Robert Bowie Owens
Encyclopedia
Robert "Bobby" Bowie Owens (1870 – 1940) was a U.S.
electrical engineer
. He discovered alpha rays. Born October 29, 1870, Owens was a graduate of the Industrial College of Johns Hopkins University
and Columbia University
.
On August 19, 1891 he was employed as the "Adjunct Professor in Electrical Engineering" in the newly formed school of Electrical Engineering at the University of Nebraska. After seven years of service left the now-department in shape comparable to other universities of the time, in August 1898, Owens took a position as MacDonald Chair of Electrical Engineering at McGill University
in Montreal
.
During his time at Nebraska, Owens was involved in forming The Society of Electrical Engineers of the University of Nebraska in 1893, the body which is known today as the IEEE.
Owens served as an officer in World War I
, alongside General John J. Pershing
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
electrical engineer
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
. He discovered alpha rays. Born October 29, 1870, Owens was a graduate of the Industrial College of Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
On August 19, 1891 he was employed as the "Adjunct Professor in Electrical Engineering" in the newly formed school of Electrical Engineering at the University of Nebraska. After seven years of service left the now-department in shape comparable to other universities of the time, in August 1898, Owens took a position as MacDonald Chair of Electrical Engineering at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
During his time at Nebraska, Owens was involved in forming The Society of Electrical Engineers of the University of Nebraska in 1893, the body which is known today as the IEEE.
Owens served as an officer in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, alongside General John J. Pershing
John J. Pershing
John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB , was a general officer in the United States Army who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I...
.