1853-1909   |  1910s  |  1920s  | 1930s  |  1950s  | 1960s  | 1970s  |  1980s  |  1990s  |  2000s

History of the ECE Department: 1940-1949

 

1942
	Dr. Palmer H. Craig becomes Department Acting Chair
	Department has four faculty members
	Enrollment dropped from 133 to 48 due to World War II
	Two study options are offered - power and communications (electronics)
1943
	The Electronic Communications Laboratory, (formally the Army Research Lab) was formally established with the research focus directly tied to World War II.
	Department establishes research lab in the Bahamas to study radio-wave atmospherics (Sferics) in the Caribbean.
1944
	Special Tube Building Laboratory established
1945
	Dr. Palmer H. Craig becomes Department Chair
	Faculty grows to eight members
	Industrial Electronics Laboratory established
	Enrollment jumps to 91 undergraduate students
1946
	Fred H. Pumphrey becomes Department Chair
	EE professors Ralph Carroll, Palmer H. Craig, William Kessler, Edward F. Smith, Paul Tedder, John W. Wilson, Joseph Weil, Wallace Zetrouer received the Certificate for Distinguished Service to Naval Ordnance Development from Admiral Ralph Davison in May in recognition of the distinguished service to the research and development of naval ordnance in connection with development of components for the radio proximity fuze.
	The Sferics Laboratory, used primarily for research, is established.  Later becomes Weather and Lightning Lab.
	Department adds Radar and Hurricane Research laboratories
	Faculty has grown to 14 professors and 5 research faculty and undergraduate enrollment increased to 324 students
1947
	Weather Radar Facility obtained from Army Air Corps Base
	Weather and Lightning Laboratory changed name to Air Base Research Laboratory
	Alachua Air Base Laboratory launched to study weather radar with a 25-foot tower capable of carrying as far south as Lakeland.
1948
	EE becomes department with largest undergraduate enrollment in the College of Engineering
1949
	Dynamo Laboratory becomes Power Laboratory
	Plans for a new engineering building (Weil Hall) to house the entire college faculty were begun.