Robert D. Maurer
Encyclopedia
Dr. Robert D. Maurer is an American industrial physicist
noted for his leadership in the invention of optical fiber
.
, or by other accounts in Richmond Heights, Missouri
. In 1943 he enlisted in the United States Army Reserve
and began studies at the University of Arkansas
. He was quickly called up for active service, and studied preengineering for about one year at the Huntsville, Texas
, state college. In 1944 he shipped overseas with the 99th infantry division for combat in France
and Belgium
along the German
border. He was wounded by a landmine, spending more than 20 months in the hospital before receiving a disability discharge with Purple Heart
.
Supported by the GI Bill, Maurer returned in 1946 to the University of Arkansas
to study chemical engineering
, but quickly switched to physics
. He graduated with a B.S. in physics in 1948, then performed graduate work at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, where he measured second sound velocity in liquid helium
. He took his orals in summer 1951, and graduated with a physics PhD in the winter class.
Around 1966 Maurer learned of Charles K. Kao
's pioneering work in optical fibers at the Standard Telephones and Cables
company in the United Kingdom
, and initiated a project to develop such fibers at Corning. In 1970 Maurer and his colleagues Donald Keck
and Peter C. Schultz
designed and produced the first fiber with optical losses low enough for use in telecommunications by a novel process of depositing titania-doped silica inside a quartz tube using a flame-hydrolysis process and sintering, then fusing it to draw into fiber. They demonstrated optical loss as low as 20 dB/km, which for the first time indicated a practical technology.
(1979) and inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame
(1993), and a fellow of the American Ceramic Society
, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
, and American Physical Society
, and has received numerous honors including the American Institute of Physics
' 1978 Prize for Industrial Physics, the 1978 IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award
, the Swedish Academy of Engineering's 1979 L.M. Ericsson International Prize for Telecommunications, an honorary LL.D. Degree from the University of Arkansas
in 1980, the Industrial Research Institute's 1986 Achievement Award, the 1987 John Tyndall Award
from IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society and Optical Society of America
, the 1989 Naval Research Laboratory Citation, the American Physics Society's 1989 International Prize for New Materials, the 1999 Charles Stark Draper Prize
, the 2000 National Medal of Technology
, and the 2007 NEC C&C Prize.
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
noted for his leadership in the invention of optical fiber
Optical fiber
An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of...
.
Early life
Maurer was born either in Arkadelphia, ArkansasArkadelphia, Arkansas
Arkadelphia is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 10,548. The city is the county seat of Clark County. The city is situated at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Two universities, Henderson State...
, or by other accounts in Richmond Heights, Missouri
Richmond Heights, Missouri
Richmond Heights, a city in St. Louis County, is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 8,603 at the 2010 census. According to Robert L. Ramsay, the name was suggested by Robert E. Lee, who thought the topography of the area resembled Richmond, Virginia...
. In 1943 he enlisted in the United States Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
and began studies at the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
. He was quickly called up for active service, and studied preengineering for about one year at the Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....
, state college. In 1944 he shipped overseas with the 99th infantry division for combat in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
along the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
border. He was wounded by a landmine, spending more than 20 months in the hospital before receiving a disability discharge with Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
.
Supported by the GI Bill, Maurer returned in 1946 to the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
to study 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...
, but quickly switched to physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
. He graduated with a B.S. in physics in 1948, then performed graduate work at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, where he measured second sound velocity in liquid helium
Liquid helium
Helium exists in liquid form only at extremely low temperatures. The boiling point and critical point depend on the isotope of the helium; see the table below for values. The density of liquid helium-4 at its boiling point and 1 atmosphere is approximately 0.125 g/mL Helium-4 was first liquefied...
. He took his orals in summer 1951, and graduated with a physics PhD in the winter class.
Corning
In 1952 Maurer joined the physics department of Corning Glass Works, becoming manager of its applied physics group in 1960, and ultimately research fellow in 1978. He retired from Corning Incorporated in 1989.Around 1966 Maurer learned of Charles K. Kao
Charles K. Kao
The Honorable Sir Charles Kuen Kao, GBM, KBE, FRS, FREng is a pioneer in the development and use of fiber optics in telecommunications...
