Title: Atmospheric Sciences Laboratory Records, 1938-1970
ID: 11/7/16
Primary Creator: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Department of General Engineering
Extent: 2.0 cubic feet
Arrangement: By type of material and chronological correspondence and alphabetical general file
Subjects: Air Pollution
Formats/Genres: Papers
Languages: English
Departmental files maintained by John E. Pearson during his association with the Departments of Civil Engineering, General Engineering, Nuclear Engineering and Sanitary Engineering (1959-70). Records include correspondence sent and received by Pearson concerning his research and departmental affairs (1956-63, 1967-70); a general file containing organizational correspondence about Pearson's membership and activities in professional engineering associations, departmental bulletins and reports concerning administration, committees and curriculum development; research notes and calculations related to Pearson's published studies on air pollution and Radon-222, including photographs and negatives of photographs used in Pearson's publications; graduated student advisor's handbooks; bills and vouchers for Pearson's purchases.
In 1904, the College of Engineering requested the establishment of a General Engineering Drawing Department, but the President decided to not approve the request at that time.1 In 1921, a formalized four-year curriculum was established, the completion of which awarded a B.S. in General Engineering, though GED was still only an informal service department.2 The Department offered a non-specialized general engineering curriculum leading to the degree of B.S. in General Engineering intended for students who might not wish to undertake a program for more specialized fields of engineering practice, but who, however, might wish to secure fundamental training in the principles of engineering theory in order to ally themselves with industrial and commercial developments in the fields of management, operation and construction.3
In 1953, its name changed to the Department of General Engineering from General Engineering Drawing in order to "give instruction and conduct research in graphics, but also operate the general engineering curriculum."4
In 2006, General Engineering merged with the Industrial Engineering Program to form the Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering, in order to better reflect the integrated nature of its interdisciplinary technical and business training and research.5
1. Board of Trustees Transactions, 23rd Report, November 9, 1904, January 17, 1905, pp. 19, 38.
2. University of Illinois Annual Register, 1922-1923, p. 137.
3. Undergraduate Course Catalogs, 1973-75, p. 226.
4. College of Engineering Annual Reports, 1952-53, p. 5.
5. Newsletters, "The Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering," 2006, Record Series 11/7/809.
URL: https://files.archon.library.illinois.edu/uasfa/1107016.pdf
PDF finding aid for Atmospheric Sciences Laboratory Records (11/7/16)