The goal of the donation from Philip and Doris Danielson is to encourage students to take vacuum technology courses and earn a credential in Vacuum and Thin Film Technology. Philip Danielson also donated a collection of articles and book reviews on vacuum technology topics. These are available through the College.
Normandale Community College held an official naming ceremony and ribbon cutting for the Philip Danielson Vacuum Technology Center on April 27, 2018.
Phil was an engineer, inventor and entrepreneur in the Chicago area who passed away in April 2015. He was a mentor to many people starting in the field of vacuum technology, including Smith. Phil also owned Danielson Associates, a manufacturer's rep company in Illinois. Among his many accomplishments, Phil built custom vacuum systems and invented an important device, still in use across the world, to enhance the removal of water vapor from vacuum systems. Normandale purchased those devices to use for instruction.
Phil's wife Doris selected Normandale to be the repository of over 50 online technical articles Phil wrote over the course of his career. When Doris passed away, Phil and Doris, in their will, left over $578,000 that have gone toward scholarships for the Vacuum Technology Program at Normandale.
top
