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Awards & Honors

Professor Ronald F. Probstein of mechanical engineering was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Brown University on September 19 for his achievements in the field of fluid mechanics. The degree was presented during the celebration of the 150th anniversary of engineering education at Brown.

Professor Probstein's principal work has been in the field of fluid mechanics with applications to many areas, including hypersonic flows, comet theory, desalination, environmental problems and physicochemical flows. He is the author of 10 books and 125 technical articles, and holds six patents. Professor Probstein, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, was a faculty member in engineering and applied mathematics at Brown from 1954-62 before coming to MIT.
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Merton C. Flemings, the Toyota Professor of Materials Processing, has been chosen by ASM International as the 1997 recipient of its Acta Metallurgica J. Herbert Hollomon Award. He was cited "for contributions to the theory and practice of solidification processing recognized as among the most significant in the world."

The award, established in memory of Dr. Hollomon, principal initiator of the journal Acta Metallurgica, recognizes outstanding contributions to understanding the relations between materials technology and society, and/or contributions to materials technology that have had a major impact on society. The late Dr. Hollomon, an MIT alumnus, founded the Center for Policy Alternatives, which identified major sociotechnical issues and the policies and practices surrounding them.
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The Council of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs appointed Professor Emeritus George W. Rathjens of political science as its fifth secretary-general. The principal office of Pugwash is being moved from Rome to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cambridge. He is affiliated with the Security Studies Program (renamed from Defense and Arms Control Studies).
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Susan Voss, a graduate student in Health Sciences and Technology, and Patricia Schmidt (SB '96), a graduate student in aero and astro, took second place in the US Sailing Women's Championship (the Adams Cup competition) from September 16-21 in New Orleans. They sailed in Flying Scots&emdash;19-foot dinghies with three sails. Their team, which included Rose Ann Miller of Somerville, provided stiff competition for the winning team from Mobile, AL, during the 10-race regatta. After the race, Alabama's captain, Amy Chapman Kleinschrodt, said, "Susan Voss kept us on our toes the whole time. We were never able to rest. She was definitely formidable."

Ms. Voss won a gold medal in the Pan Am Games in 1991 and once sailed on the US Sailing Team in preparation for the Olympic tryouts. Ms. Schmidt was a four-year member of the MIT sailing team as an undergraduate and won the Vanguard 15 division in the Canadian Olympic-Training Regatta in 1996.

A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on October 8, 1997.

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