R. Byron Bird

Dates

February 5, 1924 – present

Authorized Form of Name

Bird, R. Byron (Robert Byron), 1924-

Additional Forms of Names

Bird, R. Byron

Bird, Robert Byron, 1924

Biography

Abstract

Robert Byron Bird was awarded the Bingham Medal of the Society of Rheology in 1974. Bird obtained his Ph.D in Chemistry and spent the majority of his career at the University of Wisconsin, where he retired as Professor emeritus. He also held positions at the University of Amsterdam, Cornell University, the Delft University of Technology, Kyoto University, Nagoya University, and was a visiting professor at the Catholic University of Louvain.

Important Dates

February 5, 1924Birth, Bryan (Tex.).

1947B.Sc in Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champagne, Urbana (Ill.).

1950Ph.D in Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison (Wis.).

1950 – 1951Post-doctoral Fellow, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Netherlands).

1950 – 1951Project Associate in Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison (Wis.).

1951 – 1952Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Cornell University, Ithaca (N.Y.).

1953 – presentProject Associate in Chemical Engineering (1953-1955); Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering (1955-1957); Professor of Chemical Engineering (1957-1992); Chairman of the Department of Chemical Engineering (1964-1968); Burgess Professor of Chemical Engineering (1968-1972); Vilas Research Professor (1972-1992); John D. MacArthur Professor (1982-1992); Professor Emeritus (1995-present), University of Wisconsin, Madison (Wis.).

1958Fulbright Lecturer and Guggenheim Fellow, Delft University of Technology (Technische Universiteit Delft).

1959Awarded the Curtiss-McGraw Award, American Society for Engineering Education.

1960Awarded the Westinghouse Award, American Society for Engineering Education.

1962Awarded the William H. Walker Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

1962 – 1963Fulbright Professor, Kyoto University and Nagoya University.

1965Awarded the Profession Progress Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

1969Member, National Academy of Engineering.

1970Fellow, American Physical Society.

1974Awarded the Bingham Medal, Society of Rheology.

1974Awarded the Warren K. Lewis Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

1981Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

1982Fellow, Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.

1983Fellow, American Academy of Mechanics.

1983Awarded the Eringen Medal, Society of Engineering Science.

1985Member, Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences.

1987Awarded the National Medal of Science.

1987Awarded the Corcoran Award, American Society for Engineering Education.

1989Awarded the LAS Achievement Award, University of Illinois.

1989Member, National Academy of Sciences.

1989Awarded the Founders Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

1989Awarded the Hilldale Award, University of Wisconsin.

1991Awarded the Institute Lecturer Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

1993Awarded the Centennial Medallion, American Society for Engineering Education.

1994Member, Royal Belgian Academy of Sciences.

1994J. M. Burgers Professor, Technische Universiteit Delft, Delft (Netherlands).

1994Awarded the Corcoran Award, American Society for Engineering Education.

1994Visiting professor, Catholic University of Louvain (Université Catholique de Louvain), Louvain (Belgium).

1994Awarded the Centennial Medallion, College of Engineering, University of Maryland.

1997Awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award, Chemical Engineering Department, University of Maryland.

1998Awarded the Engineering Innovation Hall of Fame Award, College of Engineering, University of Maryland.

2015Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Occupation

Chemical engineer.

Places

Subjects

Polymer chemistry.

Rheology.

Relationships

People

Advisors & Collaborators

Curtiss, Charles F. (Charles Francis)

Collaborated on "Molecular Theory of Gases and Liquids."

Hirschfelder, Joseph Oakland, 1911-

Collaborated on "Molecular Theory of Gases and Liquids."

Lightfoot, Edwin N., 1925-

Collaborated on book, "Transport phenomena."

Stewart, Warren E., 1924-

Collaborated on book, "Transport phenomena."

Additional

Lodge, Arthur S.

Institutions

Major Positions

Cornell University. Department of Chemistry

Assistant Professor of Chemistry.

Kyōto Daigaku

Fulbright Professor.

Nagoya Daigaku

Fulbright Professor.

Technische Universiteit Delft

Fulbright Lecturer, Guggenheim Fellow, and J. M. Burgers Professor.

Université catholique de Louvain (1835-1969)

Visiting Professor.

Universiteit van Amsterdam

Post-Doctoral Fellow.

University of Wisconsin--Madison

PhD in Chemistry (1950); Project Associate in Chemistry; Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering; Professor of Chemical Engineering; Chairman of the Department of Chemical Engineering; Burgess Professor of Chemical Engineering; Vilas Research Professor; John D. MacArthur Professor; and Professor Emeritus; and Awarded the Benjamin Smith Reynolds Award (1986), and the Hilldale Award (1989).

Professional Activities & Affiliations

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Fellow.

American Academy of Mechanics

Fellow.

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Fellow.

American Institute of Chemical Engineers

Awarded the William H. Walker Award (1962), the Profession Progress Award (1965), the Warren K. Lewis Award (1974), the Founders Award (1989), and the Institute Lecturer Award (1991).

American Physical Society

Fellow.

American Society for Engineering Education.

Awarded the Curtiss-McGraw Award (1959), the Westinghouse Award (1960), the Centennial Medallion (1993), and the the Corcoran Award (1987, 1994).

Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen

Member.

Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie van België voor Wetenschappen en Kunsten

Member.

National Academy of Engineering

Member.

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)

Member.

Society of Engineering Science

Awarded the Eringen Medal (1983).

Society of Rheology (U.S.)

Recipient of the 1974 Bingham Medal.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Department of Chemistry

BS in Chemical Engineering (1947); and awarded the LAS Achievement Award (1989).

University of Maryland, College Park

Awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award of the Chemical Engineering Department (1997), and the Engineering Innovation Hall of Fame Award (1998) and the Centennial Medallion (1994), College of Engineering.

Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters

Fellow.