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George Granger Brown Laboratory. Photo Courtesy: Architect Magazine
Contribution of Life Remains After Life
Contribution of Life Remains After Life
By Stella Han
George Granger Brown contributed the majority of his life to the University of Michigan through raising students of future engineers, expanding the departments, and modernizing the College of Engineering. Thus, it is meaningful that we have a laboratory building named after him. The George Granger Brown Laboratory, also commonly called as GGBL, is a building located on the North Campus in between the DOW building and the EECS building where it brings different laboratory buildings into one.
According to the University of Michigan Architecture, Engineering and Construction (UMAEC) website, the GGBL was first constructed in 1958 to house the Department of Mechanical Engineering. While still a building for the College of Engineering, it now contains different laboratory areas for bio-systems, energy systems, and nano-systems and houses chemical, civil and materials sciences engineering departments ("George").
Since its initial construction, the GGBL went under multiple renovations. According to the action request sent to the Board of Regents in 2009, College of Engineering proposed an additional renovation to G.G. Brown in order to house research laboratories and offices for graduate students and faculties. This “$46 million, 62,880-square-foot, three-story Center of Excellence in Nano Mechanical Science and Engineering project” took more than four years to finally complete in August 2014 (“GG Brown”).
George Granger Brown. Photo Courtesy: https://siarchives.si.edu
George Granger Brown was a Chemical Engineering professor at the University of Michigan and the sixth dean of College of Engineering (Swisher). “Born in New York City on September 3, 1896," he graduated from the New York University in 1917 with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering (Swisher). According to the book A Century of Chemical Engineering, Brown came to the University of Michigan as a chemical engineering instructor with Alfred H. White’s recommendation in 1920. He then worked as an instructor, conducted research, and studied as a graduate student until he became “assistant professor in 1925, associate professor in 1927, and professor in 1930 at the age of 34” ("Chapter 5" 67).
When Brown became the dean of College of Engineering, “he introduced the science engineering program, promoted graduate programs in nuclear engineering and instrumentation engineering, and instituted educational programs” to provide more understanding and help for the engineering students (Swisher). In addition, Brown tried to expand the Department of Engineering by planning the constructions of a variety of laboratories during his year at the University of Michigan. These laboratories include Fluids Engineering Laboratory, Nuclear Engineering Laboratory, Phoenix Memorial Laboratory, Aeronautical Engineering Laboratory, Gas Dynamics Laboratory, and more (Swisher). However, Brown could not witness the “expansion and modernization” as he passed away with lung cancer on August 26, 1957 (Swisher).
According to BehindTheName.com, the name George originated from a Greek name Georgios that derived from the word georgos meaning farmer. In addition, Granger is a French origin name also meaning farmer, according to TheBump.com. His last name Brown is of Middle English origin, coming from the word broun, which comes from Old English brūn and Old French brun, according to Ancestry.com. It further describes that Brown was commonly given to those who had brown hair. Although George Granger Brown was not a farmer, he was a chemical engineer, where chemical engineering is used to develop different products used for farming such as “herbicides to kill weeds” (“Achievements”).
Out of many buildings of the University of Michigan named after people, the G.G. Brown Laboratory is a great example of naming the building after someone important to the university. Being named after someone who dedicated the majority of their life to the Department of Engineering, the name value of the building is more meaningful and respectful to Brown. As many engineering students visit G.G. Brown Laboratory, it will work as an evidence for his contribution as it remains to be the home for many engineering departments.
Work Cited
"Chapter 5." A Century of Chemical Engineering at The University of Michigan.
http://um2017.org/Chemical_Engineering_files/*Wilkes%20Chemical%20Engineering%20History%20copy.pdf. Accessed 31, March. 2023.
“Achievements in Enhancing Food Production.” AiChE, 11 Jan, 2017.
“Brown Family History.” ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=brown. Accessed 31, March. 2023.“George Granger Brown Memorial Laboratories.” Architecture, Engineering and Construction
University of Michigan, https://umaec.umich.edu/projects/completed-projects/brown-gg-laboratory-mechanical-engineering-addition-2/regents-items-for-this-building/. Accessed 31, March. 2023.
“George.” behindthename.com, https://www.behindthename.com/name/george. Accessed 31, March. 2023.
“George Granger Brown Laboratory.” Architect Magazine,
https://www.architectmagazine.com/project-gallery/gg-brown-building-addition. Accessed 31, March. 2023.
“George Granger Brown.” Smithsonian Institution Archives,
https://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_arc_290479. Accessed 31, March. 2023.
“GG Brown Building Addition.” Architect Magazine,
https://www.architectmagazine.com/project-gallery/gg-brown-building-addition. Accessed 31, March. 2023.
“Granger.” thebump.com, https://www.thebump.com/b/granger-baby-name. Accessed 31, March. 2023.
Sandy Swisher. “G.G. Brown: Mentor and Pioneer.” Engineering Research News,
https://news.engin.umich.edu/2017/12/g-g-brown-mentor-and-pioneer/. Accessed 31, March. 2023.
"The University of Michigan Regents Communication Action Request." University of Michigan College of Architecture, Engineering and
Construction. 18 June 2009. https://umaec.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/ggbrown.pdf. Accessed 19 April 2023.
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