Michael F. Shlesinger
Encyclopedia
Michael F. Shlesinger is a physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...

 notable for his work in the area of nonlinear dynamics. He is the founder of the journal Fractals
Fractals (journal)
Fractals is a peer reviewed scientific journal devoted to explaining complex phenomena using fractal geometry and scaling. It is an inter-disciplinary journal published by World Scientific and has explored diverse topics from turbulence and colloidal aggregation to stock markets.- Abstracting and...

.
His pioneering work in statistical predictions and descriptions of random and deterministic processes has influenced the physics of amorphous solids and glasses, classical mechanics, and biophysics. He is known as a proponent of fractal time and is also known for his work on fractal stochastic processes related to areas such as disordered materials and turbulence.

Education

In 1970, he obtained his BS degree in physics and mathematics from State University of New York at Stony Brook
State University of New York at Stony Brook
The State University of New York at Stony Brook, also known as Stony Brook University, is a public research university located in Stony Brook, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island, about east of Manhattan....

, and then obtained obtained his MA in 1972 from the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...

. In 1975, he obtained his PhD from the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...

 under Elliott Waters Montroll
Elliott Waters Montroll
Elliott Waters Montroll was an American scientist and mathematician.-Education:...

 for a thesis entitled A Stochastic Theory of Anomalous Transient Photocurrents - in Certain Xerographic Films and of the 1/f Noise in Neural Membrane.

Career

Initially he worked at the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...

, then in 1983 he joined ONR
ONR
ONR can mean:* Ontario Northland Railway in Ontario, Canada* Office for Nuclear Regulation in the United Kingdom* Office of Naval Research of the U.S...

 and started their nonlinear dynamics program in 1984. He subsequently went on to head their physics division, before being named ONR
ONR
ONR can mean:* Ontario Northland Railway in Ontario, Canada* Office for Nuclear Regulation in the United Kingdom* Office of Naval Research of the U.S...

's chief scientist for nonlinear science. His contributions ton nonlinear dynamics and statistical include the publication of over 200 papers, editorship of over 20 books, and the organization of over 30 conferences. In 2008, he took up the Kinnear Chair in Physics at the US Naval Academy,
Annapolis, USA.

Honors

He was elected to Fellow of the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The 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...

 in 1993. In 2004, he received the Presidential Rank Award. In 2006, he received ONR's Saalfeld Award for outstanding lifetime achievement. In 2008, he was honored with a festschrift
Festschrift
In academia, a Festschrift , is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime. The term, borrowed from German, could be translated as celebration publication or celebratory writing...

 to mark his 60th birthday, entitled 25 Years of Nonlinear Dynamics at ONR, based on a conference held on Amelia Island
Amelia Island
Amelia Island is one of the southernmost of the Sea Islands, a chain of barrier islands that stretches along the east coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida. It is long and approximately 4 miles wide at its widest point. Amelia Island is situated off the coast in Nassau County,...

, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, July 20-22, 2008.

Public Servant

While residing in Rockville, Maryland, he once saved the life of a woman who was being mauled by a pack of rottweilers. For putting his life at risk, the city of Rockville presented him with a medal for heroism.

Name

His middle name is the single initial "F"—he does not have a full middle name; another famous example being the middle initial of Harry S. Truman.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK