Rose Hulman Institute of Technology - Modulus Yearbook (Terre Haute, IN)

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Biographical. CARL LEO MEHS, Pu. D. President and Professor of Physics. Our President, Carl Leo Mees, was born in Columbus, Ohio, on May 20, 1853, in which city his early days were passed, and where he received the education of the common schools. As an educational man it is noteworthy that he is from a family of teachers; the father a minister, and mother, sisters and brothers all being teachers in sciences and arts. At the early age of eighteen he was graduated from the Ohio State University, and four years later was graduated and received the degree of Doctor of Medicine from the Starling Medical College. Meanwhile, for the years 1870-75, he also held the office of assistant chemist of the Ohio Geological Survey, and during three years of this time did exhaustive work with Prof. Wormley on micrometric measure- ments of blood corpuscles. In this were introduced his ideas of the application of photography and microscopy to measurements, which work forms much of the basis for Prof. Wormley’s edition of “The Micro-Chemistry of Poisons.” He accepted the professorship of Physics and Chemistry in the Louisville Male High School in 1876, which position he filled for four years. The years of 1880-82 were spent abroad studying in Europe, at the Imperial University, Berlin, under Helmholtz, Kirchoff, Hoffman, and then in London under Tyndall, in the labor- atories of Frankland and Wanklyn, and at South Kensington. In London he did much work on methods in water analysis and the sanitary significance of such analysis. He was called from abroad to take charge of the department of Physical Science in the Ohio University, in which university he was professor of Physics and Chemistry for five years. Dr. Mees came to Terre Haute from the Ohio University in 1887 to occupy the chair of Physics at Rose, and for eight years has remained in that position. For