Ascher H. Shapiro
Encyclopedia
Ascher H. Shapiro was a professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT. He grew up in New York City. He earned his S.B. in 1938 and an Sc.D. in 1946 in the field of mechanical engineering
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
. He was appointed assistant professor at MIT in 1943 where he taught fluid mechanics
. He was Ford Professor from 1962 to 1975 and an Institute Professor from 1975 until he became Emeritus Institute Professor in 1986.
He was Chair of the Institute's Faculty in 1964-1965 and head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering from 1965 to 1974.
A prolific author of texts in his field, his two-volume treatise, The Dynamics and Thermodynamics of Compressible Fluid Flow, published in 1953 and 1954, is considered a classic. His 1961 book Shape and Flow: The Fluid Dynamics of Drag explained boundary layer phenomena and drag in simple, non-mathematical terms. In the 1960s, he began to conduct research in fluid flow in the body.
In 1961, he founded the National Council for Fluid Mechanics Films (NCFMF)http://web.mit.edu/fluids/www/Shapiro/ncfmf.html, in cooperation with the Educational Development Center. The NCFMF released a series of 39 films, which have since then been widely used in the teaching of Fluid Mechanics http://web.mit.edu/hml/ncfmf.html.
He was elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1952, the National Academy of Science in 1967, and National Academy of Engineering
in 1974. He was awarded the Benjamin Garver Lamme Award by the American Society of Engineering Education in 1977. He was awarded the Fluids Engineering Award in 1977 and the Drucker Medal
in 1999 by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
. He was awarded honorary Doctor of Science in 1978 by the University of Salford
and in 1985 by the Technion.
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. He was appointed assistant professor at MIT in 1943 where he taught fluid mechanics
Fluid mechanics
Fluid mechanics is the study of fluids and the forces on them. Fluid mechanics can be divided into fluid statics, the study of fluids at rest; fluid kinematics, the study of fluids in motion; and fluid dynamics, the study of the effect of forces on fluid motion...
. He was Ford Professor from 1962 to 1975 and an Institute Professor from 1975 until he became Emeritus Institute Professor in 1986.
He was Chair of the Institute's Faculty in 1964-1965 and head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering from 1965 to 1974.
A prolific author of texts in his field, his two-volume treatise, The Dynamics and Thermodynamics of Compressible Fluid Flow, published in 1953 and 1954, is considered a classic. His 1961 book Shape and Flow: The Fluid Dynamics of Drag explained boundary layer phenomena and drag in simple, non-mathematical terms. In the 1960s, he began to conduct research in fluid flow in the body.
In 1961, he founded the National Council for Fluid Mechanics Films (NCFMF)http://web.mit.edu/fluids/www/Shapiro/ncfmf.html, in cooperation with the Educational Development Center. The NCFMF released a series of 39 films, which have since then been widely used in the teaching of Fluid Mechanics http://web.mit.edu/hml/ncfmf.html.
He was elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1952, the National Academy of Science in 1967, and National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
in 1974. He was awarded the Benjamin Garver Lamme Award by the American Society of Engineering Education in 1977. He was awarded the Fluids Engineering Award in 1977 and the Drucker Medal
Drucker Medal
The Daniel C. Drucker medal was instituted in 1997 by the Applied Mechanics Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The Drucker Medal is conferred in recognition of distinguished contributions to the fields of applied mechanics and mechanical engineering.The award is given in...
in 1999 by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering....
. He was awarded honorary Doctor of Science in 1978 by the University of Salford
University of Salford
The University of Salford is a campus university based in Salford, Greater Manchester, England with approximately 20,000 registered students. The main campus is about west of Manchester city centre, on the A6, opposite the former home of the physicist, James Prescott Joule and the Working Class...
and in 1985 by the Technion.
Books
- Shapiro, Ascher H., Dynamics and Thermodynamics of Compressible Fluid Flow, Krieger Pub. Co; Reprint ed., with corrections (June 1983), ISBN 0898745667.
- Shapiro, Ascher H., Shape and flow: The fluid dynamics of drag, Anchor Books, 1961.