HENDERSONVILLE, NC, September 05, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to name James Edward Brittain, PhD, a Lifetime Achiever. An accomplished listee, Dr. Brittain celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Dr. Brittain holds the esteemed role of professor emeritus of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, and is a renowned expert on the history of electrical engineering, which formed the basis of his doctoral thesis. He has written 398 publications since 1959, contributing a vast depth of expertise to the field, and is the author of several books as well. Dr. Brittain still contributes articles on local county history, and is proud of what he has achieved despite humble beginnings.
Born in Mills River, North Carolina, to Randall Francis and Velma Hassie Brittain in 1931, Dr. Brittain grew up on a subsistence farm and always knew he wanted a better life. He was motivated to strive for excellence and lofty goals, none loftier than a term of enlistment with the U.S. Air Force. Dr. Brittain spent four years as a student and teacher of a radar school in the Air Force, and enjoyed his subjects so much that he decided to move into electrical engineering as a career.
Dr. Brittain earned a Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1957 from Clemson University and worked as a junior research engineer at the University of Tennessee to earn a Master of Science in 1959. Dr. Brittain went on to serve as an assistant professor of electrical engineering at Clemson University and developed an interest in electrical engineering history.
In 1969, Dr. Brittain was welcomed by the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta as an assistant professor, teaching the history of science and technology. That year, he received a Master of Arts from Case Western Reserve University, and in 1970, he earned a PhD there as well. In 1972, he became an associate professor with the Georgia Institute, and in 1977, he edited "Turning Points in American Electrical History." In 1978 and again in 1988 he became chair of the history committee of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), later serving on its editorial board from 1990 to 2017, contributing more than 200 articles to the proceedings. He was elected to the grade of fellow of the IEEE in 1987 for the development of the field of electrical history.
In 1985, Dr. Brittain co-authored "Engineering the New South," following it with "Alexanderson: Pioneer in American Electrical Engineering" in 1992, "Scanning the Past: A History of Electrical Engineering and its Pioneers" in 1999, and "Gun Fights, Dam Sites and Water Rights" in 2001. He became professor in 1992 and professor emeritus at the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1994. Dr. Brittain was instrumental to the founding of the Center for the History of Electrical Engineering in 1979.
For his dedication to engineering history, the IEEE has awarded Dr. Brittain the 1984 Centennial Medal, and he is the recipient of numerous research grants from the Smithsonian Institution of Research, the National Park Service, and the National Science Foundation. He is a lifetime member of the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, and a member of the Royal Society of Arts and the Radio Club of America, which awarded him the 1989 Batcher Memorial Prize, as well as the Society of the History of Technology, where he received the 1971 Usher Prize for his 1970 article on technology and the culture of the loading coil. Dr. Brittain was selected for inclusion in numerous volumes of Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the South and Southwest, Who's Who in Science and Engineering, and two volumes of Who's Who in American Education from 2006 to 2008.
In recognition of outstanding contributions to his profession and the Marquis Who's Who community, Dr. Brittain has been featured on the Marquis Who's Who Lifetime Achievers website. Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this honor.
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America , Marquis Who's Who has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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