Charles Concordia
Encyclopedia
Charles Concordia was a noted American electrical engineer specializing in electrical
power engineering
and the early history of computer hardware.
, in 1926 went directly from high school to General Electric
as a test engineer, in 1934 graduated from its Advanced Engineering Program, and worked at General Electric until 1973. His early engineering work concerned television
and detecting cracks in railway rails by magnetic field
measurements.
During World War II
he worked on generators and turbines for naval destroyer
propulsion, researched aircraft supercharger
s, and helped develop ships' electrical drives. In the 1940s he chaired the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) subcommittee on large-scale computing devices and continued consulting after the war. He married Frances Butler in 1948. In 1971 he earned a D.Sc. from Union College
and later received an honorary D.Sc. from Iowa State University
.
Concordia was a Fellow of the IEEE, ASME, and AAAS
, a member of the National Academy of Engineering
and NSPE, a founder and National Treasurer of the Association for Computing Machinery
, and first chairman of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers' Computer Committee, forerunner of the IEEE Computer Society
. For his work he received the Lamme Medal, the Centennial Medal, and the Power-Life Award from the IEEE and AIEE, as well as the Philip Sporn Award from CIGRE and both the Coffin Award and the Steinmetz Award from General Electric. He was awarded the 1999 IEEE Medal of Honor
"For outstanding contributions in the area of Power Systems Dynamics which resulted in substantial improvements in planning, operation, and security of extended power systems".
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
power engineering
Power engineering
Power engineering, also called power systems engineering, is a subfield of engineering that deals with the generation, transmission and distribution of electric power as well as the electrical devices connected to such systems including generators, motors and transformers...
and the early history of computer hardware.
Biography
Concordia was born in Schenectady, New YorkSchenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
, in 1926 went directly from high school to General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
as a test engineer, in 1934 graduated from its Advanced Engineering Program, and worked at General Electric until 1973. His early engineering work concerned television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and detecting cracks in railway rails by magnetic field
Magnetic field
A magnetic field is a mathematical description of the magnetic influence of electric currents and magnetic materials. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by both a direction and a magnitude ; as such it is a vector field.Technically, a magnetic field is a pseudo vector;...
measurements.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he worked on generators and turbines for naval destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
propulsion, researched aircraft supercharger
Supercharger
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
s, and helped develop ships' electrical drives. In the 1940s he chaired the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) subcommittee on large-scale computing devices and continued consulting after the war. He married Frances Butler in 1948. In 1971 he earned a D.Sc. from Union College
Union College
Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...
and later received an honorary D.Sc. from Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
.
Concordia was a Fellow of the IEEE, ASME, and AAAS
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, a member of the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
and NSPE, a founder and National Treasurer of the Association for Computing Machinery
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
, and first chairman of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers' Computer Committee, forerunner of the IEEE Computer Society
IEEE Computer Society
The IEEE Computer Society is a professional society of IEEE. Its purpose and scope is “to advance the theory, practice, and application of computer and information processing science and technology” and the “professional standing of its members.” The CS is the largest of 38 technical societies...
. For his work he received the Lamme Medal, the Centennial Medal, and the Power-Life Award from the IEEE and AIEE, as well as the Philip Sporn Award from CIGRE and both the Coffin Award and the Steinmetz Award from General Electric. He was awarded the 1999 IEEE Medal of Honor
IEEE Medal of Honor
The IEEE Medal of Honor is the highest recognition of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers . It has been awarded since 1917, when its first recipient was Major Edwin H. Armstrong. It is given for an exceptional contribution or an extraordinary career in the IEEE fields of...
"For outstanding contributions in the area of Power Systems Dynamics which resulted in substantial improvements in planning, operation, and security of extended power systems".
Selected works
- "Steady State Stability of Synchronous Machines as Affected by Voltage-Regulator Characteristics," Transactions of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, 1944.
- Synchronous Machines: Theory and Performance, Wiley, 1951.