John Brooks Slaughter
John Brooks Slaughter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 11th President of Occidental College | |
| In office 1989–1999 | |
| Preceded by | Richard C. Gilman |
| Succeeded by | Ted Mitchell |
| 5th (and last) Chancellor of the University of Maryland, College Park | |
| In office 1982–1988 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Gluckstern |
| Succeeded by | William English Kirwan (as president) |
| 6th Director of the National Science Foundation | |
| In office 1980–1982 | |
| President | Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Richard C. Atkinson |
| Succeeded by | Edward A. Knapp |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 16, 1934 Topeka, Kansas |
| Alma mater | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Electrical engineering |
| Institutions | Navy Electronics Laboratory |
| Thesis | The solution of a class of optimal control problems by linear and piecewise-linear programming techniques (1971) |
John Brooks Slaughter (born 16 March 1934) is an American electrical engineer and former college president who served as the first African-American director of the National Science Foundation (NSF). His work focuses on development of computer algorithms for system optimization and discrete signal processing.
Early life and education[]
Slaughter was born in and grew up in Topeka, Kansas, and attended Topeka High School. After two years at Washburn University, Slaughter transferred and earned a B.S. in electrical engineering from Kansas State University in 1956, an M.S. in engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1961, and a Ph.D. in engineering sciences from the University of California, San Diego in 1971.[1][2]
Academic career[]
He took a civilian position at the United States Navy Electronics Laboratory in San Diego in 1960. He was appointed Director of the Applied Physics Laboratory of the University of Washington in 1975. He joined the NSF in 1977 as Assistant Director for Astronomics, Atmospherics, Earth and Ocean Sciences. From 1980 to 1982 he was Director of the NSF.[3]
He was elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering in 1982. From 1982 to 1988 Slaughter served as Chancellor of the University of Maryland, College Park, then served as President of Occidental College in Los Angeles from 1988 to 1999. In 1999 he was appointed Melbo Professor of Leadership in Education at the University of Southern California.
References[]
- ^ "John Slaughter". The History Makers. Nov 28, 2012.
- ^ Slaughter, John Brooks (1971). The solution of a class of optimal control problems by linear and piecewise-linear programming techniques (Ph.D.). University of California, San Diego. OCLC 17797905 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Staff report (June 12, 1982). National Science Chief To Leave Federal Post. New York Times
Further reading[]
- Kessler, J., Kidd, J. Kidd R. & Morin, K. (1996). Distinguished African American Scientists of the 20th Century. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press. pp. 292–296.
External links[]
- John Brooks Slaughter profile via The Faces of Science: African Americans in the Sciences.
- John Brooks Slaughter at IMDb
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- 1934 births
- Living people
- People from Topeka, Kansas
- Washburn University alumni
- Kansas State University alumni
- UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni
- University of California, San Diego alumni
- University of Washington faculty
- Presidents of the University of Maryland, College Park
- Presidents of Occidental College
- University of Southern California faculty
- United States National Science Foundation officials
- Electrical engineering academics
- American electrical engineers
- African-American academics
- United States Navy civilians
- Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering
- Engineers from California
- Reagan administration personnel
- Carter administration personnel