Ben Zinn
Encyclopedia
Ben T. Zinn is an Israel
i-born American
academic in engineering
and former international soccer player. He is currently the David S. Lewis, Jr.
, Chair and Regents' Professor at Georgia Tech
.
in 1937; his parents had moved there from Poland
in 1936. Zinn's grandparents and twelve uncles and aunts all died in Nazi concentration camps
.
.
surname was "Cynowicz", which in Hebrew
was spelt as "Tzinovitz". To conform with Israeli government policy, it was shortened to "Tzinn", which was the name he used to travel with the Israeli All Star team. When he came to America he used both "Cinovitz" and "Cinowitz", with the latter being the name he used in his national team career. He later reverted to his official Hebrew surname of "Tzinn", which was then shortened to "Zinn".
and the United States
, Zinn began his soccer career in Israel. Zinn played soccer for New York University
where he averaged 3.2 goals per game, and where he eventually became club captain. He also played part-time for New York Hakoah
in the American Soccer League
. Zinn made one official appearance on 28 May 1959 for the United States men's national soccer team
, in an 8–1 defeat to England
. Zinn was also a member of the national team squad for unofficial games on a number of other occasions. When Zinn became a professor at Georgia Tech
in 1965, he turned down an invitation to join the Israeli national side
, professional soccer contract in the NASL
from the Atlanta Chiefs
, and an invitation to try out as a field kicker for the Atlanta Falcons
.
to attend the New York University
. After spending four years at NYU, Zinn attended Stanford
– where he earned his MS degree – before moving onto Princeton
to earn his doctorate
. He began his forty-year association with Georgia Tech
in 1965. Zinn is a member of the National Academy of Engineering
. Zinn was awarded the George Westinghouse Gold Medal
by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
in 2006. Zinn also holds thirteen patent
s. Georgia Tech’s combustion laboratory is named after Zinn.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
academic in engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and former international soccer player. He is currently the David S. Lewis, Jr.
David S. Lewis, Jr.
David Sloan Lewis, Jr. was an aeronautical engineer who led aerospace and defense giant General Dynamics for 14 years.- Early life :David Lewis was born in 1917, in North Augusta, South Carolina...
, Chair and Regents' Professor at Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
.
Biography
Ben T. Zinn was born as Ben Tzion Cynowicz in Tel AvivTel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
in 1937; his parents had moved there from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1936. Zinn's grandparents and twelve uncles and aunts all died in Nazi concentration camps
Nazi concentration camps
Nazi Germany maintained concentration camps throughout the territories it controlled. The first Nazi concentration camps set up in Germany were greatly expanded after the Reichstag fire of 1933, and were intended to hold political prisoners and opponents of the regime...
.
Personal life
Zinn has two children from a previous marriage to the daughter of Erno Schwarcz - daughter Leslie Zinn and son Edward Zinn, both of whom attended Georgia TechGeorgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
.
Name
Zinn's PolishPolish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
surname was "Cynowicz", which in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
was spelt as "Tzinovitz". To conform with Israeli government policy, it was shortened to "Tzinn", which was the name he used to travel with the Israeli All Star team. When he came to America he used both "Cinovitz" and "Cinowitz", with the latter being the name he used in his national team career. He later reverted to his official Hebrew surname of "Tzinn", which was then shortened to "Zinn".
Soccer career
Playing with league champions Hapoel Tel Aviv and an Israeli "All Star" side which toured EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Zinn began his soccer career in Israel. Zinn played soccer for New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
where he averaged 3.2 goals per game, and where he eventually became club captain. He also played part-time for New York Hakoah
New York Hakoah
New York Hakoah is a former United States soccer club based in New York City.-New York Hakoah I:Originally formed by former players from SC Hakoah Wien, including among others Béla Guttmann and Rudolph Nickolsburger, they initially played in the Eastern Soccer League in the fall of 1928. In 1929...
in the American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
. Zinn made one official appearance on 28 May 1959 for the United States men's national soccer team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
, in an 8–1 defeat to England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
. Zinn was also a member of the national team squad for unofficial games on a number of other occasions. When Zinn became a professor at Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
in 1965, he turned down an invitation to join the Israeli national side
Israel national football team
The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate...
, professional soccer contract in the NASL
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
from the Atlanta Chiefs
Atlanta Chiefs
The Atlanta Chiefs were a soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia that played in the NPSL and NASL from 1967 to 1972. Their home fields were Atlanta Stadium and Tara Stadium . The club was the brainchild of Dick Cecil, then Vice President of the Atlanta Braves baseball franchise who were the Chiefs'...
, and an invitation to try out as a field kicker for the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Academic career
After missing an entrance exam for the Israeli Institute of Technology, Zinn moved to New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to attend the New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. After spending four years at NYU, Zinn attended Stanford
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
– where he earned his MS degree – before moving onto Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
to earn his doctorate
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
. He began his forty-year association with Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
in 1965. Zinn is a member of the 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...
. Zinn was awarded the George Westinghouse Gold Medal
George Westinghouse Medal
The George Westinghouse Medal is named for George Westinghouse and awarded to in honor of "eminent achievement or distinguished service in the power field of mechanical engineering" by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. There is a Gold medal and a Silver medal...
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....
in 2006. Zinn also holds thirteen patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s. Georgia Tech’s combustion laboratory is named after Zinn.