David Allan Bromley (May 4, 1926 – February 10, 2005) was a Canadian-American physicist, academic administrator and
science advisor to
American president
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
. His field of research was the study of low-energy
nuclear
Nuclear may refer to:
Physics
Relating to the nucleus of the atom:
* Nuclear engineering
*Nuclear physics
*Nuclear power
*Nuclear reactor
*Nuclear weapon
*Nuclear medicine
*Radiation therapy
*Nuclear warfare
Mathematics
*Nuclear space
*Nuclear ...
reactions and structure using
heavy ion
High-energy nuclear physics studies the behavior of nuclear matter in energy regimes typical of high-energy physics. The primary focus of this field is the study of heavy-ion collisions, as compared to lighter atoms in other particle accelerato ...
beams.
Life
Born in
Westmeath
"Noble above nobility"
, image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Ireland
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 =
, subdivis ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada, he received a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
in 1949 and a
Master of Science
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
in 1950 from
Queen's University. He received a
M.S.
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
and a
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
degree in
nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter.
Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...
in 1952 from the
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees.
The University of Roc ...
in the United States.
From 1952 to 1953, he was an instructor, and from 1953 to 1954 he was an assistant professor at the University of Rochester. In 1955, he was hired as an associate research officer,
Atomic Energy of Canada
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) is a Canadian federal Crown corporation and Canada's largest nuclear science and technology laboratory. AECL developed the CANDU reactor technology starting in the 1950s, and in October 2011 licensed this ...
Ltd., and from 1958 to 1960 he was a senior research officer and section head.
In 1960, he moved to the United States to become an associate professor of physics at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
. He became a U.S. citizen in 1970. He was appointed a professor in 1961 and was associate director of the Heavy Ion Accelerator Lab from 1960 to 1963. He was the founder, and from 1963 to 1989, the director, of Yale's A. W. Wright Nuclear Structure Lab. From 1970 to 1977, he was chairman of the Physics Department. In 1972, he was appointed the Henry Ford II Professor of Physics and was in this position until 1993.
Before being appointed under the Bush Cabinet, he was a member of President
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
's
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
Science Council. While serving as Bush's science advisor from 1989 to 1993, he pushed for major increases in scientific research funding so that the United States could compete with
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
in manufacturing. He also supported the expansion of the high-speed network which eventually became the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
. In addition he is known for having played a key role in impeding progress toward international action on climate change at the
Noordwijk Climate Conference
The Ministerial Conference on Atmospheric Pollution and Climate Change was the first major political climate conference that took place on 6 and 7 November 1989 at the Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin in Noordwijk, The Netherlands.
Attendees included ...
. During the final negotiation, Bromley, urged by
White House Chief of Staff John Sununu, convinced the conference to abandon the commitment to freeze emissions.
Following his public policy work, he returned to
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
to serve as
Sterling Professor of the Sciences and Dean of the Yale Faculty of Engineering from 1994 to 2000. His tenure as dean substantially revived Yale's engineering programs and led to its re-establishment as the
Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science
The Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science is the engineering school
Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and build ...
.
He continued teaching at Yale until his death in 2005.
Over his career, he had many honors including 33 honorary degrees and membership in the United States National Academy of Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
In 1988, Bromley was awarded the
National Medal of Science
The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social scienc ...
.
National Science Foundation - The President's National Medal of Science
/ref>
Bibliography
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Notes
References
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External links
Oral history interview transcript for D. Allan Bromley on 29 October 1986, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
- Session I
Oral history interview transcript for D. Allan Bromley on 30 October 1986, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
- Session II
Walte Greiner and Neal Lane, "David Allan Bromley", Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences (2009)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bromley, David Allan
1926 births
2005 deaths
20th-century American physicists
American nuclear physicists
Canadian nuclear physicists
Canadian physicists
Canadian emigrants to the United States
Duke University faculty
Fellows of the American Physical Society
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
National Medal of Science laureates
Office of Science and Technology Policy officials
People from Renfrew County
Queen's University at Kingston alumni
University of Rochester alumni
Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science faculty
Yale Sterling Professors
Yale University faculty
Presidents of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics
Presidents of the American Physical Society