Arthur Bronwell
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Arthur Brough Bronwell (August 18, 1909 – May 10, 1985) was an American professor of
electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
who served as president of
Worcester Polytechnic Institute '' , mottoeng = "Theory and Practice" , established = , former_name = Worcester County Free Institute of Industrial Science (1865-1886) , type = Private research university , endowme ...
(1955–1962) and dean of the
University of Connecticut School of Engineering University of Connecticut School of Engineering is a school of engineering located at UConn The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The ...
(1962–1970). A building on UConn's campus was named in his honor.


Early life and career

Bronwell was born in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
on August 18, 1909. He received his BS degree in 1933 and his MS degree in 1936 from the
Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour Institute and Lewis Institute in 1940. The university has prog ...
. Bronwell joined the faculty of
Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...
in 1937 and became a full Professor of Electrical Engineering in 1947. From 1947 through 1954, he served as part-time executive secretary of the
American Society for Engineering Education The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) is a non-profit member association, founded in 1893, dedicated to promoting and improving engineering and engineering technology education. The purpose of ASEE is the advancement of education ...
. During his tenure, ASEE's membership rolls increased from fewer than 4,000 to almost 7,000 members by 1951. In his capacity as executive secretary, he also served as editor of the society's journal, ''
Journal of Engineering Education The ''Journal of Engineering Education'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering research on engineering education that is published by the American Society for Engineering Education. The editor-in-chief is Lisa C. Benson (Clemson U ...
''. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Bronwell trained
Army Signal Corps The United States Army Signal Corps (USASC) is a branch of the United States Army that creates and manages communications and information systems for the command and control of combined arms forces. It was established in 1860, the brainchild of Ma ...
cadets on radar and acoustic location at Northwestern and oversaw a wartime research project to develop the
B-29 bomber The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fly ...
's radar system. He served on a joint US Army-State Department postwar mission to Japan on technological recovery. He also worked on special projects for
Bell Labs Nokia Bell Labs, originally named Bell Telephone Laboratories (1925–1984), then AT&T Bell Laboratories (1984–1996) and Bell Labs Innovations (1996–2007), is an American industrial research and scientific development company owned by mult ...
and consulted for
Motorola Motorola, Inc. () was an American Multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, the company split into two independent p ...
. In 1947, Bronwell invented what he termed the Chromoscope, a viewing tube for color TV; however, his invention never scaled to production. While teaching at Northwestern University, Bronwell earned a
Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
from Northwestern in 1947. He also received an honorary Doctorate of Laws from
Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in ...
and an honorary Doctorate of Engineering from
Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...
.


Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Bronwell was selected as the ninth president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in fall 1954 and took office in February 1955. During his presidency, the number of faculty nearly doubled and enrollment grew from 800 to 1,200 students. The Alumni Gymnasium and the Morgan, Kaven, and Olin Halls were constructed and scientific laboratories renovated under his leadership. In addition, Bronwell diversified WPI's curriculum, adding more humanities and social sciences courses to round out the scientific curriculum. His capital campaign raised $5 million from donors in five years. He served on the
National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National I ...
's advisory committee. His presidency marked the beginning of a transition for WPI from a provincial to a national university. Bronwell's presidency saw the construction of WPI's nuclear
research reactor Research reactors are nuclear fission-based nuclear reactors that serve primarily as a neutron source. They are also called non-power reactors, in contrast to power reactors that are used for electricity production, heat generation, or maritim ...
. Funded by a grant of $150,000 from the
US Atomic Energy Commission The United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by U.S. Congress to foster and control the peacetime development of atomic science and technology. President H ...
in 1958 and going critical on December 18, 1959, the Leslie C. Wilbur Nuclear Reactor Facility was "one of the first such facilities in the nation located on a university campus." Bronwell accepted a position as dean of the University of Connecticut School of Engineering and resigned from WPI in January 1962.


University of Connecticut

Bronwell assumed his duties as dean of the UConn School of Engineering on April 1, 1962. He oversaw rapid growth of the school, including construction of a new electrical engineering building (the third on UConn's Storrs campus) and computer center in 1968. He launched new graduate programs in aerospace, biological and environmental, transportation, urban, and ocean engineering, as well as the Institute for Material Science. Bronwell resigned as dean in July 1970 and retired from the faculty in 1977. UConn named its Engineering III building, constructed in Storrs under Bronwell's leadership, in his honor. Bronwell was a member of the
Council of Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is a nonprofit organization that is independent and nonpartisan. CFR is based in New York City ...
and a fellow of the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...
. He served as a US delegate to the UNESCO Conference on Engineering Education in Paris in December 1968.


Personal life

Bronwell married Virginia Russel White in 1941. The couple had two children: James Arthur Bronwell and Susan Virginia Carter. Bronwell died on May 10, 1985, at a Willimantic nursing home following a long illness. He was interred at Storrs Cemetery.


Publications

Bronwell published three books in addition to numerous articles in ''
IEEE Spectrum ''IEEE Spectrum'' is a magazine edited by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The first issue of ''IEEE Spectrum'' was published in January 1964 as a successor to ''Electrical Engineering''. The magazine contains peer-revie ...
'', ''
Proceedings of the IRE The ''Proceedings of the IEEE'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The journal focuses on electrical engineering and computer science. According to the ''Journa ...
'', ''SIAM Review'', ''Research Management'', ''Electrical Engineering'', and other journals. An academic reviewer hailed his ''Advanced Mathematics in Physics and Engineering'' as "a real contribution to scientific and engineering education." His book ''Science and Technology in the World of the Future'' was named one of the 100 best books of 1970 by ''
Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
''. * * *


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bronwell, Arthur 1909 births 1985 deaths Scientists from Chicago Electrical engineering academics 20th-century American engineers Engineering educators American academic administrators Illinois Institute of Technology alumni Northwestern University alumni Northwestern University faculty Presidents of Worcester Polytechnic Institute University of Connecticut faculty Fellow Members of the IEEE 20th-century American academics