David Allan Bromley
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David Allan Bromley (May 4, 1926 – February 10, 2005) was a Canadian-American physicist, academic administrator and science advisor to President
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
. His field of research was the study of low-energy
nuclear Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: *Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics * Nuclear space *Nuclear ...
reactions and structure using
heavy ion High-energy nuclear physics studies the behavior of nuclear matter in energy regimes typical of high-energy physics. The primary focus of this field is the study of heavy-ion collisions, as compared to lighter atoms in other particle accelerator ...
beams.


Life

Born in
Westmeath County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of ...
,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, Canada, he received a
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
in 1949 and a
Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...
in 1950 from Queen's University. He received a
M.S. A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine ...
and a
Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
degree in
nuclear physics Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies th ...
in 1952 from the
University of Rochester The University of Rochester is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded in 1850 and moved into its current campus, next to the Genesee River in 1930. With approximately 30,000 full ...
in the United States. From 1952 to 1953, he was an instructor, and from 1953 to 1954 he was an assistant professor at the University of Rochester. In 1955, he was hired as an associate research officer,
Atomic Energy of Canada Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL, Énergie atomique du Canada limitée, EACL) is a Canadian Crown corporation and the largest nuclear science and technology laboratory in Canada. AECL developed the CANDU reactor technology starting in th ...
Ltd., and from 1958 to 1960 he was a senior research officer and section head. In 1960, he moved to the United States to become an associate professor of physics at
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
. He became a U.S. citizen in 1970. He was appointed a professor in 1961 and was associate director of the Heavy Ion Accelerator Lab from 1960 to 1963. He was the founder, and from 1963 to 1989, the director, of Yale's A. W. Wright Nuclear Structure Lab. From 1970 to 1977, he was chairman of the physics department. In 1972, he was appointed the Henry Ford II Professor of Physics and was in this position until 1993. Before being appointed under the Bush Cabinet, he was a member of President
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
's
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
Science Council. While serving as Bush's science advisor from 1989 to 1993, he pushed for major increases in scientific research funding so that the United States could compete with
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
and
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
in manufacturing. He also supported the expansion of the high-speed network which eventually became the
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
. In addition he is known for having played a key role in impeding progress toward international action on climate change at the Noordwijk Climate Conference. During the final negotiation, Bromley, urged by
White House Chief of Staff The White House chief of staff is the head of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, a position in the federal government of the United States. The chief of staff is a Political appointments in the United States, politi ...
John Sununu, convinced the conference to abandon the commitment to freeze emissions. Following his public policy work, he returned to
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
to serve as Sterling Professor of the Sciences and dean of the Yale Faculty of Engineering from 1994 to 2000. His tenure as dean substantially revived Yale's engineering programs and led to its re-establishment as the
Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science The Yale School of Engineering and Applied Science is the engineering school of Yale University. When the first professor of civil engineering was hired in 1852, a Yale School of Engineering was established within the Yale Scientific School, an ...
. He continued teaching at Yale until his death in 2005. Over his career, he had many honors including 33 honorary degrees and membership in the United States National Academy of Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1988, Bromley was awarded the
National Medal of Science The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral science, behavior ...
.National Science Foundation – The President's National Medal of Science
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Bibliography

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Notes


References

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External links


Oral history interview transcript for D. Allan Bromley on 29 October 1986, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
– Session I
Oral history interview transcript for D. Allan Bromley on 30 October 1986, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
– Session II


Walte Greiner and Neal Lane, "David Allan Bromley", Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences (2009)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bromley, David Allan 1926 births 2005 deaths 20th-century American physicists American nuclear physicists Canadian nuclear physicists Canadian physicists Canadian emigrants to the United States Duke University faculty Fellows of the American Physical Society Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences National Medal of Science laureates People from Renfrew County Queen's University at Kingston alumni University of Rochester alumni Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science faculty Yale Sterling Professors Yale University faculty Presidents of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics Presidents of the American Physical Society Directors of the Office of Science and Technology Policy