In 1967, the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research, one of the nation’s premier independent research centers, merged with Carnegie Institute of Technology, a rapidly growing, forward thinking university, to form what we now know as Carnegie Mellon University. By joining the two institutions, the architects of the merger hoped to create an institution that would make Pittsburgh as famous for science as it was for steel. You might be wondering: what was the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research?
Throughout institute’s tenure, over 650 novel processes and products were invented or developed by fellows of the Institute. This includes tons of common things like beverage flavors, breakfast cereals, edible gelatins, fertilizers, gules, inks, insecticides, shoe leathers, skinless hot dogs, frozen orange juice, razor blades, and fluoride.
Read more from Project Archivist Emily Davis.