Floyd Van Nest Schultz (November 7, 1910 – June 18, 1986) was an American educator and electrical engineeringsScientist responsible for pioneering work in Radar and Radio. He received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (6/1932), Masters of Science (9/1939) and PhD (6/1950) from

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

. He was a professor of electrical engineering at University of Tennessee and

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

, was elected to the honorary societies:

Tau Beta Pi The Tau Beta Pi Association (commonly Tau Beta Pi, , or TBP) is the oldest engineering honor society and the second oldest collegiate honor society in the United States. It honors engineering students in American universities who have shown a ...

Eta Kappa Nu Eta Kappa Nu () or IEEE-HKN is the international honor society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Joining HKN is by invitation only. Membership is a lifelong designation for individuals who have distinguished them ...

Phi Kappa Phi The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (or simply Phi Kappa Phi or ) is an honor society established in 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to the area of study, and to promote the "unity and democracy of educa ...

, and Phi Eta Sigma and the Honorary Committee, and played flute in the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra. Schultz held multiple patents and published a wide range of engineering reports and papers. In 1950, he received his Ph.D from the University of Michigan for his thesis publication entitled; “Scattering by a Prolate Spheroid.” This is the theoretical determination of the scattering of both an incident electro-magnetic wave and the incident acoustic wave by a prolate spheroid. His work was done as part of the basic research phase of a US Air Force guided missile contract. In addition to his educational career, Schultz held engineering positions at Globe Radio Manufacturing Co., Detroit, Gulf Research and Development Corp., Pittsburgh, Wilcox-Gay Corp.,

Charlotte, Michigan Charlotte ( ) is a city and county seat of Eaton County, Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 9,299. Charlotte is in the central portion of the county on the boundary between Eaton Township and Carmel Township but is polit ...

, Group Supervisor, Radar Laboratory,

Wilbur Wright Field Wilbur Wright Field was a military installation and an airfield used as a World War I List of Training Section Air Service airfields, pilot, mechanic, and armorer training facility and, under different designations, conducted United States Army ...

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

, and International Detrola Corp.,

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. He married Julia Laurene Bovee in 1932 and had two children; Gretchen Lewis of

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

and Karl Herbert of

Sherwood, Oregon Sherwood is a city in Washington County, Oregon, Washington County, Oregon, United States. Located in the southeast corner of the county, it is a residential community in the Tualatin Valley, southwest of Portland, Oregon, Portland. The populati ...

. At the time of his death to lung cancer in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

in 1986, he was survived by his second wife, Dorothy, three step-sons, one step-daughter, four grandchildren and seven step-grandchildren.

References

Proceedings of the Board of Regents, 1945The Michigan Alumnus, Volume 58, 1950The Michigan Alumnus, Volume LXVI, October 3, 1959 - August 6, 1960University of Michigan Official Publication Volume 48 No 3 – July 6, 1964

Patents

* , "Steerable Circular Traveling-Wave Antenna" – Aug 24, 1965 * , "Diversity Receiving Combination" – Jun 13, 1950

Publications

Scattering by a Prolate Spheroid
Floyd VanNest Schultz, University of Michigan, 1950
Atmospheric Pressure and Temperature Measurements Between The Altitudes of 40 and 110 Kilometers
University of Michigan, Engineering Research Institute, 1948 {{DEFAULTSORT:Schultz, Floyd University of Michigan College of Engineering alumni University of Michigan faculty University of Tennessee faculty Purdue University faculty American electrical engineers 1910 births 1986 deaths 20th-century American engineers