Mellon Institute of Industrial Research

Scientific research institute founded in 1910 by Andrew W. Mellon as Dept. of Industrial Research, University of Pittsburgh; name changed in 1913 to Mellon Institute of Industrial Research and School of SpeciFIC Industries; incorporated as a separate institution in 1927 under the name Mellon Institute of Industrial Research; merged with Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1967 to form Carnegie-Mellon University.

The Scientific Research Institute was founded in 1910 by Andrew W. Mellon as the Department of Industrial Research at the University of Pittsburgh, with Robert Kenneth Duncan as its head. In 1913, the department was removed from the University of Pittsburgh and independently endowed by the Mellon family, and its name was changed to Mellon Institute of Industrial Research and School of Specific Industries. In 1927, it was incorporated as a separate institution under the name of Mellon Institute of Industrial Research. In 1967, the Institute merged with Carnegie Institute of Technology to form Carnegie-Mellon University (CMU), although under the terms of the merger it retained its identity as an independent division within CMU. The Smoke Investigation conducted by the Industrial Research Department of the University of Pittsburgh from 1911-1914 was the first comprehensive study of dust fall and air pollution in the United States. It became and remains the standard for investigations into the issue.