{"id":54896,"date":"2025-11-11T16:33:58","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T21:33:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine\/?p=54896"},"modified":"2026-01-08T13:20:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T18:20:05","slug":"150-years-of-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine\/history-made\/150-years-of-innovation\/","title":{"rendered":"150 Years of Innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"\"
On the set of The Johns Hopkins Science Review<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 1948, a groundbreaking weekly educational television show, The Johns Hopkins Science Review<\/em>, debuted in Baltimore. Hosted by JHU\u2019s public relations director, Jim Poole, it gave viewers an \u201cover-the-shoulder\u201d glimpse into the work of Johns Hopkins engineers, scientists, and physicians through lab demonstrations and interviews on topics from breast cancer and industrial waste disposal to water usage. A 1950 New York Times<\/em> article praised it as \u201ca thoroughly worthwhile and encouraging example of educational television,\u201d noting that it had \u201cthe most needed attraction of good education: It was interesting.\u201d By the time it went off the air in 1955, the show had reached a national audience, earned two Peabody Awards, and helped shape the future of science programming, paving the way for offerings from Bill Nye the Science Guy to the Discovery Channel.

Watch episodes<\/a> from the show<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Core Understanding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since the 1970s, paleoecologist Grace Brush, an environmental engineer and professor emeritus, has helped reveal how historical human activity continues to shape the Chesapeake Bay\u2019s ecology. By analyzing sediment cores dating back to 12,000 B.C., she traced a surge in ragweed pollen and algae to European settlement, linking deforestation and agriculture to long-term declines in water quality, sedimentation, seagrasses, and fish populations. Her work was key to understanding the bay\u2019s ongoing environmental challenges through the lens of its past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sediment Standard<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

M. \u201cReds\u201d Wolman, A&S \u201949, a geographer and member of the Johns Hopkins faculty for 52 years, redefined river science by developing the Wolman Pebble Count, a simple yet powerful method for measuring streambed sediment that became the standard for geomorphologists everywhere.  His work changed how scientists assess river health, erosion, and sediment transport, provided new ways to think about the effects of land use, urbanization, and environmental management and restoration, and helped shape the field of environmental science. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Brighter, Flatter, Thinner<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Hiram Gene Slottow, Engr \u201952 (MSE), revolutionized display technology in the 1960s as co-inventor of the plasma screen, earning him a place in the National Inventors Hall of Fame and an Emmy Award for Technical Achievement. His flat-panel design was a breakthrough\u2014brighter, thinner, more energy-efficient, and a major leap from bulky cathode-ray tubes. The technology enabled wall-mounted TVs and high-resolution displays, transforming home entertainment and digital signage, and paving the way for today\u2019s screens, from smartphones to stadium jumbotrons. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 ABBY LATTES<\/p>\n\n\n\n

illustrations by Chris Philpot<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Highlighting Johns Hopkins\u00a0Engineering\u2019s enduring\u00a0impact as we celebrate JHU\u2019s sesquicentennial.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":54908,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"issue":[104],"class_list":["post-54896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-made","issue-fall-2025"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n150 Years of Innovation - Johns Hopkins Engineering Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Highlighting Johns Hopkins Engineering\u2019s enduring impact as we celebrate JHU\u2019s sesquicentennial\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine\/history-made\/150-years-of-innovation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"150 Years of Innovation - 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