Ronald F. Probstein
Encyclopedia
Ronald F. Probstein is the Ford Professor of Engineering, Emeritus, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
. He played a principal role in spacecraft and ballistic missile reentry physics and design, hypersonic flight theory, comet behavior, desalination and synthetic fuels.
Together with Wallace D. Hayes
he wrote a book in 1959 on Hypersonic Flow Theory which remains the principal source of basic information on the subject. He applied and generalized these theoretical developments to the design of early American spacecraft and ballistic missiles to enable their reentry into the earth’s atmosphere without destruction from the high temperatures generated by their hypersonic speeds.
In the late 1960s he developed a theory that predicted the appearance of the fan-shaped tails that appear behind dusty comets.
In the early 1970s he turned his attention to the desalination of salt water and purification of contaminated water.
In 1982 he published Synthetic Fuels as a unified and coherent subject. It is the first and still the only book providing the underlying principles and possible means for producing fuels to replace natural ones.
In the 1990s he introduced the concept of electrokinetic soil remediation. His basic procedure was patented and licensed to an industrial firm for further development and today the subject has become one that is widely studied and applied worldwide. The scientific basis is outlined in his book on Physicochemical Hydrodynamics, which is a discipline concerned with the interaction between fluid flow and physical, chemical, and biochemical processes.
In 2009 he wrote his first book for a general audience - Honest Sid: Memoir of a Gambling Man, published by iUniverse
. The book follows the adventures of his father in the world of bookies and bettors, fighters and fixers, set against the often-romanticized backdrop of Depression-era New York City.
He has been honored by election to the United States National Academy of Sciences
, the National Academy of Engineering
, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
, the International Academy of Astronautics
, and awarded an honorary doctorate from Brown University
. He has received many awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship
. He recently served on the Committee on America’s Energy Future of the United States National Research Council
.
Probstein was born in New York City
. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School
and went on to study engineering at New York City’s night school, while at the same time working during the day for the world-renowned mathematician Richard Courant
. In 1952 he received the first Ph.D. from the Princeton University
Department of Aeronautical Engineering. In 1954 he accepted a joint appointment at Brown University in the Division of Applied Mathematics and Division of Engineering and was given tenure two years later. He accepted a position as a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT in 1962 and remained there becoming Ford Professor of Engineering until his retirement in 1996 when he became Emeritus.
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 played a principal role in spacecraft and ballistic missile reentry physics and design, hypersonic flight theory, comet behavior, desalination and synthetic fuels.
Together with Wallace D. Hayes
Wallace D. Hayes
Wallace D. Hayes was a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering who made numerous fundamental contributions to the understanding of supersonic flight and supersonic aircraft design....
he wrote a book in 1959 on Hypersonic Flow Theory which remains the principal source of basic information on the subject. He applied and generalized these theoretical developments to the design of early American spacecraft and ballistic missiles to enable their reentry into the earth’s atmosphere without destruction from the high temperatures generated by their hypersonic speeds.
In the late 1960s he developed a theory that predicted the appearance of the fan-shaped tails that appear behind dusty comets.
In the early 1970s he turned his attention to the desalination of salt water and purification of contaminated water.
In 1982 he published Synthetic Fuels as a unified and coherent subject. It is the first and still the only book providing the underlying principles and possible means for producing fuels to replace natural ones.
In the 1990s he introduced the concept of electrokinetic soil remediation. His basic procedure was patented and licensed to an industrial firm for further development and today the subject has become one that is widely studied and applied worldwide. The scientific basis is outlined in his book on Physicochemical Hydrodynamics, which is a discipline concerned with the interaction between fluid flow and physical, chemical, and biochemical processes.
In 2009 he wrote his first book for a general audience - Honest Sid: Memoir of a Gambling Man, published by iUniverse
IUniverse
iUniverse, founded in October 1999, is a self-publishing company, co-located with AuthorHouse in Bloomington, Indiana. Publishers Weekly notes iUniverse has partnerships with The Writers' Club and the Writer's Digest .-History:iUniverse initially focused on business-to-consumer print-on-demand...
. The book follows the adventures of his father in the world of bookies and bettors, fighters and fixers, set against the often-romanticized backdrop of Depression-era New York City.
He has been honored by election to the United States National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, 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...
, the 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...
, the International Academy of Astronautics
International Academy of Astronautics
The International Academy of Astronautics is an international community of experts committed to expanding the frontiers of space. It is a non-governmental organisation established in Stockholm on August 16, 1960....
, and awarded an honorary doctorate from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
. He has received many awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
. He recently served on the Committee on America’s Energy Future of the United States National Research Council
United States National Research Council
The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
.
Probstein was born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...
and went on to study engineering at New York City’s night school, while at the same time working during the day for the world-renowned mathematician Richard Courant
Richard Courant
Richard Courant was a German American mathematician.- Life :Courant was born in Lublinitz in the German Empire's Prussian Province of Silesia. During his youth, his parents had to move quite often, to Glatz, Breslau, and in 1905 to Berlin. He stayed in Breslau and entered the university there...
. In 1952 he received the first Ph.D. from the Princeton University
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....
Department of Aeronautical Engineering. In 1954 he accepted a joint appointment at Brown University in the Division of Applied Mathematics and Division of Engineering and was given tenure two years later. He accepted a position as a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT in 1962 and remained there becoming Ford Professor of Engineering until his retirement in 1996 when he became Emeritus.