Harold Bunger
Encyclopedia
Harold Alan Bunger was the head of Georgia Tech
's chemistry department and the director of the Georgia Tech Research Institute
(then known as the Engineering Experiment Station) from 1940 until his death in 1941.
Bunger was a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
, the Georgia Academy of Science, was a member of professional fraternity Alpha Chi Sigma
and honor societies Sigma Xi
, Tau Beta Pi
, and Pi Lambda Epsilon.
. He received a bachelor of science
degree, a chemical engineering
degree, and a Ph.D., all from the University of Minnesota
.
with help from researchers at the Engineering Experiment Station and the Tennessee Valley Authority
.
Bunger had been involved in the creation of Georgia Tech's Engineering Experiment Station; after its first director, W. Harry Vaughan
, left for a higher-paying job at the Tennessee Valley Authority in December 1940, Bunger was named acting director of the station. Less than a year later, Bunger died suddenly on August 15, 1941 while visiting Minneapolis, Minnesota
.
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
's chemistry department and the director of the Georgia Tech Research Institute
Georgia Tech Research Institute
The Georgia Tech Research Institute is the nonprofit applied research arm of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States...
(then known as the Engineering Experiment Station) from 1940 until his death in 1941.
Bunger was a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
American Institute of Chemical Engineers
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers is a professional organization for chemical engineers.AIChE was established in 1908 with the purpose of establishing chemical engineers as a profession independent from chemists and mechanical engineers.As of 2010, AIChE had over 40,000 members,...
, the Georgia Academy of Science, was a member of professional fraternity Alpha Chi Sigma
Alpha Chi Sigma
Alpha Chi Sigma is a professional fraternity specializing in the field of chemistry. It has both collegiate and professional chapters throughout the United States consisting of both men and women and numbering more than 63,400 members...
and honor societies Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society is a non-profit honor society which was founded in 1886 at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a handful of graduate students. Members elect others on the basis of their research achievements or potential...
, Tau Beta Pi
Tau Beta Pi
The Tau Beta Pi Association is the oldest engineering honor society in the United States and the second oldest collegiate honor society in America. It honors engineering students who have shown a history of academic achievement as well as a commitment to personal and professional integrity...
, and Pi Lambda Epsilon.
Early life
Bunger was born in Eaton, OhioEaton, Ohio
Eaton is a city in and the county seat of Preble County, Ohio, United States. The population was 8,407 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. He received a bachelor of science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree, a chemical engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
degree, and a Ph.D., all from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
.
Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech hired Bunger in 1927 as an instructor. He was promoted to head of the Chemical Engineering department in February 1940. Bunger was deeply involved in the creation of an industrial process for the economical production of flaxFlax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
with help from researchers at the Engineering Experiment Station and the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
.
Bunger had been involved in the creation of Georgia Tech's Engineering Experiment Station; after its first director, W. Harry Vaughan
W. Harry Vaughan
William Harry Vaughan, Jr. was a professor of ceramic engineering at the Georgia School of Technology and the founder and first director of what is now the Georgia Tech Research Institute.-Education:...
, left for a higher-paying job at the Tennessee Valley Authority in December 1940, Bunger was named acting director of the station. Less than a year later, Bunger died suddenly on August 15, 1941 while visiting Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
.