Ascher Herman Shapiro (May 20, 1916 – November 26, 2004) was a professor of Mechanical Engineering at

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

. He grew up in New York City.

Early life and education

Shapiro was born and raised in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, to

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Lithuanian immigrant parents. He earned his S.B. in 1938 and an Sc.D. in 1946 in the field of

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, ...

at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of th ...

(MIT).

Career

After starting at MIT as a laboratory assistant in mechanical engineering, Shapiro was eventually appointed assistant professor at MIT in 1943 where he taught

fluid mechanics Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the mechanics of fluids ( liquids, gases, and plasmas) and the forces on them. It has applications in a wide range of disciplines, including mechanical, aerospace, civil, chemical and ...

. A prolific author of texts in his field, his two-volume treatise, ''The Dynamics and Thermodynamics of Compressible Fluid Flow'', published in 1953 and 1954, is considered a classic. His 1961 book ''Shape and Flow: The Fluid Dynamics of Drag'' explained boundary layer phenomena and drag in simple, non-mathematical terms. He also founded the National Council for Fluid Mechanics Films (NCFMF), in cooperation with the Educational Development Center. From there, Shapiro was appointed Chair of the Institute's Faculty in 1964-1965 and head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering from 1965 to 1974. Shapiro was elected to

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

in 1952, the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nat ...

in 1967, and

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...

in 1974. He was awarded the Benjamin Garver Lamme Award by the

American Society of Engineering Education 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 ...

in 1977.''American Men and Women of Science'', 22nd ed., v. 6, p. 719, Thomson Gale, 2005, p. 719, . He was awarded the Fluids Engineering Award in 1977 and the

Drucker Medal The Daniel C. Drucker medal was instituted in 1997 by the Applied Mechanics Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The Drucker Medal is conferred in recognition of distinguished contributions to the fields of applied mechanics a ...

in 1999 by the

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via " continuing ...

. He was awarded honorary Doctor of Science in 1978 by the

University of Salford , caption = Coat of ArmsUniversity of Salford , mottoeng = "Let us seek higher things" , established = 1850 - Pendleton Mechanics Institute 1896 – Royal Technical Institute, Salford 1967 – gained ...

and in 1985 by the Technion.

Books

*Shapiro, Ascher H., ''Dynamics and Thermodynamics of Compressible Fluid Flow,'' Krieger Pub. Co; Reprint ed., with corrections (June 1983), . *Shapiro, Ascher H., ''Shape and flow: The fluid dynamics of drag,'' Anchor Books, 1961.

References

External links

MIT News Office

''Boston Globe'' obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shapiro, Asher H. American mechanical engineers Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences MIT School of Engineering alumni MIT School of Engineering faculty Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering Fluid dynamicists 1916 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American engineers