In Memory of Dr. Kevin Francis Brennan
Dr. Kevin Francis Brennan of Atlanta, GA died
Aug. 2, 2003 after a three-year battle with a rare form of pancreatic
cancer.
He is survived by his wife of 5 _ years, Lea A. McLees; their
pets, Casper and Jack; his mother, Rita C. Brennan of Ocala, FL;
brother, Gregory J. Brennan of Brick, NJ; mother-in-law, Norma
J. McLees of Auburn, GA; brother- and sister-in-law, David W.
and Davida D. McLees of Greenville, NC; and extended family, friends,
students and colleagues. He was preceded in death by his father,
Frank J. Brennan.
Brennan was a Westfield, N.J., native. He earned a B.S. in physics
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge; and
an M.S. physics and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A professor in Georgia
Tech's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering since 1984,
Brennan taught, performed research and did service work for the
university, as well as graduating 11 Ph.D. students who work at
leading U.S. companies and universities. A National Science Foundation
Presidential Young Investigator, he authored almost 150 refereed
journal papers and more than 100 conference articles. Brennan
held five U.S. patents and consulted for industry and government.
Brennan specialized in the in-depth theoretical analysis of semiconductor
devices and materials at the submicron level. He also developed
superlattice devices for electroluminescent displays -- such as
those that glow on your car dashboard at night -- and infrared
detectors - such as those used in night vision goggles.
Brennan created computer simulations of high-speed, high frequency
transistors, as well as of quantum mechanical effects in semiconductors.
His specialty was modeling wide-band-gap semiconductors for future
high-power, high-frequency, high-thermal-resistance applications
such as automobile and jet engines and power amplifiers for wireless
communication systems.
Nationally, Brennan was a Distinguished Lecturer for the Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He was invited
around the country to discuss future approaches to computing hardware,
and the impact of wide-band-gap semiconductors on wireless communications.
He served on the board of the Journal of Lightwave Technology,
as well as several national technology advisory boards. Brennan
was a member of IEEE, the American Physical Society and Sigma
Xi.
Brennan authored "The Physics of Semiconductors with Applications
to Electronic Devices" (Cambridge University Press), "Theory
and Modern Electronic Semiconductor Devices" (John Wiley
and Sons Textbook Division); and co-edited "Topics in High
Field Transport in Semiconductors" (World Scientific). An
additional book will be published posthumously.
At Georgia Tech, Brennan was an Institute Fellow and a Byers Professor
in Optical Networking. He was instrumental in organizing Georgia
Tech's first internal sabbatical program on "The Future of
Computing Technology," which explored new areas of collaboration
on campus.
In 2003 Brennan won Georgia Tech's highest award, Distinguished
Professor of the Year. He received a special recognition award
for graduate education and research scholarship presented in 2002.
In his free time Brennan enjoyed grilling, reading American and
scientific history books, running, backcountry hiking, sailing,
model railroading, wine, good food and travel. He was known for
his stunning blue eyes, handsome physique, great one-liners and
a ready, booming and infectious laugh.