International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 50 (2007) 2449–2450
www.elsevier.com/locate/ijhmt

Professor Simon Ostrachon the occasion of his retirement

Wilbert J. Austin Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Engineering
This essay celebrates the extraordinary career of Professor Simon Ostrach, who has been a distinguishedmember of the worldwide heat transfer community for oversix decades. In addition to his innovative research, conveyed via numerous seminal papers, Professor Ostrach hasserved as an intellectual leader and spokes-person for theentire community.
Simon Ostrach was born on December 26, 1923 inProvidence, Rhode Island. He attended Rhode State University and received a BS degree in mechanical engineeringin 1944. Subsequently, after a brief period as a researcher
at the NACA Aircraft Engines Research Laboratory in
Cleveland, Ohio, he pursued graduate studies at Brown
University which culminated in a PhD in applied mathematics in 1950.
Professor Ostrach’s professional career has encompassed two distinct parts, first as an aeronautical researchscientist at NACA/NASA and second as a faculty member
at Case Western Reserve University. The breakpoint between these two careers occurred in 1960. In both of thesecareers, Professor Ostrach distinguished himself as anintellectual leader. At NACA/NASA, he served as the chiefof the Fluid Physics Branch. Under Professor Ostrach’s
leadership, that Branch developed into a widely acclaimed,elite fluid mechanics research group.
Professor Ostrach left the NASA Lewis Research Centerto found the Division of Fluid, Thermal, and Aerospacedoi:10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2006.11.040

Sciences at Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland,Ohio. By virtue of his unique leadership capabilities, heattracted many talented young researchers to the Division,and together they built a highly productive and widely
respected research unit. That group later become the coreof the current Department of Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering at Case Western Reserve University. As a result of Professor Ostrach’s high competence as an educator, he has been called upon to advise other engineeringcolleges, including the City University of New York,
Rowan College, and Florida State University.
The earliest research undertaken by Professor Ostrach
was focused on natural convection and body-force fluid
mechanics. He published pioneering work in buoyancyinduced flows, delineating the proper scaling of reference
velocities, the unique role of viscous dissipation, thermal
instabilities in vertical layers, and the effects of confining
boundaries. Subsequently, he produced important contributions to unsteady boundary layer theory, hydrodynamic
lubrication, melting ablation, physiological fluid mechanics, and magneto hydrodynamics.
Professor Ostrach has been a leader in the field ofmicrogravity science, particularly his seminal space-shuttle
experiments in 1992 and 1995 on unsteady thermo-capillary flows. In 1997, NASA rewarded his leadership in thefield by appointing him to direct the new National Center
for Microgravity Research on Fluids and Combustion

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News / International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 50 (2007) 2449–2450(now the National Center for Space Exploration Researchon Fluids and Combustion), established at Case.
His research has been honored by numerous awards,
including the 1982 ASME Freeman Lecture, the 1983
ASME/AIChE Max Jacob Memorial Award, and the 1987
ASME Robert Henry Thurston Lecture. In 1988, he received the ASME Heat Transfer Division 50th AnniversaryAward.
Professor Ostrach’s involvement with the United States
National Academy of Engineering (NAE) merits particularrecognition. Subsequent to his election to the Academy in1978, he became a member of its membership committee,
the National Research Council (NRC) Space Studies
Board, the Committee on Microgravity Research, and theCommittee on Space Science Technology Planning. In
1992, he was elected to the position of Home Secretary ofthe NAE. In this pivotal position, he was responsible for
the Academy’s membership activities, including election ofnew members, membership policy issues, and the interaction with the NAE’s 12 engineering peer groups. In recognition of his distinguished service, the Academy held aSymposium in February 2000 on the Space Program andMicrogravity Research.
A listing of Professor Ostrach’s honors and recognitions
includes honorary doctoral degrees, numerous visiting

professorships, fellowships/memberships in prestigious
professional and honorary societies, memberships in government advisory committees, and many, many others.
Professor Ostrach’s extraordinary achievements merit
his being recognized as one of the major figures in engineering during the last half of the 20th century.
On the occasion of his retirement, his students andcolleagues join with the editors of this journal to honor
Professor Simon Ostrach and wish him many more productive years, continued good health, and happiness withhis family and friends.
W.J. Minkowycz
University of Illinois at Chicago,
Department of Mechanical Engineering (MC 251),
842 W. Taylor Street,
Chicago, IL 60607-7022,
United States
Tel.: +1 312 996 3467
E-mail address: wjm@uic.edu
E.M. Sparrow
J.M. Prahl
Available online 8 March 2007