James Bryant Conant (March 26, 1893 – February 11, 1978) was a chemist, educational administrator, and government official. Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor. Year 1893 ( MDCCCXCIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 660 BC - Traditional founding date of Japan by Emperor Jimmu. Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) A chemist is a Scientist trained in the Science of Chemistry. He was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1893 and graduated from the Roxbury Latin School in West Roxbury in 1910. Dorchester is a neighborhood of Boston Massachusetts. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Roxbury Latin School is the oldest school in North America in continuous existence Founded in 1630 (contemporaneously with Boston) West Roxbury, Massachusetts was originally part of the town of Roxbury and was mainly used as He went on to study chemistry at Harvard (B.A., 1914; Ph.D., 1917). Chemistry (from Egyptian kēme (chem meaning "earth") is the Science concerned with the composition structure and properties Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University, a Private university in the United States founded in 1636 by the Massachusetts "PhD" redirects here for other uses see PhD (disambiguation. At Harvard he studied under Charles Loring Jackson, and became acquainted with Roger Adams, Farrington Daniels, Frank C. Whitmore and James B. Sumner. Charles Loring Jackson (1847-1935 was the first significant organic chemist in the United States Roger Adams ( January 2, 1889 – July 6, 1971) was an American organic chemist. Farrington Daniels (1889-1972 an American physical chemist is considered one of the pioneers of the modern direct use of Solar energy. Frank Clifford Whitmore (1887-1947 nicknamed "Rocky" was a prominent chemist who submitted significant evidence for the existence of Carbocation mechanisms in organic James Batcheller Sumner ( November 19, 1887 &ndash August 12, 1955) was an American Chemist. As a Harvard professor, he worked on both physical and organic chemistry. The meaning of the word professor ( Latin: professor, person who professes to be an expert in some art or science teacher of highest rank) varies Physical chemistry, is the application of Physics to macroscopic microscopic atomic subatomic and particulate phenomena in chemical systems It is mostly defined as a large Organic chemistry is a discipline within Chemistry which involves the scientific study of the structure properties composition reactions, and preparation The American Chemical Society honored him with its highest prize, the Priestley Medal, in 1944. The American Chemical Society ( ACS) is a Learned society ( Professional association) based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry The Priestley Medal is the highest honor conferred by the American Chemical Society (ACS and is awarded for distinguished service in the field of Chemistry. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
In 1933, Conant accepted an appointment as the President of Harvard University, a post he held until 1953. Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The President is the chief administrator of Harvard University. Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Between 1941 and 1946, he also served as chairman of the National Defense Research Committee; from that position he played a key role, along with his close friend Vannevar Bush, in ramping up the Manhattan Project which developed the first nuclear weapons. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The National Defense Research Committee (NDRC was an organization created "to coordinate supervise and conduct scientific research on the problems underlying the development Vannevar Bush ( March 11, 1890 &ndash June 30, 1974; pronounced "VAN-ee-var" ˈvæˌniː The World War II Manhattan Project developed the first Nuclear weapon (atomic bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. After World War II he was an advisor to both the National Science Foundation and the Atomic Energy Commission. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The National Science Foundation (NSF is a United States Government agency that supports fundamental Research and Education in all the non-medical The United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control He served as U.S. High Commissioner and United States Ambassador to Germany from 1953 to 1957. The Allied High Commission (in German "Alliierte Hohe Kommission" "AHK" was established by the United States of America, the United Kingdom, The United States has had continuous diplomatic relations with the nation of Germany and its predecessor nation the Kingdom of Prussia, since 1835 Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar)
As the university's president, Conant was instrumental in transforming Harvard, until then widely perceived as a 'finishing school' for members of the New England upper class, into a world-class research university. History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the He introduced aptitude tests into the undergraduate admissions system so that students would be chosen for their intellectual promise and merit, rather than their social connections. Many American colleges followed Conant's lead, and this campaign led eventually to the adoption of the SAT. The SAT Reasoning Test (formerly Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test) is a standardized test for College admissions in the Conant also did much to move general undergraduate curriculum away from its traditional emphasis on the classics, and towards a more scientific and modern subject matter. "Classical literature" redirects here For literature in Classical languages outside the Graeco-Roman sphere see Ancient literature. He was active throughout his career on issues of education and scientific policy. For this work, he was awarded the prestigious Sylvanus Thayer Award by the United States Military Academy at West Point. The Sylvanus Thayer Award is an award that is given each year by the United States Military Academy at West Point "USMA" redirects here For other uses see USMA (disambiguation The United States Military Academy (also known as USMA,
Conant also actively promoted the discipline of history of science, instituting the Harvard Case Histories in Experimental Science and including history of science in the General Education curriculum. Science is a body of empirical, theoretical, and practical knowledge about the natural world, produced by a global community of researchers For Conant, an approach to science history that emphasized the internal and intellectual dimensions of scientific development — as opposed to the so-called external factors of sociology, economics and politics — reinforced the American Cold War ideology and would help Americans understand the importance of science since the Second World War. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including During that time, American science (and especially the field of physics that Conant viewed as exemplary) was rapidly becoming dominated by military funding, and Conant sought to defuse concerns about the possible corruption of science. The military funding of science has had a powerful transformative effect on the practice and products of scientific research since the early 20th century Conant was instrumental in the early career of Thomas Kuhn, whose The Structure of Scientific Revolutions has been extremely influential for the various fields of science studies. Thomas Samuel Kuhn (surname ˈkuːn July 18, 1922 &ndash June 17, 1996) was an American intellectual who wrote extensively The Structure of Scientific Revolutions ( 1962) by Thomas Kuhn, is an analysis of the History of science. Science studies is an interdisciplinary research area that seeks to situate scientific Expertise in a broad social historical and philosophical context
Conant died in Hanover, New Hampshire in 1978. Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. James B. Conant Middle School is a former school named after the man in Neenah, Wisconsin, though it has since become the "Conant" building of Neenah High School, in addition to the Neil Armstrong building and a large building connecting the two known simply as "The Link. Neenah is a city on Lake Winnebago in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States. Neenah High School is a public school located in Neenah WI and is part of the Neenah Joint School District. Neil Alden Armstrong (born August 5 1930 is a former American Astronaut, Test pilot, University Professor, and United States " James B. Conant High School in Hoffman Estates, Illinois was named after Conant, as was James B. James B Conant High School is a public four-year High school located in Hoffman Estates Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago Illinois, in the Conant Elementary School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Bloomfield Hills is a City in Oakland County of the US state of Michigan, northwest of Detroit (18 miles from downtown Detroit
External links
- Annotated bibliography for James Conant from the Alsos Digital Library
- Works by James Bryant Conant at Project Gutenberg
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Abbott Lawrence Lowell |
President of Harvard University 1933–1953 |
Succeeded by Nathan Marsh Pusey |
| Preceded by Anton J. Carlson |
President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science 1945 |
Succeeded by C. F. Kettering |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by Robert A. Lovett |
Sylvanus Thayer Award recipient 1965 |
Succeeded by Carl Vinson |
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