Spanning the Sciences

Spanning the Sciences. Driven to Discover. , A Unique Collaboration , Alone among the nation's major research institutions, the University of Minnesota is home to a single college that spans engineering, mathematics, and physical sciences., Designed to promote interdisciplinary collaborations, the consolidation of the College of Engineering and Architecture, the School of Mines and Metallurgy, and the School of Chemistry drew top faculty and students from around the world., The college expanded dramatically in 1962, when the departments of geology, astronomy, physics, and mathematics joined the collaboration., Changes in technology throughout the 1960s and '70s led to the creation of the departments of computer science and aerospace engineering and mechanics, as well as the revamping of other departments., The Spirit of Innovation , The spirit of innovation fostered at the college has generated seven Nobel laureates and thousands of distinguished scholars., . During the 1930s, aeronautical engineering professor John Akerman designed, built, and flew the first tailless airplane, the "Flying Wing," now on display in the Smithsonian Institution., . In 1940, physics professor Alfred Nier established that Uranium 235 is responsible for slow fission in uranium. This discovery laid the foundation for the U.S. government's Manhattan Project, which developed the first nuclear weapons during World War II., . Professor Izaak Kolthoff transformed analytical chemistry into a fundamental branch of modern chemistry. During World War II, he pioneered the development of synthetic rubber, critical to Allied forces., . In 1946, Professor E. W. Davis developed the first of many processes for converting taconite rock into commercial iron ore, an innovation credited with extending the economic resources of Minnesota's Iron Range. Serving as the Mines Experiment Station director (1938–52), Davis was known as "Mr. Taconite.", Ongoing Discover , University of Minnesota researchers continue to discover ways to solve some of the world's greatest problems by developing new forms of environment-friendly energy, designing new medical devices, improving digital and electronic technologies, and maintaining a strong national infrastructure., Photo captions

1. Chemistry laboratory, 1932 , 2. Chemistry students , 3. Olive Foerster in the forge laboratory, 1936 , 4. Chemist Izaak Kolthoff, 1950 , 5. Physicist Alfred Nier, 1965 , 6. James "Crash" Ryan, inventor of the retractable seat belt , 7. Professor E.W. Davis, "Mr. Taconite." at the Silver Bay taconite plant , 8. Left to right: James Lewis Morrill, Marcell Rand, William G. Shepherd, and Kenneth P. Herman at the dedication of the Remington Rand computer, 1958 , 9. Astronomy professor Roberta Humphreys, who demonstrated an upper limit to the masses of stars that can evolve to become red supergiants