Mann Chair in the Sciences
The Brother Leonard A. Mann, S.M. Chair in the Sciences recognizes outstanding accomplishments in and contributions to scholarship in the sciences. The position is named in honor of Brother Leonard A. Mann, S. M., former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of physics. Bro. Mann has been described as a true servant-leader in the Marianist tradition. He tirelessly served his church, his order, his colleagues, and most of all, his students. At the time of his death in 1995, Bro. Mann had served as a Marianist brother for 61 years. Dr. Panagiotis Tsonis of the Department of Biology was the first to serve as Mann Chair.
About Brother Leonard A, Mann, S.M.
Brother Leonard A. Mann, S.M., Ph.D., a native of Cleveland, Ohio, graduated from Mount St. John Preparatory School in 1933 and received his bachelor's degree in education from the University of Dayton in 1936. Brother Mann began his teaching career in 1936 at Chaminade High School in Dayton, and subsequently taught at St. John the Baptist High School in Philadelphia (1937), Chaminade High School in Santa Cruz, California (1937-38), St. Joseph's High School in Alameda, California (1938-39), Mount St. John Preparatory School in Dayton (1939-43); Holy Trinity High School in Sioux City, Iowa (1943-44), Hamilton Catholic in Hamilton, Ohio (1945-47), and North Catholic in Pittsburgh (1952-54). Brother Mann earned a master's degree in physics at The Ohio State University and a doctorate in physics at Carnegie Tech, Pittsburgh, in 1954.
Brother Mann began his association with the University of Dayton as a professor of physics in 1954. He soon became chairperson of the department and shortly thereafter was appointed to serve as the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1959. A gifted teacher, he nevertheless gave strong administrative leadership to the University by building the modern foundation for the College of Arts and Sciences. For more than two decades, Bro. Mann provided the patient hand and steady guidance that built the academic reputation of the College. Under his leadership as dean, Brother Mann was instrumental in helping to form many new academic programs, including a doctoral program in biology, the first Ph.D. program at the University of Dayton. Brother Mann served as dean until 1980 when he retired from administration and returned to teaching, a labor of love characterized by a selfless commitment to students.
In 1991, Brother Mann was honored by the university as a senior retiree. Dr. Michael O'Hare, chairperson of the Department of Physics, described Brother Mann as a true servant-leader in the Marianist tradition. "He served his church, his order, his colleagues, and most of all his students." At the time of his death in 1995, Brother Mann had served as a Marianist brother for 61 years. The Bro. Leonard A. Mann, S.M., Ph.D., Chair in the Sciences was established to recognize his outstanding example of the Marianist spirit and commitment to excellence.
About the Current Chair
Dr. Robert J. Brecha was born and raised in Ohio. He attended Wilmington High School and Wright State University, graduating from the latter with a B.S. in physics in 1983. He then studied at the University of Texas at Austin, receiving his Ph.D. in physics from UT-Austin in 1990 after a period spent at the California Institute of Technology. From October 1990 until November 1992 he was a post-doctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics in Munich, Germany. Upon returning to the US, he took a position at the University of Dayton, where he has taught since August 1993. He is currently a professor of physics and a faculty member of the Electro-Optics Graduate Program. He was chosen to be the second Brother Leonard A. Mann, S.M. Chair in the Sciences in July 2006 and was installed on March 23, 2007
His research focus while at UD has been on diode-laser spectroscopy of oxygen molecules, along with experimental and theoretical quantum optics and ultra cold atoms. He has been a visiting scientist at quantum optics research institutes in Munich, Germany and Florence, Italy. Most recently, Dr. Brecha has re-oriented his research to concentrate on issues of sustainability, energy and the environment, and has begun collaborating with economists and natural scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Change Research in Germany.
Through the office of the Leonard A. Mann Chair in the Sciences, Dr. Brecha continues his ongoing research on the impact of energy usage. His research covers many aspects of energy use, including the Earth's resource limitations, the effects of global warming, the impact of energy use on the economy and alternative building materials.
As a faculty member in both the Department of Physics and the Electro-Optics Graduate Program in the School of Engineering, Dr. Brecha has done extensive research in the areas of quantum optics and spectroscopy. In his administration of the Mann Chair, his research in this area is ongoing and he has presented his findings to the university community and beyond. Dr. Brecha became interested in the use of optics in examining artworks while teaching a course for non-majors, Physics of Light and Color. He spent one month in the summer of 2005 working in Florence, Italy in the Art Diagnostics Group of the National Institute of Applied Optics.
