Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Records of the University of Michigan College of Engineering include histories, correspondence and topical files of deans; minutes of the executive and other committees; faculty records, including minutes of meetings and faculty biographies; miscellaneous student and alumni records; photographs, microfilm, digital files, and archived website.

The College of Engineering records date from 1860 to 2014 and measure 118.5 linear feet, 3 oversize folders, and 1,196 GB. The records document the internal activities of the College of Engineering, both administrative and academic, the role of the college as a unit of the University of Michigan, and research developments and trends over the years. Correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, financial records, and other material reflect changing research interests within the field of engineering as well as the curriculum development that has accompanied technological advances. Of particular interest are the files relating to outside work by faculty members, a question of enduring concern within the college. The records reflect the relations of the College of Engineering with private industry, especially through the documentation of funding from outside sources and the involvement of professors in outside research.

Electrical engineering was established as a department in the College of Engineering in 1895. In 1971 it was renamed as the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The Department of Computer and Communication Science was transferred from the College of Literature, Science and the Arts in 1984. The faculties and courses were merged under new designation Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Departmental records include administration material relating to policies and budget, annual reports and reviews, topical files, photographs, and personnel files of inactive faculty and research scientists. Records describe the facilities, curriculum, and teaching and research activities within the department.

The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science records contain correspondence, departmental review reports, committee minutes, faculty and student surveys, personnel records and photographs. The records span the years 1920-1997.

The records are arranged in seven series: Administrative Budget/ Financial, Department Review and Report, Histories, Topical, Photographs, and Personnel.

The records of the Division of Research Development and Administration (1919-1996) encompass the DRDA and all of its predecessor organizations, including the Department of Engineering Research, the Engineering Research Institute, the University of Michigan Research Institute, and the Office of Research Administration. Record types include correspondence, topical subject files, research grant files, meeting minutes, financial records, and photographs.

The records of the Division of Research Development and Administration (1919-1996) encompass both the DRDA and all of its predecessor organizations. The papers have been divided into seven major series: Governing and Oversight Bodies (1919-1964), Staff and Committee Records (ca. 1922-1979), Administrative Files (1922-1972), Correspondence Files (1943-1972), Willow Run Laboratories (1946-1966), Directors' Files, and several boxes of Research Grant Files on microfilm. There are also four smaller series: the Engineering College Research Council (1959-1961), Review of the DRDA - Report to Harold Shapiro, 1980, Engineering Research Institute - miscellaneous research reports, Photographs, and Programmed Research Information System at Michigan (PRISM) Reports.

Burroughs was assistant director of the Engineering Research Institute, later director of its successor organization, the Research Institute [reorganized in 1961 as the Office of Research Administration (ORA)] of the University of Michigan. Papers includes topical files, correspondence, ORA executive committee minutes, and reports and proceedings of the National Conference on the Administration of Research (NCAR)

The collection is arranged into four series, reflecting Burroughs' various profession engagements at the University of Michigan and other institutions: Topical files, Correspondence, Committee Minutes, and Office of Research Administration

Walter Pinkus was an Engineer in Research for the University of Michigan's Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences Department's Space Physics Research Laboratory from 1966 to 1996. At the lab he conducted design work on instruments built for various National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) missions. The collection contains correspondence, schematics, project books, and research reports relating to the projects Pinkus worked on. Included in the collection are papers related to the San Marco program, Galileo spacecraft, and the High Resolution Doppler Imager (HRDI).

The Walter Pinkus papers encompasses Pinkus's time at the University of Michigan's Space Physics Research Laboratory. The papers date from 1965 to 1996and include correspondence, schematics, project books, and research reports on instruments built for various National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) missions. Included in the collection are notes from the Galileo space probe project, the San Marco program, Mars Upper Atmosphere Dynamics, Energetics, and Evaluation (MUADEE) project. The arrangement of the collection follows Pinkus's arrangement of the materials.

Professor of electrical engineering at the University of Michigan. Files documenting his scientific research and professional activities, notably his studies of high-frequency power welding, vacuum tube development, gas discharge plasma, microwave electron tubes, use of rockets and satellites in investigations of the upper atmosphere, missile guidance systems, and military electronics; files relating to his involvement with various University of Michigan research centers and institutes; and photographs.

The William G. Dow Papers document his career as a faculty member of the University of Michigan Department of Electrical Engineering, his scientific research, his participation in professional organizations, and his other professional interests and activities. The collection also contains copies of published and unpublished technical and professional papers written by Dow, and two unpublished books. The papers include lecture notes taken by Dow, texts of lectures given by Dow and others, course materials used in Dow's classes, correspondence, minutes, reports, raw data, photographs, and other material relating to Dow's research. The papers are composed of six series: University of Michigan Activities, Research, Professional Organizations, Articles, Books and Talks, Topical Files, Correspondence, and Photographs. There is a great deal of overlap between theses series, as Dow was often engaged in educational, research, publishing, and professional activities simultaneously. Researchers are advised to consult the entire collection. A small group of biographical and bibliographical materials begins the collection.