Edward E. Hammer

Infobox Scientist
name = Edward E. Hammer

---

caption =
birth_date =
birth_place =
death_date =
death_place =
residence =
citizenship =
nationality =
ethnicity =
fields =
workplaces =
alma_mater =
doctoral_advisor =
academic_advisors =
doctoral_students =
notable_students =
known_for =
influences =
influenced =
awards = IEEE Edison Medal


footnotes =

Edward E. Hammer is an engineer who has been at the forefront of fluorescent lighting research. His technological contributions in incandescent, fluorescent and HID light sources have earned him over 35 patents.

He received his bachelor's degree from Manhattan College.

During the energy crisis of the 1970s, he led the development of General Electric’s pioneering energy-efficient lamp. He led the development of the Watt Miser (marketed as the F-40 Watt Miser), which was released in 1973 cite web|title=Father of the compact fluorescent bulb looks back|author=Michael Kanellos|url=http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6202996.html|publisher=ZDNet News|date=2007-08-16] . In 1976, he invented the first compact fluorescent lightbulb, but due to the difficulty of the manufacturing process for coating the interior of the spiral glass tube, GE did not manufacture or sell the device. Other companies began manufacturing and selling the device in 1995 [cite web|url=http://americanhistory.si.edu/lighting/20thcent/invent20.htm#in4|title=Lighting a Revolution: Inventing Six Modern Electric Lamps|author=Smithsonian Institution] . The Smithsonian Institution houses Hammer's original CFL prototype .

Hammer is an IEEE Fellow and the 2002 IEEE Edison Medal winnercite web|url=http://www.ieee.org/portal/pages/about/awards/bios/2002edison.html|title=Edward E. Hammer, 1931-|publisher=IEEE] .

Ed Hammer completes weekly podcasts at http://www.drop-the-hammer.com to teach the public about CFLs, their history, color temperature, mercury content and more.

References