Elburt F. Osborn
{{Short description|American geochemist}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Elburt F. Osborn
| office = 13th Director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines
| term_start = October 23, 1970
| term_end = September 30, 1973
| predecessor = John F. O'Leary
| successor = Thomas V. Falkie
| birth_name = Elburt Franklin Osborn
| birth_date = {{birth date|1911|8|13}}
| birth_place = Kishwaukee, Illinois, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1998|1|19|1911|8|13}}
| death_place = State College, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| resting_place = Centre County Memorial Park
Centre County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| party =
| occupation = {{hlist|educator|government official}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Jean McLeod Thomson|1939}}
| children = 2
| alma_mater = DePauw University (BA)
Northwestern University (MS)
California Institute of Technology (PhD)
| awards = Roebling Medal
}}
Elburt Franklin Osborn (August 13, 1911 – January 19, 1998) was an American geochemist and educator. He served as the 13th director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines.
Early life
Elburt Franklin Osborn was born on August 13, 1911, in Kishwaukee, Illinois to Anna (née Sherman) and William Franklin Osborn.{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91956626/elburt-franklin-osborn-20-jan-1998-cen/ |title=Elburt Franklin Osborn |date=1998-01-20 |newspaper=Centre Daily Times |access-date=2022-01-06 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Open access}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.libraries.psu.edu/findingaids/1091.htm |title=Elburt F. Osborn papers |website=Pennsylvania State University |access-date=2022-01-06}} Osborn graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in geology from DePauw University in 1932. He received a Master of Science in petrology from Northwestern University in 1934 and a PhD in petrology from the California Institute of Technology in 1938.{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91726597/osborn-recipient-of-society-award-16/ |title=Osborn Recipient of Society Award |date=1976-01-16 |newspaper=Centre Daily Times |page=3 |access-date=2022-01-06 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Open access}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91957059/dr-osborn-geochemistry-professor-resi/ |title=Dr. Osborn, Geochemistry Professor, Resigns From PSU |date=1971-08-16 |newspaper=Daily Item |location=Sunbury, Pennsylvania |access-date=2022-01-06 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Open access}}
Career
In 1938, Osborn joined the Geophysical Lab at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C. He also served as a consultant of ballistic problems for Division I of the National Defense Research Committee during World War II. His work related to gun barrel erosion and internal ballistics.
In 1946, Osborn joined Pennsylvania State University as a professor of geochemistry and chairman of the earth sciences department. He then served as associate dean from 1952 to 1953 and served as dean of the College of Mineral Studies from 1953 to 1958. In 1952, Osborn, along with Thomas Bates, founded the Materials Characterization Laboratory.{{Cite web |url=https://www.ems.psu.edu/about/who-we-are/history |title=History - College of Earth and Mineral Sciences |website=Pennsylvania State University |date=July 21, 2016 |access-date=2022-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106080039/https://www.ems.psu.edu/about/who-we-are/history |archive-date=2022-01-06 |url-status=live}} Osborn and his students have received international recognition for their research in the field of high temperature reactions as applied to iron and steel technology and to volcanic phenomena. He became the vice president for research at Penn State in 1959 and served in that role until 1970. During his 11 years as vice president, he helped to quadruple research budgets at Penn State (from {{US$|9}}{{nbsp}}million to {{US$|36}}{{nbsp}}million). He remained affiliated with the university until resigning on August 14, 1971.{{Cite web |url=https://www.mri.psu.edu/mri/newspubs/materials-penn-state-historical-poster-project |title=Osborn's leadership impacts research |website=Pennsylvania State University |date=March 9, 2018 |access-date=2022-01-06}} Under his leadership, Penn State introduced the first interdisciplinary curriculum in solid state technology in 1960 and opened the Interdisciplinary Materials Research Laboratory in 1962.
Osborn was appointed director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines on October 23, 1970.{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91956247/new-mine-chief-24-oct-1970-daily-news/ |title=New Mine Chief |date=1970-10-24 |newspaper=New York Daily News |page=8 |access-date=2022-01-06 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Open access}} As director, he helped establish the Pennsylvania Mining and Mineral Resources Research Institute. He left the role on September 30, 1973.{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91955859/mines-director-resigns-post-albuquerque/ |title=Mines Director Resigns |date=1973-09-08 |newspaper=Albuquerque Journal |page=A15 |access-date=2022-01-06 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Open access}} In 1973, he became a professor at the geophysical laboratory of Carnegie Institute. From 1978 to 1987, he served as a senior research fellow at Carnegie Institute. In 1974, Osborn was named as the chairman of the National Research Council's Board on Mineral Resources.{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91955638/osborn-named-as-chairman-centre-daily-t/ |title=Osborn Named as Chairman |date=1974-10-22 |newspaper=Centre Daily Times |page=7 |access-date=2022-01-06 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Open access}}
He served as president of the Mineralogical Society of America in 1960, the American Ceramic Society in 1964, the Geochemical Society in 1967, the Society of Economic Geologists in 1971, and the Geophysical Society of America. He was a fellow of the Geological Society of America, the Mineralogical Society of America, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Geophysical Union and the American Ceramic Society. He was elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1968 for "advances in ceramics, slag, mineral, and steel technologies". He was also an honorary member of the Canadian Ceramic Society and a member of the National Science Foundation.
Personal life and death
Osborn married Jean McLeod Thomson on August 12, 1939. Together, they had two children, James and Ian.{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91958490/miss-thomson-wedding-plans-9-aug-1939/ |title=Miss Thomson Wedding Plans |date=1939-08-09 |newspaper=Montreal Star |page=15 |access-date=2022-01-06 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Open access}}
Osborn died on January 19, 1998, at his home in State College, Pennsylvania. He was interred at Centre County Memorial Park in Centre County, Pennsylvania.
Awards
Osborn received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Alfred University in 1965 and an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Ohio State University in 1972.{{Cite web |url=https://universityawards.osu.edu/archives/honorary-degree-recipients-archive |title=Honorary Degree Recipients |website=Ohio State University |access-date=2022-01-06}} He was awarded the Mineralogical Society of America's Roebling Medal in 1972.{{Cite web |url=http://www.minsocam.org/msa/awards/roebling.html |title=Roebling Medal |website=Mineralogical Society of America |access-date=2022-01-06}} Osborn was awarded the American Ceramic Society's Albert Victor Bleininger Memorial Award in 1976.
References
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Category:People from Winnebago County, Illinois
Category:DePauw University alumni
Category:Northwestern University alumni
Category:California Institute of Technology alumni
Category:Pennsylvania State University faculty
Category:United States Bureau of Mines personnel
Category:Fellows of the Geological Society of America
Category:Fellows of the American Ceramic Society
Category:Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Category:Fellows of the American Geophysical Union
Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering
Category:Presidents of the Geochemical Society