Hermann Viets (28 January 1943 – 1 October 2017) was a German-born American astronautics engineer and president of Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). He was MSOE's fourth president, assuming the position in 1991.

Early life

Viets was born in Quedlinburg, Germany on 28 January 1943. He earned all three of his degrees from New York University's Polytechnic Institute: a B.S. in

aerospace engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...

in 1965, an M.S. in astronautics in 1966, and a doctorate in astronautics in 1970.

Career

Viets held seven US patents. He was Professor of Engineering at

Wright State University Wright State University is a public research university in Fairborn, Ohio. Originally opened in 1964 as a branch campus of Miami University and Ohio State University, it became an independent institution in 1967 and was named in honor of aviation ...

in Dayton, Ohio. He was a professor and Associate Dean for Research at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. the Dean of Engineering at the University of Rhode Island in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, Rhode Island, before becoming president of MSOE. He was one of the co-founders of the International Engineering Program at URI. He has also been a visiting scientist, aerospace engineer and research group leader for Wright Patterson Air Force Base Aerospace Research Laboratories in Dayton, Ohio; and a lecturer at the Von Karman Institute in Brussels, Belgium. Viets died at his home in South Kingstown, Rhode Island on 1 October 2017.

Legacy

The athletic field at the Milwaukee School of Engineering was named in Viets's honor in 2013. In 2019, the University announced a brand new residence tower bearing his name.

References

External links

Biography of Hermann Viets at Milwaukee School of Engineering
1943 births 2017 deaths 21st-century American engineers German emigrants to the United States Wright State University faculty People from Quedlinburg People from South Kingstown, Rhode Island University of Rhode Island faculty West Virginia University faculty Milwaukee School of Engineering people Polytechnic Institute of New York University alumni Heads of universities and colleges in the United States {{US-academic-administrator-1940s-stub