astronomy

Wendell Nedderman

Wendell Nedderman is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Wendell Nedderman rather than just read about it. In short: Wendell Herman Nedderman (October 31, 1921 – May 8, 2019) was an American academic administrator who was president of the University of Texas at Arlington for nearly 20 years, first as acting president (November 1972 – February 1974), then as president, leaving that post in July 1992. He began his 33 years of full-time service at UT Arlington in 1959 as the founding dean of the College of Engineering.

Key takeaways

Wendell Nedderman belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Wendell Nedderman to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Wendell Nedderman from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Wendell Herman Nedderman (October 31, 1921 – May 8, 2019) was an American academic administrator who was president of the University of Texas at Arlington for nearly 20 years, first as acting president (November 1972 – February 1974), then as president, leaving that post in July 1992. He began his 33 years of full-time service at UT Arlington in 1959 as the founding dean of the College of Engineering. This was followed by four years as vice president for academic affairs, and then 20 years as president. A campus engineering building was named Nedderman Hall in 1991 by the UT System board of regents. Campus Street and a portion of Monroe Street were combined and named Nedderman Drive by the City of Arlington in 1992. He was named president emeritus in 1992, and received the Mirabeau B. Lamar Award for Leadership in Learning from the Association of Texas Colleges and Universities. He was awarded the Anson Marston Medal for Achievement in the Field of Engineering in 2000 from Iowa State University.

Early life and education Born in Lovilia, Iowa on October 31, 1921, Nedderman attended a one-room school house as a boy, and graduated from Lovilia High School in 1939. He received a B.S. in civil engineering from Iowa State University in 1943. As a Navy V-7 reservist, he was sent to the Naval Academy at Annapolis for a period of training, after which he was commissioned an ensign and assigned to the Destroyer USS Patterson (DD392). By 1946, he had earned the Asiatic-Pacific ribbon with six stars and the Philippine Liberation ribbon with two stars as a result of campaigns in the Marianas, Philippines (Leyte and Luzon), Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. He served in the navy from May 1943 to May 1946.

Career After his discharge from the navy, Nedderman became an instructor in the department of civil engineering at Texas A&M University; he received a masters there in 1949. He earned a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Iowa State in 1951 while on leave from A&M. In 1959, he received the Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award from the Texas A&M Association of Former Students. His 12 years at A&M culminated with the rank of full professor. Nedderman was a registered professional engineer in Iowa, Louisiana, and Texas. He was a consultant to Gulf Oil Corporation for over 30 years, and was a pioneer in offshore platform design in the 1950s and 1960s. As the founding dean of engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington, he phased-in five B.S. degree programs by 1965 and five masters by 1969. He received authorization to commence the Ph.D. in engineering effective September 1, 1969, exactly 10 years after the founding of the new school engineering. Effective September 1, 1968, retiring university president Dr. Jack Woolf was replaced by Dr. Frank Harrison. During the 1967-1969 presidential transition, Nedderman held three positions simultaneously: dean of engineering, graduate school administrator, and vice president for academic affairs.

University of Texas at Arlington Presidency

In November 1972 Nedderman was named acting president of UTA, a position he held until February 1974 when he was selected the eleventh chief administrator of the institution. He continued as president until July 1992. During Dr. Nedderman's tenure as university president, 21 baccalaureate, 27 masters, and 17 doctoral degree programs were added. Enrollment increased by over 10,000, and 20 new buildings were constructed (new or major additions). The School of Nursing, School of Architecture, and the Center for Professional Teacher Education were added. The first satellite campus was added in 1987 with the establishment of a research institute on 18 acres in east Fort Worth as a result of a $10 million capital drive by the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and UT Arlington. His 1985 recommendation to the UT System board of regents that the football program be disbanded was accepted. The basis for the decision was that the program was draining valuable university funds, low attendance, and the negative impact of football deficits on other sports.

UT Arlington faculty and staff who contribute financially to the university are recognized as members of the "Nedderman Society" in honor of Wendell and Betty Nedderman.

Personal life and death Nedderman resided in Frisco, Texas, with his son Eric and family. His wife of 67 years, the former Betty Ann Vezey, died in January 2015 at age 89. Nedderman died on May 8, 2019, at the age of 97.

Awards and honors

Asiatic-Pacific Ribbon with six stars and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with two stars Scabbard and Blade Military Honor Society Nedderman Hall and Nedderman Drive on UT Arlington campus Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award by the Texas A&M Association of Former Students Mirabeau B. Lamar Award for Leadership in Learning by the Association of Texas Colleges and Universities. Anson Marston Gold Medal Award for Achievement in the Field of Engineering, by Iowa State University John R. Emmons National Award for Support of a Free Student Press, by Ball State University Service to People Award, Texas Section, American Society of Civil Engineers Silver Beaver Award, Longhorn Council, Boy Scouts of America Anson Jones Award, Scottish Rite Foundation, Fort Worth, Texas Wall of Fame, Albia, Iowa Community High School Kiwanis, Layman-of-the-Year, Division 39, Texas-Oklahoma District

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wendell Nedderman

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wendell Nedderman claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Wendell Nedderman before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Wendell Nedderman ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Wendell Nedderman

In research: Wendell Nedderman appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Wendell Nedderman in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Wendell Nedderman is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1921 births, 2019 deaths, Engineering educators, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Wendell Nedderman outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Wendell Nedderman” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Wendell Nedderman in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Wendell Nedderman means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Wendell Nedderman out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Wendell Nedderman in simple terms?

Why does Wendell Nedderman matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Wendell Nedderman?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Wendell Nedderman.