Stanley Corrsin (3 April 1920 – 2 June 1986) was an American physicist, fluid dynamicist, and Theophilus Halley Smoot Professor of Engineering at the

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

. He was known for his contributions in the field of fluid dynamics in general and

turbulence In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is fluid motion characterized by chaotic changes in pressure and flow velocity. It is in contrast to a laminar flow, which occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers, with no disruption between ...

in particular. He was a recipient of

Fluid Dynamics Prize The Fluid Dynamics Prize is a prize that has been awarded annually by the American Physical Society (APS) since 1979. The recipient is chosen for "outstanding achievement in fluid dynamics research". The prize is currently valued at . In 2004, the ...

in 1983. Corrsin died of cancer on 2 June 1986 at the age of 66.

Education and career

Corrsin was born on 3 April 1920 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, Pennsylvania. He received his B.S. from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

in 1940. He entered the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

for his graduate studies and worked in the

Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory The Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology (GALCIT), was a research institute created in 1926, at first specializing in aeronautics research. In 1930, Hungarian scientist Theodore von Kármán accepted the dire ...

under

Theodore von Kármán Theodore von Kármán ( hu, ( szőllőskislaki) Kármán Tódor ; born Tivadar Mihály Kármán; 11 May 18816 May 1963) was a Hungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer, and physicist who was active primarily in the fields of aeronaut ...

. After receiving his M.S. degree in 1942, Corrsin joined the Ph.D. program under the supervision of

Hans Liepmann Hans Wolfgang Liepmann (July 3, 1914 – June 24, 2009) was an American fluid dynamicist, aerospace scientist and emeritus Theodore von Kármán Professor of Aeronautics at the California Institute of Technology."Hans Liepmann" at the GALCIT ...

and obtained the degree in 1947. His thesis work was on the flow of a turbulent jet and he was the first advisee of Liepmann. Corrsin joined the department of aeronautics at

in 1947 as an assistant professor. He became an associate professor in 1951 and then was named professor of mechanical engineering in 1955. He served as department chair of mechanical engineering from 1955 to 1960. He was at various times affiliated with the departments of biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, and mechanics and materials science. In 1979, he helped found the department of chemical engineering. In 1981, he became the first Theophilus Halley Smoot Professor of Engineering at Johns Hopkins.

Principal works

Corrsin worked in both experimental and theoretical fluid dynamics. He made a number of fundamental contributions to the study of

, enhancing the understanding of turbulent mixing and the interfaces between turbulent and nonturbulent fluid. In later years, Corrsin developed an interest in various medical and biological problems, including human locomotion, blood flow in the human body, arterial flutter, and the aerodynamics of the albatross and of formation flying in bird flocks. During his 40 years career, Corrsin had published about a hundred research articles and supervised 25 Ph.D. students.

Awards and honors

Corrsin was a recipient of 1983

of The American Physical Society. The citation reads: "In recognition of his contributions to the understanding of turbulent transport, through ingenious experiment and physical insight; his unique experimental approach and critical view of fluid mechanics have touched a legion of students and associates." In 1986, just before his death, the Engineering Mechanics divisions of the

American Society of Civil Engineers American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

awarded him the Theodore von Kármán Medal for his contributions to the study of turbulence. Corrsin was a Member of American Academy of Engineering. In memory of Professor Stanley Corrsin, the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Johns Hopkins has established the "Stanley Corrsin Lecture in Fluid Mechanics".

References

* P.A. Davidson, Y. Kaneda, K. Moffatt, and

K.R. Sreenivasan Katepalli Raju Sreenivasan is an aerospace scientist, fluid dynamics, and applied physicist whose research includes physics and applied mathematics. He studies turbulence, nonlinear and statistical physics, astrophysical fluid mechanics, and cr ...

(eds, 2011). ''A Voyage Through Turbulence'', chapter 7, pp 238–75,

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pre ...

External links

*
STANLEY CORRSIN: 1920–1986 – Annual Review of Fluid MechanicsA Photograph of Stanley Corrsin

Video recording of the J.J. Riley's lecture on life and work of Stanley Corrsin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Corrsin, Stanley 1920 births 1986 deaths 20th-century American physicists Fluid dynamicists University of Pennsylvania alumni California Institute of Technology alumni Johns Hopkins University faculty Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering