John W. Trinkaus (July 17, 1925 – November 11, 2017) was an American business consultant, management and behavior researcher, and engineer. In 2003, Trinkaus was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize in literature for "meticulously collecting data and publishing more than 80 detailed academic reports about things that annoyed him." As a result, his work received mainstream media coverage, with stories appearing in '' The New York Times'', '' Newsweek'', and other media.

Life and career

John W. Trinkaus served in the United States Army Air Forces in World War II. After the war, he studied electrical engineering at New York University and subsequently worked as an engineer for

Bendix Aviation Bendix Corporation is an American manufacturing and engineering company which, during various times in its existence, made automotive brake shoes and systems, vacuum tubes, aircraft brakes, aeronautical hydraulics and electric power systems, av ...

, Curtis Wright Corporation, and Sperry Rand before embarking on an academic career. In 1961, Trinkaus obtained a Master's degree in engineering management from Baruch College,

City University of New York The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven Upper divis ...

, followed in 1976 by a doctorate in management from New York University. Trinkaus taught in the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College in New York, eventually becoming Professor of Management and Dean, and was a Visiting Distinguished Professor at

St. John's University St John's University may refer to: *St. John's University (New York City) **St. John's University School of Law **St. John's University (Italy) - Overseas Campus *College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, St. Joseph, Minnesota and Col ...

. His research interests included executive education, the history of management thought, and observation of various social practices. In addition to his academic work, Trinkaus also consulted for the Ford Foundation, the Small Business Administration, and the Interracial Council for Business Opportunity. Trinkaus was particularly active in promoting and facilitating minority startups and studied the contribution of African Americans to the history of American management and management thought. Trinkaus had three children with his wife Irene. He died on November 11, 2017 in

New Hyde Park New Hyde Park is a village in the Towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. It is the anchor community of the Greater New Hyde Park area. The population was 9,712 at the 2010 census. ...

, NY, aged 92.

Ig Nobel prize

In 2003, Trinkaus was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize in literature for "meticulously collecting data and publishing more than 80 detailed academic reports about things that annoyed him." This included, among numerous other things, studies about: * The number of items people bring to express lines at supermarkets * How often drivers come to a complete stop at stop signs * The average wait time to see a doctor at their office * Taste preferences for brussels sprouts * How many people pay for the candles in churches * How many people wear baseball caps with the bill facing backwards Many of Trinkaus's published articles are terse reports based on observation and counting the occurrence of things. The majority of his articles have been published in two journals, both founded by

Robert B. Ammons Robert Bruce Ammons (February 27, 1920 – May 21, 1999) was the founder, along with his wife Carol H. Ammons, of ''Psychological Reports'' and ''Perceptual and Motor Skills''. He received his Ph.D. in clinical and experimental psychology from the ...

: '' Perceptual and Motor Skills'' and ''

Psychological Reports ''Psychological Reports'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal covering research in psychology and psychiatry. It was established by Robert and Carol H. Ammons in 1955. The editor-in-chief is Cory Scherer (Penn State Schuylkill). It is pub ...

.'' He replicated the same studies in different years and generally found that bad habits are getting more widespread with time. Trinkaus's research earned him recognition in the media, including becoming the subject of stories by '' NPR'', '' The New York Times'', '' Newsweek'',Alt URL
/ref> and '' New Scientist''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trinkaus, John 1925 births 2017 deaths Baruch College faculty Bendix Corporation people American scientists Management scientists