James Bryant Conant

James Bryant Conant (March 26, 1893 - February 11, 1978) was a chemist, educational administrator, and government official. He was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1893 and graduated from the Roxbury Latin School in Boston in 1910. He went on to study chemistry at Harvard (B.A., 1914; Ph.D., 1917). At Harvard he studied under Charles Loring Jackson, and became acquainted with Roger Adams, Farrington Daniels, Frank C. Whitmore and James B. Sumner. As a Harvard professor, he worked on both physical and organic chemistry. The American Chemical Society honored him with its highest prize, the Priestley Medal, in 1944. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder. ... This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (86th in leap years). ... 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... A chemist pours from a Florence flask. ... 1888 German map of Boston Harbor showing Dorchester in the lower left hand corner. ... The Roxbury Latin School, founded in 1645 and located at 101 Saint Theresa Avenue in West Roxbury, Massachusetts since 1927, is the oldest school in continuous operation in North America. ... Chemistry (from Greek χημεία khemeia[1] meaning alchemy) is the science of matter at the atomic to molecular scale, dealing primarily with collections of atoms, such as gases, molecules, crystals, and metals. ... Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and a member of the Ivy League. ... A Bachelor of Arts (B.A. or A.B.) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or program in the arts and/or sciences. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Charles Loring Jackson (1847-1935) was the first significant organic chemist in the United States. ... Roger Adams (1889–1971) was an American organic chemist. ... Farrington Daniels (1889-1972) is considered one of the pioneers of the modern direct use of solar energy. ... Frank C. Whitmore, nicknamed Rocky, was a chemist who submitted the best piece of evidence for a carbocation mechanism in organic chemistry. ... James Batcheller Sumner (November 19, 1887 - August 12, 1955) was an American chemist. ... A professor giving a lecture The meaning of the word professor (Latin: one who claims publicly to be an expert) varies. ... Physical Chemistry is the combined science of physics, chemistry, thermodynamics, and quantum mechanics which functions to provide molecular-level interpretations of observed macroscopic phenomena. ... Organic chemistry is a specific discipline within the subject of chemistry. ... The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a learned society (professional association) based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. ... The Priestley Medal is awarded by the American Chemical Society (ACS) for distinguished service in the field of chemistry. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ...

In 1933, Conant accepted an appointment as the President of Harvard University, a post he held until 1953. 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. After World War II he was an advisor to both the National Science Foundation and the Atomic Energy Commission. He served as U.S. High Commissioner and United States Ambassador to Germany from 1953 to 1957. Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... The President is the chief administrator of Harvard University. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... In June of 1940, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) to coordinate, supervise, and conduct scientific research on the problems underlying the development, production, and use of mechanisms and devices of warfare. ... Vannevar Bush (March 11, 1890 – June 30, 1974) was an American engineer and science administrator, known for his political role in the development of the atomic bomb, and the idea of the memex—seen as a pioneering concept for the World Wide Web. ... The Manhattan Project resulted in the development of the first nuclear weapons, and the first-ever nuclear detonation, at the Trinity test of July 16, 1945. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the epicenter. ... Combatants Allied Powers: United Kingdom France Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Axis Powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Charles de Gaulle Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33... The logo of the National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. ... Shield of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. ... The Allied High Commission (in German Alliierte Hohe Kommission, AHK) was established by Great Britain, France, and the United States of America after the 1948 breakdown of the Allied Control Council to regulate and supervise the development of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany. ... The United States has had diplomatic relations with the nation of Germany and its predecessor nation, the Kingdom of Prussia, since 1835. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the 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. 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. 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. 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. Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and a member of the Ivy League. ... This article is about the region in the United States of America. ... The SAT is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. ... Classics, particularly within the Western University tradition, when used as a singular noun, means the study of the language, literature, history, art, and other aspects of Greek and Roman culture during the time frame known as classical antiquity. ... The Sylvanus Thayer Award is a military award that is given each year by the United States Military Academy at West Point. ... USMA is an acronym for the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. ...

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. 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. 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. 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. Science is a body of empirical and theoretical knowledge, produced by a global community of researchers, making use of specific techniques for the observation and explanation of real phenomena, this techne summed up under the banner of scientific method. ... The Cold War was the period of conflict, tension and competition between the United States and the Soviet Union and their allies from the mid 1940s until the early 1990s. ... Combatants Allied Powers: United Kingdom France Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Axis Powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Charles de Gaulle Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33... Thomas Samuel Kuhn (July 18, 1922 – June 17, 1996) was an American intellectual who wrote extensively on the history of science and developed several important notions in the philosophy of science. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Science studies is an interdisciplinary research area that seeks to situate scientific expertise in its broader social, historical, and philosophical context. ...

Conant died in Hanover, New Hampshire in 1978. 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." James B. Conant High School in Hoffman Estates, Illinois was named after Conant, as was James B. Conant Elementary School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Hanover is a town located on the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. ... Neenah is a city located in Winnebago County, Wisconsin. ... Neenah High School is a public school located in Neenah, WI and is part of the Neenah Joint School District. ... add This article is about the former American astronaut. ... James B. Conant High School, or Conant, is a public four-year high school located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. ... Hoffman Estates is a village located primarily in Cook County and a small section in Kane County, Illinois. ... Bloomfield Hills is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. ...

External links

• Annotated bibliography for James Conant from the Alsos Digital Library
• Works by James Bryant Conant at Project Gutenberg