Penn State Alumni Library

Pioneers of Scientific and Engineering Discoveries at Penn State

As Evan Pugh, recently returned to America from Europe, arrived at Penn State in October 1859 to assume his duties as the school's first president, it is not surprising that with his first glimpse of The Farmers' High School, he did not realize that he was looking at the embodiment of a new and fundamental concept in higher learning—that a college education should be made available to any competent person, not just members of the social or economic elite, and that this education should have practical as well as cultural value.

And so, founded in February 1855, and offering classes in 1859, Penn State began as The Farmers High School with a focus on agriculture. In spring of 1862, it became the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania in a successful bid to become Pennsylvania's "land-grant institution," which it achieved in 1963.

Artificial Insemination
Beginning in the 1940s, John Almquist (animal science) perfected artificial insemination techniques for dairy cattle. The research results were later applied to other species including humans. In 1981, he was awarded the Wolf Foundation Prize in Agriculture for his research.

Respiration Calorimeter
Henry Armsby (animal science) used a calorimeter of his own design, beginning in 1902, to study animal metabolism, which led to the development of feeds of higher nutrient value.

Deuterium
In 1931, Ferdinand Brickwedde (physics) produced the first measureable amounts of deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen. Prior to coming to Penn State, he was the co-discoverer of deuterium along with Harold Urey.

The college's first scientific advances began in agricultural fields in the late 1800s. By 1895, courses of study included general scientific; Latin-scientific; agriculture; biology; chemistry; civil engineering; electrical engineering; mathematics; mechanical engineering; mining engineering; and physics.

As the college expanded, so did faculty achievements spread to other areas of science and engineering. This site highlights some of Penn State’s scientific achievements, up to 1980—on its 125th anniversary and includes research and education “firsts” that occurred at Penn State.

The first practical synthesis of the hormone progesterone by chemist Russell Marker led to the development of the birth control pill. Using a field ion microscope of his own design, Physicist Erwin Mueller saw an atom for the first time. A team of researchers in mechanical engineering and medicine developed the first surgically implantable, seam-free, pulsatile, heart-assist pump to receive widespread clinical use.

Penn State also offered the first baccalaureate and graduate degrees in agriculture; the first baccalaureate degree program in industrial engineering; the first baccalaureate curriculum in fuel science in the nation; and the first interdisciplinary curriculum in solid-state technology.

For more information, contact Robert Tolliver, earth sciences librarian, at rlt17@psu.edu or 814-865-3694

	Human Nutrition For her research into human nutrition, Pauline Beery Mack (chemistry) invented an x-ray device to measure calcium bone density in living subjects. In 1950, she was awarded the American Chemical Society’s Francis P. Garvan Gold Medal for this invention.
	Progesterone Synthesis Russell Marker (chemistry) conducted important research in steroid chemistry, and in 1937, he discovered the first practical synthesis of progesterone. His research contributed to the development of the birth control pill, cortisones, and hormone and steroid therapies.
	“See” Atom In 1955, Erwin W. Mueller (physics) became the first person to see an atom using a field ion microscope that he designed. His microscope magnified atoms more than two million times and was an important advancement in science instrumentation.
	Drivers Education In 1933, Amos Neyhart (industrial engineering) developed the first classes in driver education in the United States, and later taught the curriculum to driver education teachers.
	Atmospheric Research Hans Panofsky (meteorology) conducted important research on atmospheric turbulence, air pollution, ozone depletion, and planetary atmospheres at Penn State between 1952 and 1982. He was an early proponent of computer analysis for predicting weather and doing research on threats to the ozone layer, even before the discovery of the ozone hole over Antarctica.
	Nitrogen Assimilation In addition to being Penn State’s first president (1859–1864), Evan Pugh (chemistry) conducted important research on nitrogen assimilation in plants.
	R Values In 1945, Everett Shuman (architectural engineering) first proposed a standardized measure of resistance to heat transfer, known as R Values, which is now the primary rating system for the insulating properties of building materials.
	Forensic Science In addition to her role as a chemistry professor, Mary Willard (chemistry) was a renowned forensic scientist who frequently worked with the Pennsylvania State Police to solve cases; she also consulted with foreign agencies such as Scotland Yard and Interpol.
	Diesel Engineering In 1923, Paul Schweitzer (mechanical engineering) and K. J. DeJuhasz (mechanical engineering, pictured) began one of the first research programs in diesel engineering.
	Wake Turbulence Barnes McCormick (aerospace engineering) conducted fundamental research on wake turbulence of aircraft using airplanes at University Park Airport. This research led to improved safety in aircraft.
	Mushroom Science Penn State was the first land-grant college to develop a mushroom science research program in the 1920s. Leon R. Kneebone, Lee Schisler, and David Carroll, Jr. (names in order of picture) contributed to our understanding and improved production of mushrooms.
	Heart Assist Pump The heart-assist pump was developed by a team of researchers from the colleges of medicine and engineering in 1976 and was the first surgically implantable, seam-free, pulsatile blood pump to receive widespread use. Researchers included John Brighton (mechanical engineering), William S. Pierce (Hershey Medical Center), and Gerson Rosenberg (mechanical engineering).
	Biomechanics Laboratory Researchers at the Biomechanics Lab conducted important research on the biomechanics of human performance, including research on sports and exercise, injury and rehabilitation, and musculoskeletal health. Researches in the lab included Richard Nelson (kinesiology), Chauncey Morehouse (kinesiology), and Peter Cavanaugh (kinesiology).
	Astronauts Four graduates of Penn State have gone on to become astronauts and fly on missions to space. Paul Weitz was the first Penn State astronaut as pilot of Skylab-2 (1973) and later commander of a 1983 shuttle mission. Guion “Guy” Bluford (BS ’64), the first African American astronaut, flew on four shuttle missions between 1983 and 1992. Robert Cenker and James Pawelczyk were both payload specialists on shuttle missions in 1986 (Cenker) and 1998 (Pawelczyk).
	First Agriculture Degrees Penn State was the nation’s first university to offer baccalaureate degrees (1861) and graduate degrees (1863) in agriculture.
	First Collegiate-Level Instruction in Ice Cream Manufacture Penn State offered the first college-level instruction in ice cream manufacturing in 1892.
	First Baccalaureate Degree in Industrial Engineering The nation’s first baccalaureate degree programs in industrial engineering began at Penn State in 1909.
	First Baccalaureate Curriculum in Fuel Science In 1932, Penn State established the nations’ first baccalaureate curriculum in Fuel Science.
	First University Licensed to Operate a Nuclear Reactor In 1955, Penn State was the first university to be licensed to operate a nuclear reactor. The reactor was used for research on peaceful applications of atomic energy as part of President Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” program.
	First Interdisciplinary Curriculum in Solid State Technology In 1960, Penn State established the nation’s first interdisciplinary curriculum in solid-state technology. Rustum Roy (materials science) was the first director of the Materials Research Laboratory, established in 1962.
	PENNSTAC—one of the first computers on a college campus Assembled between 1953 and 1955, PENNSTAC (the Penn State Automatic Computer) was one of the first digital computers constructed by a university.