MIT Radiation Laboratory - Cambridge, MA - Engineering Landmarks on Waymarking.com

In Cambridge, on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is a plaque on a wall in one of the corrdors just off the "MIT Infinite Corridor," is a plaque from the Institute of Electricalo and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for the MIT Radiation Laboratory.

The plaque reads:

"The MIT Radiation Laboratory, operated on this site between 1940 and 1945, advanced the allied war effort by making fundamental contributions to the design and deployment of microwave radar systems. Used on land, sea, and in the air, in many adaptations, radar was a decisive factor in the outcome of the conflict. The laboratory's 3900 employees made lasting contributions to microwave theory and technology, operational radar, systems engineering, long-range navigation, and control equipment.

October 1990"

The coordinates of the waymark are located at the nearest outside entrance: the northeast end of the infinite corridor. From here, enter through the door, then walk about 100 feet to an intersection where there is a set of stairs. At this intersection is a sign pointing left for "Building 4 and Killian Court." Follow that sign down the corridor. The plaque is about 50 feet down on the left.

Parking in this area is difficult. There may be spaces available along one of the roads. Better, take the T Red Line and get off at the Kendall/MIT stop, then head toward the Green/Earth Sciences building, the tallest on campus. The entrance is on the other side of another building beside the Green Building.

The page for this plaque on the IEEE website has more history about the lab. The lab was established as a joint effort with U.S. and British scientiests, employing people with varying backgrounds to work on the microwave radiation detection and ranging (radar) technology to aid the allies during World War II. The web site states, "The "Rad Lab" designed almost half of the radar deployed in World War II, created over 100 different radar systems, and constructed $1.5 billion worth of radar. At the height of its activities, the Rad Lab employed nearly 4,000 people working on several continents. What began as a British-American effort to make microwave radar work, evolved into a centralized laboratory committed to understanding the theories behind experimental radar while solving its engineering problems."

The laboratory was closed in 1945, and the Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE) was established in 1946 as the successor to the Radiation Laboratory.

Without these efforts, much of today's technology, such as speed radar guns and weather dopplar radar would not have been possible for many years later.

Location: MIT Type of structure/site: Laboratory Date of Construction: 1940 Engineer/Architect/Builder etc.: MIT Engineering Organization Listing: Other (specify in description) Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Web Site: [Web Link]

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