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University Archives

University Archives

Records that document the history of the University at Albany, SUNY and its predecessor schools.
The University Archives documents the history of the University at Albany, SUNY from its origin in 1844 as the New York State Normal School to train teachers for New York State to its present status as a comprehensive research university. The department collects, manages, and provides access to permanent university records for research use. This includes the administrative records of the university, student groups, faculty, alumni, and affiliated organizations. Collecting and preserving university records documents our history and promotes transparency and accountability.

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Bernard Vonnegut Papers, 1828-1997

39.04 cubic ft.
The Bernard Vonnegut Papers document Vonnegut's career as a researcher in the field of atmospheric science with a focus on his time at GE, Arthur Little, and the State University of New York at Albany. The collection includes technical memoranda, research, data, inventions and patent forms, equipment specifications, drawings, figures, handwritten notes, manuscripts, reports, correspondence, publicity materials, course materials, news clippings, photographs, memorabilia, and audio/video materials
Top 3 results in this collection — view all 9
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Series 2 documents the NOSL (Nighttime/Daylight Optical Survey of Thunderstorm Lightning) experiment, a large-scale project undertaken by NASA during the early 1980s, in which astronauts recorded and documented thunderstorm and lightning activity from the Earth's orbit. Dr. Vonnegut, who proposed the project, utilized the photographs and data in his continuing research on thunderstorms and electrification theory.

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Series 4 documents Dr. Vonnegut's work with the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NMIMT) in Socorro, New Mexico. While both were employed at Arthur D. Little, he and fellow scientist Charles Moore were invited to conduct thunderstorm research at Mt. Withington, eventually becoming part of the Langmuir Laboratory for Atmospheric Research in Socorro. Moore stayed at NMIMT, and Dr. Vonnegut moved on to the State University of New York at Albany; though their collaborative research continued for the entirety of each other's career.

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Online

This series consists primarily of tornado observations and eyewitness accounts solicited from the general public via newspaper advertisements in areas where tornadoes and severe storms frequently occur. They are filed using the original labeling system employed by Dr. Vonnegut, where the date and place of the observation as well as a brief statement on the phenomena is used to identify the observation. Accounts of severe storms found in multiple publications, biblical references, and other historical observations are also present.