Page History

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Professor King had resigned as head of the Department as of September 1,1972. He was succeeded by Professor Floe, who served as Acting Head in the academic year 1972-73. In July 1973, Professor Walter Owen assumed charge of the Department. 

Wiki MarkupThe President's Report for 1972-73 stated in relation to the Department that the "number of undergraduates \ [is\] too small, some subjects do not attract enough interest, and funding has declined ... some professors are not supported." The Report for the following year reported "small but steady growth." It also pointed out that the Department at MIT would be able to accept larger numbers of highly qualified students than any other materials department in the country. The volume of research was increasing.  

A new undergraduate curriculum in materials science was introduced in 1973. In the following year, programs in five areas were offered to graduate students. Also, in 1974 a cooperative program with industry, destined to become exceedingly successful, was started under the leadership of Professor King. 

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A new undergraduate curriculum went into effect in 1972-73. It took a broadened approach to materials. It also introduced greater flexibility, which made transfer from other departments easier. Subject 18.03 Differential Equations was restored as a requirement. This and other changes had been discussed in meetings with the Visiting Committee. Restricted electives permitted some specialization of undergraduates, but the emphasis was on education in the science and engineering fundamentals of materials (Floe, King, and Owen). 

Wiki MarkupThe cooperative program, known as Course IIIB, was exceedingly successful from the start under the leadership of Professor King, who was joined in 1978 by Mr. Joseph M. Dhosi, the  the Department's Administrative Officer. After Professor King's death in 1985, Professor Pelioux became the program's director and director and Mr. Dhosi continued as coordinator. Enrollment in the program has continued to grow. The President's Report of 1976-77 mentioned that "many of the new students \ [were\] attracted by \ [it\]." After only a few years of its existence, a majority of seniors in the Department were enrolied in Course IIIB. seniors in the Department were enrolied in Course IIIB. 

Graduate Studies 

In the early 1970s it was the graduate program that defined the Department's range of interests. One of the first activities involving all parts of the Department in the period 1972-82 was conducted by the Ad Hoc Committee on Doctoral Programs in Materials under Professor Cohen as Chairman. The Committee of ten members submitted its report dated September 25, 1973 in preparation for the Visiting Committee meeting of October 12, 1973. 

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