Donald Robert Fergusson Harleman (December 5, 1922 – September 28, 2005) was an American

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...

noted for his research of the flow of contaminants through water and harbor cleanup efforts around the world. New York Times:Donald Harleman, Water Pollution Expert Who Aided Cleanups Worldwide, Dies at 82;By DAVID TULLER;October 14, 2005
/ref>
/ref> ttp://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2005/obit-harleman.html MIT News:Memorial service for Donald Harleman set for Nov. 5;October 4, 2005/ref> Harleman was credited with cleanup efforts of harbors around the world:

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, among others. He advised government agencies on the

Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, located adjacent to Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the Northeastern United States. History 17th century Since its dis ...

cleanup. Harleman was elected to the

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

in 1974 "for leadership in the development of theoretical and experimental techniques in the field of

fluid mechanics Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the mechanics of fluids (liquids, gases, and plasma (physics), plasmas) and the forces on them. Originally applied to water (hydromechanics), it found applications in a wide range of discipl ...

". ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' called Harleman "an internationally recognized civil engineer in the field of

water quality Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance, generally achieved through tr ...

and waste treatment". ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' said that Harleman "was regarded as a leader in fluid mechanics" and said he was "

water pollution Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of Body of water, water bodies, with a negative impact on their uses. It is usually a result of human activities. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and ...

expert who aided cleanups worldwide". Harleman was Ford Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

Chronology

* 1922: born on December in

Palmerton, Pennsylvania Palmerton is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The borough's population was 5,414 at the 2010 census. Palmerton is located northwest of Allentown and northwest of Philadelphia. ...

* 1943: B.S. in civil engineering,

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

* 1947: M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology * 1950: Doctorate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology * 1950: assistant professor of

hydraulics Hydraulics () is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counterpart of pneumatics, which concer ...

, Massachusetts Institute of Technology * 1975-1990: Ford Professor of Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology * 1991: retired from MIT as Ford Professor emeritus * 2005: died of cancer on September 28 on

Nantucket, Massachusetts Nantucket () is an island in the state of Massachusetts in the United States, about south of the Cape Cod peninsula. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck Island, Tuckernuck and Muskeget Island, Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and Co ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harleman, Donald R. F. 1922 births 2005 deaths Engineers from Pennsylvania MIT School of Engineering faculty Penn State College of Engineering alumni MIT School of Engineering alumni Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering People from Carbon County, Pennsylvania American environmental scientists 20th-century American engineers