Donald L. Campbell

Donald Lewis Campbell was an American chemical engineer. He and his team of three other scientists in the same field are most known for having developed the fluid catalytic cracking process in 1942. This process provided a more efficient method for petroleum refiners to obtain highoctane gasoline by through the conversion of crude oil. The teams revolutionary creation is explained in US Patent No. 2,451,804, A Method of and Apparatus for Contacting Solids and Gases, and eventually transformed the way petroleum was developed. Their invention was especially important in World War II, as refiners could finally provide enough fuel for the allies fighter planes to battle against the Axis. For his significant contributions to the field of chemical engineering, Campbell was inducted in the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1999.

Donald L. Campbell was born in Clinton, Iowa on August 5, 1904. From an early age, he showed a great fascination towards invention and solving problems. He actively indulged himself in building and problemsolving experiments. At the age of 16, Campbell took part in a national essay contest, which was sponsored by the Department of War. Twelve million contestants participated to write on the advantages of joining the army. One of the judges was General John J. Pershing. Out of this pool, Campbell came in first place. The first line of his essay read As Horace Greely once said, Young man, go West. We now say, Young man, join the Army. Later, he began his higherlevel education at Iowa State University, where he majored in chemical engineering and came first in his class. Afterward, he earned his masters degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He completed his education after attending Harvard Business School.

Source: Wikipedia