2008 Woodie Awards
History Weekly: Jess Davis
R&D and Expansions
Sheeraz Hyder
Issue date: 2/16/07 Section: Campus Life
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In 1951, Jess Davis took the reins of the Stevens Institute of Technology as its fourth President and the university experienced a tremendous amount of growth in funded research among other areas. Due to the Cold War, according to Davis, Stevens was 26th in the dollar volume of its funded research. The Davidson Towing Tank Laboratory was the main beneficiary. Secret research contracts for the DOD and in particular the Department of the Navy accounted for over half of the $2 million Stevens received per year.
In 1957, Vice Admiral Howard E. Orem, USN (ret.) was made assistant to Jess Davis for development of research and then promoted to Director of research in charge of organizing and developing the entire Stevens funded-research program, until 1969. Winston Bostick's arrival as head of the Physics department, and his numerous political connections enabled research grants for physics to reach unprecedented levels.
Due to Physics professor Kenneth C. Rogers success in obtaining grants totaling millions of dollars for the MEGATRON project and following Bostick's retirement, Rogers was made head of the department and competed nationally for a one-million-dollar NSF research development Grant. These accomplishments led to him being chosen as Davis's successor. Chemistry and chemical engineering under Luigi Z. Pollara managed to obtain grants totaling 250 thousand per year.
Under Jess Davis, Stevens transformed from a small undergraduate engineering college with a smaller, graduate school only awarding Master's into a larger university with a new science undergrad program and a grad school that now offered Ph.D.s as well. The grad school also started to offer degrees in science engineering and management. Laboratories, classrooms, administration buildings, and dormitories were built on campus and geographic diversity increased as they started to come from outside the tri-state area.
In 1958, a new Unified Science Curriculum, by Pollara, Bostick and Nicholas Rose, with concentrations in chemical biology, physics, and applied mathematics. Chemical Biology was created in 1965, under Professor Francis T. Jones, to prepare students for the MCAT and medical school. UPTAM (Undergraduate Projects in Technology and Medicine) was started under professor Ajay Bose was started in 1948 started by the bequest of Edward L. Lempke '48.
In 1957, Vice Admiral Howard E. Orem, USN (ret.) was made assistant to Jess Davis for development of research and then promoted to Director of research in charge of organizing and developing the entire Stevens funded-research program, until 1969. Winston Bostick's arrival as head of the Physics department, and his numerous political connections enabled research grants for physics to reach unprecedented levels.
Due to Physics professor Kenneth C. Rogers success in obtaining grants totaling millions of dollars for the MEGATRON project and following Bostick's retirement, Rogers was made head of the department and competed nationally for a one-million-dollar NSF research development Grant. These accomplishments led to him being chosen as Davis's successor. Chemistry and chemical engineering under Luigi Z. Pollara managed to obtain grants totaling 250 thousand per year.
Under Jess Davis, Stevens transformed from a small undergraduate engineering college with a smaller, graduate school only awarding Master's into a larger university with a new science undergrad program and a grad school that now offered Ph.D.s as well. The grad school also started to offer degrees in science engineering and management. Laboratories, classrooms, administration buildings, and dormitories were built on campus and geographic diversity increased as they started to come from outside the tri-state area.
In 1958, a new Unified Science Curriculum, by Pollara, Bostick and Nicholas Rose, with concentrations in chemical biology, physics, and applied mathematics. Chemical Biology was created in 1965, under Professor Francis T. Jones, to prepare students for the MCAT and medical school. UPTAM (Undergraduate Projects in Technology and Medicine) was started under professor Ajay Bose was started in 1948 started by the bequest of Edward L. Lempke '48.
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