Gordon S. Brown

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Gordon Stanley Brown (born 1907 in Australia — died 23 August 1996 in Tucson, Arizona) was a professor of electrical engineering at MIT. He originated many of the concepts behind automatic-feedback control systems and the numerical control of machine tools.[1] From 1959 to 1968, he served as the dean of MIT's engineering school. With his former student Donald P. Campbell, he wrote Principles of Servomechanisms in 1948, which is still a standard reference in the field.

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[edit] Biography

Early life

Brown was born in 1907 in Australia. He graduated from the Workingman's College (now the Royal Melbourne Technical College) at the age of 18 with diplomas in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering.[2] In 1929, Brown entered MIT as a junior, and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering in 1931. Continuing his studies at the Institute, he earned a master's degree in 1934 and a Ph.D, in 1938. His doctoral thesis subject was an analog computer called the Cinema Intergraph, written under the supervision of Harold L. Hazen.

MIT career

Brown joined the MIT faculty in 1939 as an assistant professor of electrical engineering. In the same year, he became a naturalized American citizen.

In 1940, Brown established the Servomechanisms Laboratory at MIT (now known as the MIT Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems). This laboratory did pioneering research into control systems for machines, which led to the automatic fire-control and aiming systems used during the Second World War. Brown and his staff was also involved in the development of Whirlwind, the first all-digital computer.

Brown was promoted to full professor in 1946 and served as the chairman of the MIT faculty from 1951 to 1952. In 1952, he became the chairman of the electrical engineering department and from 1959 to 1968, he served as the dean of the school of engineering. In 1973, Brown received the distinction of Institute Professor, MIT's highest academic honor.

Retirement

Brown retired in 1974 as an emeritus professor of electrical engineering and Institute Professor Emeritus. He and his wife moved to Arizona, where he became involved with introducing computers and the ideas of system dynamics into classrooms.

In 1985, the building housing the Microsystems Technology Laboratories was named the Gordon Stanley Brown Building (Building 39).

[edit] Publications

  • 1948, Principles of Servomechanisms, with Donald P. Campbell. New York: Wiley.

[edit] References

  1. ^ " Gordon S. Brown '31" in: The MIT Tech Vol 116 Issue 36 : Wednesday, August 28, 1996. Retrieved 16 April 2008
  2. ^ "Gordon Brown, pioneer electrical engineer, educator at MIT, dies at 88" in: MIT News Office August 26, 1996. Retrieved 16 April 2008.

[edit] External links

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