's pioneering work in optical fibers at the Standard Telephones and Cables
Standard Telephones and Cables
Standard Telephones and Cables Ltd was a British telephone, telegraph, radio, telecommunications and related equipment R&D manufacturer. During its history STC invented and developed several groundbreaking new technologies including PCM and optical fibres.The company began life in London as...
company in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and initiated a project to develop such fibers at Corning. In 1970 Maurer and his colleagues Donald Keck
Donald Keck
Dr. Donald B. Keck is an American research physicist and engineer most noted for his involvement in developing low-loss optical fiber. Keck grew up in Lansing, Michigan and attended Michigan State University, after which he joined Corning Incorporated’s research department. As a senior research...
and Peter C. Schultz
Peter C. Schultz
Peter C. Schultz, Ph.D., is co-inventor of the fiber optics now used worldwide for telecommunications. He is retired President of Heraeus Tenevo Inc., a $200 million technical glass manufacturer specializing in fiber optics and semiconductor markets, and retired Chief Technical Officer North...
designed and produced the first fiber with optical losses low enough for use in telecommunications by a novel process of depositing titania-doped silica inside a quartz tube using a flame-hydrolysis process and sintering, then fusing it to draw into fiber. They demonstrated optical loss as low as 20 dB/km, which for the first time indicated a practical technology.
Honours and awards
Maurer is an elected member of the National Academy of EngineeringNational 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...
(1979) and inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame
The National Inventors Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recognizing, honoring and encouraging invention and creativity through the administration of its programs. The Hall of Fame honors the men and women responsible for the great technological advances that make human,...
(1993), and a fellow of the American Ceramic Society
American Ceramic Society
The American Ceramic Society is a non-profit professional organization for the ceramics community, with a focus on scientific research, emerging technologies, and applications in which ceramic materials are an element...
, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a non-profit professional association headquartered in New York City that is dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence...
, and American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
, and has received numerous honors including the American Institute of Physics
American Institute of Physics
The American Institute of Physics promotes science, the profession of physics, publishes physics journals, and produces publications for scientific and engineering societies. The AIP is made up of various member societies...
' 1978 Prize for Industrial Physics, the 1978 IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award
IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award
The initially called Morris Liebmann Memorial Prize provided by the Institute of Radio Engineers , the IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award was created in 1919 in honor of Colonel Morris N. Liebmann. It was initially given to awardees who had "made public during the recent past an important...
, the Swedish Academy of Engineering's 1979 L.M. Ericsson International Prize for Telecommunications, an honorary LL.D. Degree from the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
in 1980, the Industrial Research Institute's 1986 Achievement Award, the 1987 John Tyndall Award
John Tyndall Award
The John Tyndall Award is given to the "individual who has made pioneering, highly significant, or continuing technical or leadership contributions to fiber optics technology"...
from IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society and Optical Society of America
Optical Society of America
The Optical Society is a scientific society dedicated to advancing the study of light—optics and photonics—in theory and application, by means of publishing, organizing conferences and exhibitions, partnership with industry, and education. The organization has members in more than 100 countries...
, the 1989 Naval Research Laboratory Citation, the American Physics Society's 1989 International Prize for New Materials, the 1999 Charles Stark Draper Prize
Charles Stark Draper Prize
The National Academy of Engineering annually awards the Charles Stark Draper Prize, which is given for the advancement of engineering and the education of the public about engineering. It is one of three prizes that constitute the "Nobel Prizes of Engineering" - the others being the Academy's Russ...
, the 2000 National Medal of Technology
National Medal of Technology
The National Medal of Technology and Innovation is an honor granted by the President of the United States to American inventors and innovators who have made significant contributions to the development of new and important technology...
, and the 2007 NEC C&C Prize.
Patents
Maurer holds 16 patents, including:- US Patent 3,659,915: Fused Silica Optical Waveguide; Method of Producing Optical Waveguide Fibers
- US Patent 3,711,262: Optical Fibers
Further reading
- Jeff Hecht, City of Light: The Story of Fiber Optics, Oxford University Press, 1999. ISBN 978-0195108187.
- The American Ceramic Society Bulletin, August 2000
- National Medal of Technology
- Charles Stark Draper Prize
- NEC C&C Prize announcement
- University of Arkansas press release
- University of Arkansas Robert D. Maurer Lecture Series