Eli Fromm, Ph.D., professor emeritus, bioengineering researcher, engineer and former vice provost for Research and Graduate Studies of Drexel University passed away on Jan. 20 at the age of 85. He was remarked to be a kind, resourceful and brilliant friend, colleague and professor. His contributions remain at the heart of Drexel.
Fromm earned both his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University in 1962 and his Master’s in Engineering in 1964. In 1962, he worked as an engineer for the missile and space division of the General Electric Company. There he assisted in the design and development of solar-powered biotelemeters. The following year, he worked as an engineer in the E.I. DuPont Company’s Engineering Physics Laboratory. At the DuPont Company, he assisted in the development of continuous sensing external blood pressure monitoring systems and the non-corneal contact commercial tonometer dubbed the “Durham Tonometer.” Afterwards, in 1967, Dr. Fromm earned his doctorate in bioengineering and physiology from Jefferson Medical College.
In the same year, Fromm returned to his alma mater Drexel, joining as an assistant professor. In his tenure at Drexel, Fromm served as principal investigator of many bioengineering research projects, Gateway Engineering Education Coalition and the Drexel E4 educational reform project.
“I started to think about the reform of engineering education when I noticed the lack of hands-on experience the students were getting,” Fromm said in 2014.
The reform project was an extensive restructuring of Drexel’s engineering curriculum in 1988. Students who were in this program often reflected on “what it means to be an engineer.”
In interviews, they reported the project made them aware of the ethics in engineering, the need to function and coordinate as a team and the responsibilities they had when conducting difficult projects. As they learned through a lab-based, critical thinking yet broad-based background approach, the students felt they had more ownership and matured as they solved issues they had never thought about before. With the faculty facilitating and supporting their efforts, the students appreciated the tough coursework.
Fromm later reflected, “If the people involved really want to make it happen, they will find a way to make it happen.”
Additionally, Fromm took up other remarkable academic leadership positions, such as the vice president for Educational Research, interim dean of engineering, interim head of the biosciences department and vice provost for Research and Graduate Studies. He was also designated a Leroy A. Brothers Professor in the College of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Fromm co-authored many articles and research papers detailing measures to enhance education and the creation of various bioengineering technologies.
Concurrently with his efforts at Drexel, he impressively served as an engineering fellow and member of many distinguished committees such as the House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering .
Fromm’s long-time friend and colleague Bruce Eisenstein remarked, “He was usually the smartest person in the room.”
In 2002, he was the first recipient of the National Academy of Engineering’s Bernard M. Gordon Prize for his “innovation that combines technical, societal, and experiential learning into an integrated undergraduate engineering curriculum.”
He would be later elected as a member of the same institution in 2004.
From his distinguished services at Drexel, Fromm was honored by the university with the Harold M. Myers Award in 2017. Additionally, he was inducted into The Drexel 100, the university’s prestigious alumni hall of fame, which recognizes outstanding alumni who made significant contributions to their profession, community or the university. Also, he funded the Helen and Siegfried Fromm Chapel in the Raymond G. Center for Jewish Life at Drexel in honor of his parents’ strength, courage and struggle.
After an extensive, dedicated career of fifty years, Fromm retired in 2017. His legacy serves as a testament to his discipline, dedication and influence on the community.