The strident emphasis on standard and
well-executed hand lettering was easy for the instructor and often deadly
for the student. This emphasis diminished the effectiveness of courses
in engineering drawing and wasted time that should have been spent otherwise.
It probably will continue to be important in many engineering curricula
to include opportunity for developing three-dimensional visualization
and becoming fluent in standard representational schemes for communicating
geometric specifications to others and with one's self when designing.
The computer has taken over the dexterity aspects of producing drawings,
completely taken over lettering chores, and can aid visualization. But
the basic conception of a project probably will always require human imagination
and visualization. Relatedly, one learns more about the movement of the
links of a mechanism by plotting successive positions than from seeing
them evolve automatically on his computer screen. And one develops at
least another dimension of understanding of the forces in the members
of a truss or other structure by graphical analysis. Again, the computer
can take over and perform such analysis in later experiences but a basic
opportunity to perform the task is important to many students.
With all the agreements, disagreements
and conflicting arguments, it is reassuring to learn from our good students
that there is not much that can be done to interfere with their education.
Another constant seems to be that even within any one department, the
students are not homogeneous. A course which enlivens a term for one student
may bring out a negative response from another. As much individual election
as possible should be provided in all curricula.
There is no box score of the curricular
voting records of present or emeritus faculty members. It is probable
that no one was inerrant nor clairvoyant. In hind sight it is clear that
the program of earlier years would not adequately nor appropriately serve
the present students nor be on line for the challenges of the twenty-first
century. It was stimulating to participate in the past history of engineering
education at Northwestern University and it is gratifying now to share
confidence in the future development of the Robert R. McCormick School
of Engineering and Applied Science.
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EPILOGUE
by
Jerome B. Cohen and Morris E. Fine
The relative emphasis on basic science,
applied science, and engineering in "Engineering" at Northwestern has
changed back and forth over the years and, no doubt, will continue to
do so. The statement, "..the demand for trained, practical, and reliable
engineers...", appeared in the University Catalogue for 1873-74. The initial
vision was, it appears, a highly practical College of Technology. The
College of Engineering that developed under John Hayford emphasized the
scientific underpinnings of engineering. In the 1920's President Scott
began to move the emphasis more toward engineering. Scott came under the
influence of Charles F. Kettering, who received an Honorary Degree from
Northwestern in 1935, and became interested in Cooperative Engineering
Education. Thus when the University responded to Cabell's invitation for
a proposal for a substantial gift to establish a major engineering school,
Northwestern's proposal included a strong component of engineering practice
through a Cooperative Engineering Education Program. The University of
Chicago, on the other hand, proposed a program that was much more oriented
toward the basic sciences.
After the Technological Institute was established
Ovid Eshbach was recruited as Dean because of his experience with Coop
and he effected a curriculum that included a high measure of engineering
courses, although Ovid himself taught physics.
World War II brought about very major changes
in engineering education in this country. Developments in radar, nuclear
energy, operations research, high octane aviation fuel (our Herman Pines
was the inventor while he worked at UOP), etc. were brought about primarily
by scientists and mathematicians. There was concern that engineers were
not being educated enough in basics so they could easily move into new
fields as they emerged. The development of solid state electronics mainly
by physicists and chemists further fueled this change. Of course, design
and rapid production of aircraft, ships and mobile land vehicles for WW
II were engineering triumphs, but not as glamorous. The invention of the
transistor was made possible because engineers had worked for a number
of years on purifying silicon and germanium.
In the Williamson and Wild history of Northwestern,
there is the reference (p. 232) to a letter from President Snyder to Ovid
Eshbach in March 1947 recommending that Northwestern's Tech be more like
Cal. Tech. and MIT in giving more emphasis to the basic sciences. Of course,
the Murphy gift and bequest were obtained for Northwestern because the
University chose a different path, the coop plan, prior to Snyder becoming
President. However, the change to a more scientific based engineering
school occurred at Northwestern and at most other engineering schools
as well. Besides formation of the Graduate Department of Metallurgy which
occurred while Loughridge was Dean, the change at Northwestern occurred
mostly during the tenure of Ben Gotaas, whom we considered to be a very
good engineer. Shop courses, engineering drawing, and surveying were discontinued.
Coop was made optional. The courses became more scientific and graduate
education was greatly expanded. The expansion of graduate education in
engineering was a National trend. Compared to pre-WW II, the ratio of
Ph.D. to BS degrees in engineering increased by a factor of ten.
Since then the pendulum has swung back
to more emphasis on engineering practice. Currently applications of research,
engineering know how and emphasis on management issues are in the forefront.
The name of engineering at Northwestern
is now the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
following a major gift from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. The 50
year old Technological Institute Building is undergoing major renovation
to bring it up to current standards for a research and education facility.
The Science-Engineering Library is housed in the Seely W. Mudd Building
connected by an enclosed walkway to Tech. There is a Catalysis Center
Building, also connected to Tech, with a Center for Quality Engineering
and Failure Prevention on the third floor. It houses faculty members in
Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical
Engineering, and Civil Engineering. The MS and E. Dept. is primarily housed
in a new Materials Life Sciences Building.
Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
have been combined into one Department. There is now a separate Biomedical
Engineering Department. Recognizing the importance of management, Tech
offers Master of Engineering Management and Master of Project Management
Degrees. A Master of Manufacturing Management Program is offered jointly
with The Kellogg Graduate School of Management. Further recognizing the
importance of manufacturing, there is also a Master of Manufacturing Engineering
Degree.
The character of research is undergoing
rather rapid change under pressure from industry and US Government funding
agencies. Faculty are being asked more and more to do research with practical
consequences and in partnership with industry.
At the undergraduate level there are many
needs for change for the future.
Firstly, there are a number of subject
areas that need to come into play that are not part of the current engineering
curriculum. These include the life sciences, statistics and quality control,
environmental problems, solid state and business principles. The understanding
of the design process should pervade the entire four year education and
thus it needs to begin in the freshman year. (Part of this design education
should include learning to work in teams and with other disciplines.)
These needs essentially imply a four year
program with more breadth than now. Each discipline needs to consider
which advanced courses are really needed in the first four years. Also
less than two years of mathematics may well suffice as much of this subject
is available on computer. Less chemistry is appropriate in many areas
and the first mechanics course could be an engineering course rather than
part of physics. Probably this more general course degree will be coupled
with a fifth year master's program that could reemphasize specialization.
These changes are essential for two reasons.
In a technological society like ours, a case can be made that engineering
education with its non-technical component is the true liberal education
for any citizen. Being comfortable with numbers and knowing how to delve
into technical problems are essential tools that we provide to that future
citizen.
Secondly, the world has truly grown smaller
as a result of the information highway. A company can work with engineers
anywhere in the world - and in many areas the salaries are much less than
ours. Our engineers need to have an education that makes their cost justifiable.
Continuing education will increase in importance:
the pace of change in industry has become so rapid that continued learning
will become essential for technical people in the field.
Graduate education will change as well,
especially at the Ph.D. level. The sharp decrease in the time between
conception and production of a new product has bee |