Duncan, Robert Kennedy

Duncan, Robert Kennedy,

1868–1914, American industrial chemist and educator b. Brantford, Ont., grad. Univ. of Toronto (B.A., 1892). He was professor at the Univ. of Kansas (1906–10) and at the Univ. of Pittsburgh (1910–14). In Kansas he introduced the system of fellowships for research in industrial chemistry that became the basic plan of the Mellon Institute (now part of Carnegie-Mellon Univ.) and greatly furthered the discovery of new products and new processes. He wrote several books for laymen.

Duncan, Robert Kennedy

(1868–1914) chemist, writer; born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. He came to the United States about 1892. After a period of teaching, he was sent to Paris by a magazine to report on the Curies' work (1901). He became a popular interpreter of science. In 1906, he decided to devote himself to the creation of a system of industrial fellowships at universities (notably at the University of Pittsburgh with help from the Mellon family) to mesh academia with the needs of industry.