Philanthropy
Science Journal -- June 1995  --  Vol. 12, Issue No. 2 

Private Philanthropy Establishes Erwin Mueller Professorship in Physics

The first person ever to "see" an atom was Erwin W. Mueller, who in 1955 at Penn State used the field ion microscope he had invented to make the first sharp, clear view of crystals on an atomic scale. Now, to honor Dr. Mueller's ground-breaking contributions to surface science and to teaching-and to make a lasting contribution to physics education at Penn State- a group of friends of Penn State have endowed a professorship in his name.

Dean Gregory L. Geoffroy says the private philanthropy will help Penn State to attract and retain a physicist held in the highest regard by contemporaries in the field. "Erwin Mueller had tremendous stature in his field of surface science. We intend to fill the position named in his honor with a physicist whose significant accomplishments and potential warrant the honor of being named the Erwin Mueller Professor in Physics," Dean Geoffroy says.

"The financial support provided by this endowed professorship will position its holder to provide leadership in achieving our goals of first-rate research and first-rate training of the next generation of physicists at Penn State," he explains.

According to Dean Geoffroy, the new professorship could not have been established without the support provided by contributors to its endowment fund.

Among the major contributors are three husband-wife teams: Robert DeCoudres, '44 BS CCh, and Lois DeCoudres; George and Margaret Downsbrough; and Frank Luerssen,'50 BS Phys, and Joan Luerssen, '49 Agr.

Robert DeCoudres, one of the inventors of Glad Bags when he was a research chemist at Union Carbide, has an appreciation for the practical aspects of Erwin Mueller's science. "To enhance many surface reactions in chemistry it is important to know exactly where the few activating atoms are located," he says. "The primary practical use for Dr. Mueller's inventions is for such microanalysis of metal alloys to see how impurities or additives could alter their strength, durability, and catalytic activity," he explains.

George Downsbrough, a Ph.D. physicist, served as president of the HRB Singer Company in State College (now HRB-Systems) from 1970 to 1975. Now retired, he and Margaret are living near the University Park Campus. "Because I have had the opportunity to serve on a number of advisory committees in the University, I have seen firsthand how much an endowed professorship can enhance both undergraduate and graduate education," George Downsbrough says. "It is one of the best ways I know to make a lasting and continuing contribution to future generations of PennState physics students."

Frank Luerssen, a second-generation Penn Stater whose father graduated in 1915, says "The reputation of the Penn State Department of Physics has grown substantially in recent years. I am proud to be able to add to this existing momentum by helping to establish the Erwin Mueller Professorship in Physics."

A member of the Penn State physics faculty from 1952 to 1977, Mueller later refined his field ion microscope to create the atom-probe field ion microscope, which could aim at a single atom, separate it from its neighbors on the surface of a material, and identify it by weight. He was named one of the "1,000 Makers of the 20th Century" by the London Sunday Times and in 1975 was elected an honorary member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. In 1977 he received one of his highest forms of recognition when he was awarded the National Medal of Science by then United States President Jimmy Carter. As an Evan Pugh Professor, Penn State's highest form of recognition, Erwin W. Mueller exemplified how a Penn State faculty member can impact the University, the nation, and the world.