hr. J. Heat Mass Transfer. Vol35, No. 5. pp. 997-998,Pcrgamon Press Ltd. Printed in Great Bntain.

1992

Professor Ralph A. Seban
on his 75th birthday

PROFESSOR Ralph A. Seban will celebrate his 75thbirthday in May of this year. On this occasion, it is agreat pleasure to recount and honor his numerous
achievements in the field of heat transfer.
Professor Seban was born in Los Angeles, California, on 11 May 1917. He obtained a Bachelor’sdegree in 1938, a Master’s degree in 1940, and a Ph.D.
in 1948, all in mechanical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. He joined Stanford
University as an Assistant Professor (1941&), andthe University of California at Berkeley in 1946. Heretired as an Emeritus Professor from Berkeley in July
1986. He continues to be an active member of the heattransfer community as evidenced by several publications since his retirement.
Professor Seban taught heat transfer and thermodynamics, and performed state-of-the-art research,which assisted the Berkeley heat transfer group tobecome a leading heat transfer research center in theU.S. From 1958 to 1964, Professor Seban served as
the Chairman of the Heat Power Systems Divisionat Berkeley, and the Chairman of the MechanicalEngineering Department from 1965 to 1969. Professor
Seban was also a member of the Executive Committeeof the ASME Heat Transfer Division (1967-72),
Chairman of the Heat Transfer Division (1970-71),
and Senior Technical Editor for the ASME Journal

Transfer in 1971. In 1970, he became a Fellowof ASME, and an Honorary Member in 1977. Hebecame a member of the U.S. National Academy ofEngineering in 1978. Professor Seban received theASME Heat Transfer Division Memorial Award in
1964, the ASME-A.1.Ch.E. Max Jakob Memorial
Award in 1980, and the ASME Heat Transfer Division’s 50th Anniversary Award in 1988.
Throughout his career, Professor Seban has maintained the highest quality in his research endeavors.
He made pioneering and highly significant contributions in freezing and melting, boundary layer
heat transfer, heat transfer in separated flows and wall
jets, turbulent heat transfer, laminar and turbulent
film condensationand evaporation, wavy falling
liquid films, infra-red surface radiation, reactor safety
thermal-hydraulics, and coupled heat and mass transfer analyses in liquid films. During the early stages of
his career, he was extensively involved in analyses of
the rates of ice formation and the prediction of freezing rates. Later, he initiated and developed fundamental and pioneering works on the heat transfer
to turbulent boundary layers in high velocity flows aswell as classical contributions related to internal flows.
In the mid- 1950s he carried out pioneering works onfilm condensation with turbulent flows. During the1960s he undertook fundamental studies related toofHeat

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A. FAGHKI et alradiation heat transfer, as well as heat transfer andfluid flow in cavities. In the 1970s he studied transportphenomena in thin falling liquid films, including evaporation and condensation, gas absorption, and wavy
flow analysis. His research on thin falling films encompassed both experiments and analyses, which havebecome standard references. In recent years, he has
been investigating the heat transfer during the quench
process that occurs during reflooding, as well as theheating of turbulent water jets discharged into steam
environments. He has also been involved in further
investigations of thin falling films and phase change
phenomena.
Professor Seban has been recognized by his students
for being an outstanding mentor, who brings his
unique physical understanding, insight, and experience to bear on the details of research efforts. He has
been extensively successful in directing his graduate
students and developing their individual talents andcapabilities. Professor Seban’s research has from its
inception created a steady stream of students who
have become leaders of the engineering profession,both in industry and in the academic field. This ispartially reflected in the following list of graduate
students who have completed their doctorate withProfessor Seban: W. Goldsmith, H. Gordon, R. M.

Drake, W. H. Giedt, S. Levy, J. P. Hartnett, S. Scesa,A. M. Levy, J. R. Kliegel, R. C. Eberhart, A. F.
Emery, L. H. Back, A. A. McKillop, J. Fox, A. F.
Mills, S. M. Cho, P. Payvar, M. F. E. Dillenius, G.
L. Caldwell, J. R. Bergquam, K. R. Chun, L. Slegers,
E. Chin, F. S. Felicione, D. Rafiinejad, H. B. Mason,A. K. Abhat, Y. Kim, A. Faghri, M. Kaviany, I. C.
Hsu and A. Kharraazi.
Not only is Professor Seban versed in the field ofheat transfer, but in the diverse subjects of literature,history, and economics. He is also a devoted family
member who has, with his wife Jean, raised five children. As always, Professor Seban is full of creativeideas and energy. This remarkable continued enthusiasm affects all those who interact with him.
On the occasion of his 75th birthday, it is a great
pleasure for his students, colleagues, and friends allover the world to honor his distinguished and pioneering achievements, and to wish both Ralph and hiswife Jean good health and happiness.
A. FAGHRI
R. GREIF
J. P. HARTNETT
W. J. MINKOWYCZ
C.-L. TIEN