Hyman Norman Abramson (March 4, 1926 – December 19, 2022) was an American engineer and scientist. He was the Executive Vice President of the

Southwest Research Institute Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is an independent and nonprofit applied research and development (R&D) organization. Founded in 1947 by oil businessman Tom Slick, it provides contract research and develop ...

at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

, and the manager and principal investigator in several NAE and NRC research projects. Abramson was an internationally regarded expert in the field of

theoretical mechanics Mechanics (from Ancient Greek: μηχανική, ''mēkhanikḗ'', "of machines") is the area of mathematics and physics concerned with the relationships between force, matter, and motion among physical objects. Forces applied to objects res ...

and

applied mechanics Applied mechanics is the branch of science concerned with the motion of any substance that can be experienced or perceived by humans without the help of instruments. In short, when mechanics concepts surpass being theoretical and are applied and e ...

with expertise in

fluid dynamics In physics and engineering, fluid dynamics is a subdiscipline of fluid mechanics that describes the flow of fluids— liquids and gases. It has several subdisciplines, including ''aerodynamics'' (the study of air and other gases in motion) an ...

, specifically the "dynamics of contained liquids in astronautical, nuclear, and marine systems."National Research Council (U.S.). ''Future Flight: A Review of the Small Aircraft Transportation System Concept, Nummer 263,'' Transportation Research Board. Committee for a Study of Public-Sector Requirements for a Small Aircraft Transportation System, 2002. p. 120.

Biography

Early life, education, and career

Abramson was born in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, on March 4, 1926.''Reference Book of Corporate Managements,'' Dun & Bradstreet, Dun and Bradstreet Information Services Staff, Dun's Marketing Services Staff, 1991. p. 2369 He completed his BSc and MSc in mechanical engineering''International Who's who in Energy and Nuclear Sciences,'' Longman Group Limited, Professional and Information Publishing Division, 1983. p. 2 at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

in 1950 and 1951. He received his PhD in engineering mechanics from the

in 1956. After his graduation in 1956 Abramson started his academic career as an associate professor of

aeronautical engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: Aeronautics, aeronautical engineering and Astronautics, astronautical engineering. A ...

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

. Later he joined

where he eventually rose to Executive Vice President. Abramson was elected as a member into the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy ...

(NAE) in 1976 for his research in engineering dynamics, research management, and contributions to professional engineering society affairs.

Other positions

In his early career, Abramson served in the position of Vice president and governor of the

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...

(ASME), and he was Director of the

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is a professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA is the U.S. representative on the International Astronautical Federation and the International Council of ...

(AIAA). In 1976 Abramson was elected member of the

(NAE), and from 1984 to 1990 he was Council member. He cooperated in several joint commissions by the

and the National Research Council (NRC), such as: * In the Commission of Engineering and Technical Systems (CETS), he chaired the CETS Committee on R&D Strategies to Improve Surface Transportation Security * In the Transportation Research Board (TBR) he joined the TRB Research and Technology Coordinating Committee, and the TRB Federal Transportation R&D Strategic Planning Process (Chair of the Committee for a Study of Public Sector Requirements for a Small Aircraft Transportation System (sponsored by

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

) From 1986 to 1990 Abramson was member of the

United States Air Force Scientific Advisory Board The United States Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) is a Federal Advisory Committee that provides independent advice on matters of science and technology relating to the Air Force mission, reporting directly to the Secretary of the Air Forc ...

. Other activities have been * Vice chair of the Committee for a Review of the National Transportation Science and Technology Strategy * Committee on National Institute of Aerospace Proposal Reviews * Committee on the Role of

Naval Force A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It inc ...

s in the Global War on terror * Member of the Oversight Committee for the Strategic Highway Research Program 2

Personal life and death

Abramson died in San Antonio, Texas, on December 19, 2022, at the age of 96.

Awards and recognitions

Abramson was elected honorary member of the ASME in 1979, and obtained the ASME Honorary Member (Silver Medal). In 1988 the ASME also awarded him the

Ted Belytschko Applied Mechanics Award The Applied Mechanics Award is an award given annually by the Applied Mechanics Division of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) "to an outstanding individual for significant contributions in the practice of engineering mechanics; contri ...

, and in 1999 the

ASME Medal The ASME Medal, created in 1920, is the highest award bestowed by the ASME (founded as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Board of Governors for "eminently distinguished engineering achievement". The award has been presented every year ...

(Gold Medal).

Selected publications

* Abramson, H. Norman. ''The dynamic behavior of liquids in moving containers, with applications to space vehicle technology.'' (1966). * Abramson, H. Norman. ''An introduction to the dynamics of airplanes.'' Dover Publications, 1971. * Schmoch, U., Reid, P. P., Encarnacao, J., & Abramson, H. N. (Eds.). ''Technology transfer systems in the United States and Germany: Lessons and perspectives.'' National Academies Press, 1997. ;Articles, a selection. * Dodge, Franklin T., Daniel D. Kana, and H. Norman Abramson. "Liquid surface oscillations in longitudinally excited rigid cylindrical containers." ''AIAA J'' 3.4 (1965): 685-695. * Abramson, H. Norman, Wen-Hwa Chu, and Daniel D. Kana. "Some studies of nonlinear lateral sloshing in rigid containers." ''Journal of Applied Mechanics'' 33.4 (1966): 777-784. * Daniel F. Morgan and H. Norman Abramson.
Improving Surface Transportation Security Through Research and Development
" ''TR News'' 211, November–December 2000

References

External links

H. Norman Abramsom
, Texas A&M University
NAE Website - Dr. H. Norman Abramson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abramson, H. Norman 1926 births 2022 deaths American mechanical engineers Engineers from Texas American fluid dynamicists Stanford University School of Engineering alumni Cockrell School of Engineering alumni Texas A&M University faculty Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering ASME Medal recipients University of Texas at Austin faculty Writers from San Antonio