IEEE History Center ISSUEI 109, March 2019 FOOTSTEPS: IEEE’S COMMEMORATION OFSuch eorts address both goals one HUMAN SPACE TRAVEL a This activity was part o Signals from the Director . 2 History Committee Activities. 3 This eort com- History Committee Chair Column p The administrative and finan- c A Masters Class in Ingenuity . 4 IEEE Members Share TheirOur Stories new platform, Working on Space Technologies IEEE has t t Center Activities . I am . 5 g Footsteps: IEEE’s Commemoration of Human Space Travel Gowen, for his l A Brief Timeline of Human Space Travel Now, we have a new Chair, Dr. Michael The Race Against Time: An Interview with W Digital Content Specialist Nathan Brewer Spaceflight Movie estivalF In addition, t Meet Our New Research Assistants . 8 The second goal makes ThingsWith to the See assistance and Do: of this leader- c s Space Activities . 8 Tech History on the Web: Recent Staff Favorites . 9 IEEE Foundation .. 9 Unprecidented Success: Dual IEEE MilesetoneThis Dedication special print newsletter, By focusing our eorts on w In Memoriam . 9 s In Memoriam John Meredith IEEE Celebrates the contributions of its members to the technologies of space travel. It is these gifts that, at t IEEE History Center SIGNALS FROM THE DIRECTOR The newsletter reports on the activities of the IEEE History Center By Michael N . Geselowitz, PhD for the project, which we gladly undertook . and on new resources and projects in The contest was completed, and a website, electrical and computer history. It is In 1999, the U S. ’. National Academy of Engi- published three times each year— http://www.greatachievements.org/, creat- once in hard copy (March) and twice neering (NAE) approached its partner profes- ed (the website is still maintained and can electronically ( July and November) sional engineering societies about a project be visited) . The popularity of the web proj- by the IEEE History Center. to poll their memberships . The idea was, ect led NAE to commis- IEEE History Center in observance of the change of the centu- sion a book, which was at Stevens Institute of Technology ry/millennium, to identify the “top twen- published by their Joseph Samuel C. Williams Library 3rd Floor ty” engineering achievements that trans- 1 Castle Point on Hudson Henry Press imprint in Hoboken, NJ 07030-5991 formed 20th century society . It soon became 2003 as A Century of Inno- Telephone +1 732 562 5450 clear—because the other societies lacked vation: Twenty Engineer- Fax +1 732 562 6020 full-time historical staff— that the IEEE His- E-mail: [email protected] ing Achievements That www.ieee.org/about/history-center/index.html tory Center would be the main staff support Transformed Our Lives by IEEE History Committee 2019 HOW CAN THE HISTORY CENTER HELP YOU? Robert Dent, Chair A Handy Guide to Some of Our Programs and Contacts Martin Bastiaans Amy Bix Engineering & Technology History Wiki: https://ethw.org/Main_Page Elizabeth Bruton List of dedicated IEEE Milestones: https://ethw.org/Milestones:List_of_Milestones Jason Hui Allison Marsh How to Propose an IEEE Milestone: http://ieeemilestones.ethw.org/Milestone_Guidelines_and_ How_to_Propose_a_Milestone Janina Mazierska Michael Polis Milestone proposals in process: http://ieeemilestones.ethw.org/Milestones_Status_Report Antonio Savini Oral History Collection: https://ethw.org/Oral-History:List_of_all_Oral_Histories Corinna Schlombs Enrique Tejera REACH Program (free online materials for teaching the history of technology): https://reach.ieee.org/ John Vardalas Support for scholars: Fellowship in the History of Electrical and Computing Technologies: IEEE History Center Staff https://www.ieee.org/about/history-center/fellowship.html Michael Geselowitz, Senior Director Pugh Young Scholar in Residence: [email protected] https://www.ieee.org/about/history-center/internship.html Nathan Brewer, Archival and Middleton History Prize (awarded to a book in the history of technology): Digital Content Specialist https://www.ieee.org/about/history-center/middleton-award.html [email protected] Mary Ann Hellrigel, Archivist/ Institutional Historian WAYS YOU CAN HELP HISTORY Contributing a First-Hand History—Written [email protected] and oral histories help us chronicle important in- As you read this newsletter, you will see the many novators and innovations http://ethw.org/Oral- Alexander Magoun, Outreach success stories of the IEEE History Center and the History:List_of_all_Oral_Histories Historian ways it nurtures the heritage of the profession . [email protected] Authoring an article for the ETHW—The As successful as the Center is, it relies on the Engineering and Technology History Wiki (ETHW) Lisa Nocks, Historian support and contributions—financial, intellectual, is an authoritative collection of historical