John B. Slaughter
From ETHW
John B. Slaughter
- Birthdate
- 1934/03/16
- Birthplace
- Topeka, KS, USA
- Associated organizations
- National Science Foundation
- Awards
- IEEE Founders Medal
Biography
John Brooks Slaughter, a pioneering African-American engineer and educator, was born in Topeka, Kansas, USA, on 16 March 1934. He earned his B.S.E.E. in 1956 from Kansas State, and his M.S. (Engineering, 1961) and Ph.D. (Engineering Science, 1971) from the University of California. After a distinguished early career in both private sector and government research, in 1980 U.S. President Ronald Reagan named him the first African-American director of the National Science Foundation. In 1982 he became the Chancellor of the University of Maryland, and in 1988 the President of Occidental College. Among his many recognitions, he is a Life Fellow of IEEE and an Eminent Member of Eta Kappa Nu.
