Gordon S. Brown
Encyclopedia
Gordon Stanley Brown 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. 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.
) at the age of 18 with diplomas in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering.
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. Since 1931 Brown assisted Harold Hazen in constructing an electro-optical analog computer
based on Norbert Wiener
's "Cinema Integraph" concept. In 1933 Brown's servomechanism
s were displayed at the Century of Progress
World Fair. In 1938 Brown received his Ph.D. for the study and making of the practical "Cinema Integraph", under tutelage of Hazen.
left the MIT for the Carnegie Institute
. Hazen became the head of Elecrical Engineering Department; Brown joined the MIT faculty in 1939 as an assistant professor of electrical engineering and took over the course in control systems created by Bush a few years earlier. Brown's first class was a group of four Navy lieutenants, who later all became admirals. In the same year, Brown became a naturalized American citizen. After the outbreak of World War Two, publication of Brown's research was suppressed for wartime secrecy concerns. Hazen, now section head at the NDRC
, compensated Brown with his own laboratory at the MIT, – the Servomechanisms Laboratory, now known as the MIT Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems
. The 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.
In 1985, the building on MIT's campus housing the Microsystems Technology Laboratories was named the Gordon Stanley Brown Building (Building 39).
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
at MIT. He originated many of the concepts behind automatic-feedback control systems and the numerical control of machine tools. From 1959 to 1968, he served as the dean of MIT's engineering school
MIT School of Engineering
The MIT School of Engineering is one of the five schools of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Generally considered having one of the best engineering programs in the world, the school has eight academic departments and one interdisciplinary...
. With his former student Donald P. Campbell, he wrote Principles of Servomechanisms in 1948, which is still a standard reference in the field.
Early life
Brown was born in 1907 in Australia. He graduated from the Workingman's College (now the Royal Melbourne Institute of TechnologyRMIT University
RMIT University is an Australian public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. It has two branches, referred to as RMIT University in Australia and RMIT International University in Vietnam....
) at the age of 18 with diplomas in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering.
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. Since 1931 Brown assisted Harold Hazen in constructing an electro-optical analog computer
Analog computer
An analog computer is a form of computer that uses the continuously-changeable aspects of physical phenomena such as electrical, mechanical, or hydraulic quantities to model the problem being solved...
based on Norbert Wiener
Norbert Wiener
Norbert Wiener was an American mathematician.A famous child prodigy, Wiener later became an early researcher in stochastic and noise processes, contributing work relevant to electronic engineering, electronic communication, and control systems.Wiener is regarded as the originator of cybernetics, a...
's "Cinema Integraph" concept. In 1933 Brown's servomechanism
Servomechanism
thumb|right|200px|Industrial servomotorThe grey/green cylinder is the [[Brush |brush-type]] [[DC motor]]. The black section at the bottom contains the [[Epicyclic gearing|planetary]] [[Reduction drive|reduction gear]], and the black object on top of the motor is the optical [[rotary encoder]] for...
s were displayed at the Century of Progress
Century of Progress
A Century of Progress International Exposition was the name of a World's Fair held in Chicago from 1933 to 1934 to celebrate the city's centennial. The theme of the fair was technological innovation...
World Fair. In 1938 Brown received his Ph.D. for the study and making of the practical "Cinema Integraph", under tutelage of Hazen.
MIT career
In 1938 Vannevar BushVannevar Bush
Vannevar Bush was an American engineer and science administrator known for his work on analog computing, his political role in the development of the atomic bomb as a primary organizer of the Manhattan Project, the founding of Raytheon, and the idea of the memex, an adjustable microfilm viewer...
left the MIT for the Carnegie Institute
Carnegie Institution for Science
The Carnegie Institution for Science is an organization in the United States established to support scientific research....
. Hazen became the head of Elecrical Engineering Department; Brown joined the MIT faculty in 1939 as an assistant professor of electrical engineering and took over the course in control systems created by Bush a few years earlier. Brown's first class was a group of four Navy lieutenants, who later all became admirals. In the same year, Brown became a naturalized American citizen. After the outbreak of World War Two, publication of Brown's research was suppressed for wartime secrecy concerns. Hazen, now section head at the NDRC
National Defense Research Committee
The National Defense Research Committee was an organization created "to coordinate, supervise, and conduct scientific research on the problems underlying the development, production, and use of mechanisms and devices of warfare" in the United States from June 27, 1940 until June 28, 1941...
, compensated Brown with his own laboratory at the MIT, – the Servomechanisms Laboratory, now known as the MIT Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems
MIT Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems
The MIT Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems is an interdisciplinary research laboratory of MIT, working on research in the areas of communications, control, and signal processing combining faculty from the School of Engineering, the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the...
. The 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
Whirlwind (computer)
The Whirlwind computer was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is the first computer that operated in real time, used video displays for output, and the first that was not simply an electronic replacement of older mechanical systems...
, 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 on MIT's campus housing the Microsystems Technology Laboratories was named the Gordon Stanley Brown Building (Building 39).
Publications
- 1948, Principles of Servomechanisms, with Donald P. Campbell. New York: Wiley.