informa- [email protected] and time and effort—of many people . We ask you tion about technology’s contributions to society Kelly McKenna, REACH to help further our work by: ethw.org/create Program Manager Proposing an IEEE Milestone—Milestones Supporting the History Center’s mission [email protected] recognize significant achievements in technology with a donation. Robert Colburn, Research Coordinator ieeemilestones.org However you can help, it is always deeply appreciated. [email protected] IEEE prohibits discrimination, harassment and bullying. For more information visit NEWSLETTER SUBMISSION BOX www.ieee.org/nondiscrimination The IEEE History Center Newsletter welcomes submissions of letters to the editor, as well as articles © IEEE information contained in this newsletter may be copied without for its Reminiscences and Relic Hunting departments . “Reminiscences” are accounts of history of permission, provided that copies for direct a technology from the point of view of someone who worked in the technical area or was closely commercial advantage are not made or distributed, and the title of the IEEE connected to someone who did . They may be narrated either in the first person or third person . “Relic publication and its date appear on Hunting” are accounts of finding or tracking down tangible pieces of electrical history in interesting each copy. or unsuspected places (in situ and still operating is of particular interest) . Length: 500–1200 words . Submit to [email protected] . Articles and letters to the editor may be edited for style or length . 2 SIGNALS FROM THE DIRECTOR Issue 109 March 2019 George Constable and Bob Somerville . (The book is out was in some sense THE greatest engineering challenge in all of print, but is available in PDF format on the NAE website: of human history, independent of social influence, and that the https://www.nae.edu/Publications/Reports/25878.aspx .) impact on the human psyche was sufficient to put it on the The book included a “Perspective” essay for each achieve- list . That is why Neil Armstrong—the first person on the moon, ment by a leader in that field, an afterward by—naturally—Ar- an aeronautical engineer as well as an astronaut, and some- thur C . Clarke, and a forward by Neil Armstrong . I had the one dedicated to the education of young people—was asked to immense privilege and honor to meet Armstrong at the book write the introduction . launch, representing the IEEE History Center, as well as, with As you can see from a glance at the cover of this issue, the other dignitaries, IEEE more broadly . IEEE History Center is doing something unusual this year . With- The Number One engineering achievement of the 20th out giving short shrift to other technologies and other achieve- century was judged to be electrification (I promise you, the ments, where possible we are going to orient our programs— IEEE did not “put in a fix”) . Numbers Two and Three were the such as Milestones, Oral Histories, articles—around the 50th automobile and the airplane . Sitting comfortably at Number anniversary of Armstrong’s “giant leap for mankind,” which he Twelve was another form of “transportation”—spacecraft . I still undertook on 20 July 1969 . Our focus will be the role of engi- recall the discussions as to whether space travel really had the neers, and particular IEEE members, in this achievement, and impact of these other achievements . In the end, the project in raising the public visibility of the profession and IEEE . As you decided yes, because of the growth of space-based telecom- will see throughout this issue, we will be collaborating with a Engineering & Technology History Wiki: https://ethw.org/Main_Page munications and global positioning . But there was subtext wide array of IEEE organizational units and external entities to List of dedicated IEEE Milestones: https://ethw.org/Milestones:List_of_Milestones to these discussions—a feeling that sending human beings to celebrate this unique achievement . How to Propose an IEEE Milestone: http://ieeemilestones.ethw.org/Milestone_Guidelines_and_ walk on the surface of the moon and bringing them back alive How_to_Propose_a_Milestone Milestone proposals in process: http://ieeemilestones.ethw.org/Milestones_Status_Report Oral History Collection: https://ethw.org/Oral-History:List_of_all_Oral_Histories REACH Program (free online materials for teaching the history of technology): https://reach.ieee.org/ Support for scholars: HISTORY COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES Fellowship in the History of Electrical and Computing Technologies: https://www.ieee.org/about/history-center/fellowship.html HISTORY COMMITTEE CHAIR’S MESSAGE Pugh Young Scholar in Residence: By Bob Dent the IEEE History Committee, I see many potential