Chia-Shun Yih
Encyclopedia
Chia-Shun Yih was the Stephen P. Timoshenko Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan
. He made many significant contributions to fluid mechanics
.
, Guizhou province of China
. Yih received his junior middle school education in Zhenjiang
, and entered Suzhou High School in 1934 in Suzhou
, Jiangsu Province.
In 1937 Yih entered the National Central University
(After 1949 named Nanjing University
in Jiangsu of P.R.China
; after 1952, its engineering faculty formed the Southeast University
also in Nanjing) and studied civil engineering
. Yih graduated in 1941 then did research at a hydrodynamics laboratory in Guanxian (or Guan County; 灌县; current Dujiangyan) of Sichuan
province. Yih also worked in a bridge construction company in Guizhou. Later, Yih taught at Guizhou University
.
In 1945 Yih went to study at the University of Iowa
in the United States, where he obtained his PhD in 1948. Yih served as a professor of the University of Michigan
for most of his academic career.
Yih is also well-known for his high language talent, which appeared already when he was just a high school student. In his first classes in high school, he could talk fluently with his American English teacher. Yih mastered German soon after he joined the college, and was able to communicate smoothly with the local German missionaries in Chongqing
. Later Yih again learned French, and lectured mechanics in French at the University of Paris
and the University of Grenoble
.
Yih was also a seal artist.
Yih was a Member of the National Academy of Engineering
, and an Academician of the Academia Sinica
.
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He made many significant contributions to 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...
.
Biography
Yih was born in GuiyangGuiyang
Guiyang is the capital of Guizhou province of Southwest China. It is located in the centre of the province, situated on the east of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, and on the north bank of the Nanming River, a branch of the Wu River. The city has an elevation of about 1,100 meters...
, Guizhou province of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
. Yih received his junior middle school education in Zhenjiang
Zhenjiang
Zhenjiang is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Jiangsu province in the eastern People's Republic of China . Sitting on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the west, Changzhou to the east, and Yangzhou across the river to the north.Once...
, and entered Suzhou High School in 1934 in Suzhou
Suzhou
Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...
, Jiangsu Province.
In 1937 Yih entered the National Central University
National Central University
National Central University is a national comprehensive university in Taiwan .National Central University was founded in 1915 and originated in 258 CE at Nanjing, China. After NCU in Nanjing was renamed Nanjing University in 1949, NCU was re-established in Taiwan in 1962...
(After 1949 named Nanjing University
Nanjing University
Nanjing University , or Nanking University, is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher learning in China...
in Jiangsu of P.R.China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
; after 1952, its engineering faculty formed the Southeast University
Southeast University
Southeast University , colloquially Dongda is a public, coeducational research university located in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China....
also in Nanjing) and studied civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
. Yih graduated in 1941 then did research at a hydrodynamics laboratory in Guanxian (or Guan County; 灌县; current Dujiangyan) of Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
province. Yih also worked in a bridge construction company in Guizhou. Later, Yih taught at Guizhou University
Guizhou University
Guizhou University is a public coeducational university, located in the suburban outskirts of Guiyang, the capital city of Guizhou Province, China. The university is one of the key 211 Project universities on mainland China....
.
In 1945 Yih went to study at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
in the United States, where he obtained his PhD in 1948. Yih served as a professor of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
for most of his academic career.
Yih is also well-known for his high language talent, which appeared already when he was just a high school student. In his first classes in high school, he could talk fluently with his American English teacher. Yih mastered German soon after he joined the college, and was able to communicate smoothly with the local German missionaries in Chongqing
Chongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
. Later Yih again learned French, and lectured mechanics in French at the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
and the University of Grenoble
University of Grenoble
University of Grenoble or Grenoble University was a university in Grenoble, France until 1970, when it was split into several different institutions:...
.
Yih was also a seal artist.
Honors and awards
- Theodore von Kármán MedalTheodore von Karman MedalThe Theodore von Karman Medal in Engineering Mechanics is awarded annually to an individual in recognition of his distinguished achievement in engineering mechanics, applicable to any branch of civil engineering...
, 1981 - Fluid Dynamics Prize, from the American Physical SocietyAmerican Physical SocietyThe American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
, 1985 - Otto Laporte AwardOtto Laporte AwardThe Otto Laporte Award was an annual award by the American Physical Society to "recognize outstanding contributions to fluid dynamics" and to honour Otto Laporte . It was established as the Otto Laporte Memorial Lectureship by the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics in 1972, and became an APS award in...
, 1989
Yih was 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...
, and an Academician of the Academia Sinica
Academia Sinica
The Academia Sinica , headquartered in the Nangang District of Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. It supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from mathematical and physical sciences, to life sciences, and to humanities and social sciences.Academia Sinica has...
.
Books
- C.-S. Yih, Fluid Mechanics: A Concise Introduction to Theory, West River Press, Ann Arbor (1979).
- C.-S. Yih, Stratified Flows, 2nd ed., Academic Press (1980).
- C.-S. Yih, Fluid Mechanics, West River Press, Ann Arbor (1988).
- C.-S. Yih (Ed.), Advances in Applied Mechanics, Academic Press (1982).