Dr. Richard C. Bradt

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Dr. Richard C. Bradt has been appointed as the Alton N. Scott Professor at The University of Alabama College of Engineering for his excellence in research. The Alton N. Scott Professorship was established in 2002 through an $8 million endowment funded by Alton N. Scott.

Bradt, professor of materials engineering, received his bachelor of science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his master’s and doctorate from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. With UA since 1994, Bradt is a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society and the ASM International, the Materials Information Society. He was inducted as the Alpha Sigma Mu Materials Engineering Distinguished Alumnus at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1992. In 1998, Bradt received the John P. Burnum Outstanding Faculty Award from The University of Alabama.

Bradt has published more than 350 papers and presented research findings at national and international conferences in various areas of ceramics and materials. He is considered one of the nation’s leading experts in ceramic refractory materials and the brittle fracture of materials. For his research, he received the Jeppson Medal in 2000 and the Bleininger Award in 2002 from the American Ceramic Society. Bradt also received the CEC Educator of the Year award from the American Ceramic Society and the Mineral Industries Educator of the Year award from AIME. He is an honorary member of the MRS-Japan, and he was presented the Academic Achievement Award of the Japanese Ceramic Society in 2000. Bradt also serves on the editorial boards of three international journals.

The Alton N. Scott Professorship was established in 2002 from an $8 million endowment from Scott’s estate. The bequest is the largest gift ever given to the College of Engineering, and the second largest bequest in the history of the University. The income distributions from this endowment are earmarked for the “promotion, encouragement and funding of research projects.”

Endowed professorships enhance the quality of programs in higher education through both the recognition and contributions of the professors. Distinguished scholars, who hold these most prestigious positions, make significant contributions to the research and teaching missions of the University, and they increase the visibility of the University, which aids in attracting high-quality faculty, excellent students and external resources for research.

In 1837, UA became the first university in the state to offer engineering classes and was one of the first five in the nation to do so. Today, the College of Engineering, with about 1,900 students and more than 90 faculty, is one of the three oldest continuously operating engineering programs in the country and has been fully accredited since accreditation standards were implemented in the 1930s.