Mars Guy Fontana was a corrosion engineer, professor of Metallurgical Engineering at
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
. He was born April 6, 1910, in
Iron Mountain, Michigan
Iron Mountain is a city in and the county seat of Dickinson County, Michigan. The population was 7,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 7,624 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Located in the state's Upper Penin ...
, and died February 29, 1988.
Education and other work
Mars Guy Fontana graduated with a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
followed by a
Master of Science
A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...
and then awarded a
Doctor of Philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...
in the field of
metallurgical engineering
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys.
Metallurgy encompasses both the ...
from the
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 ...
. He was known as a researcher/engineer who added to the field of knowledge in the fairly specialized area of
corrosion
Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal) by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engine ...
and its various applications in engineering –
corrosion engineering
Corrosion engineering is an engineering specialty that applies scientific, technical, engineering skills, and knowledge of natural laws and physical resources to design and implement materials, structures, devices, systems, and procedures to mana ...
. As well as writing numerous papers he wrote the textbook ''Corrosion Engineering'' which was first published in 1967 ; there have been a number of updated editions since then. This book has been used as the primary textbook and recommended reading for at least one highly ranked University masters degree course. In his lifetime he wrote many papers in various scientific and engineering journals/periodicals. He also authored Corrosion: A Compilation.
In the late 1940s, he was given the chair in the Corrosion Center at
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
. At the time it was the largest university corrosion research department in the United States. He combined the disciplines of engineering design,
Material Science
A material is a substance or mixture of substances that constitutes an object. Materials can be pure or impure, living or non-living matter. Materials can be classified on the basis of their physical and chemical properties, or on their geol ...
and
Corrosion
Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal) by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engine ...
so they could be viewed together.
His contribution at the university was of such significance that he has a building named after him, the
Fontana Laboratories. He also has a professorship named after him.
See also
*
Herbert H. Uhlig
*
Ulick Richardson Evans
Ulick Richardson Evans (31 March 1889 – 3 April 1980) was a British chemist who specialised in metal corrosion.
Life
He was born in Wimbledon, London and educated at Marlborough College (1902–1907) and King's College, Cambridge (1907–1911). ...
*
Melvin Romanoff
Melvin Romanoff was a physical chemist and corrosion engineer who specialized and wrote books about underground and soil corrosion. He worked for many years at the National Bureau of standards. His tenure at The National Bureau of Standards later r ...
*
Michael Faraday
Michael Faraday (; 22 September 1791 – 25 August 1867) was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the study of electrochemistry and electromagnetism. His main discoveries include the principles underlying electromagnetic inducti ...
*
Marcel Pourbaix
Marcel Pourbaix (16 September 1904 – 28 September 1998) was a Belgian chemist and pianist. He performed his most well known research at the University of Brussels, studying corrosion. His biggest achievement is the derivation of potential-p ...
References
External links
Ohio State University websiteAIME Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fontana, Mars G
1910 births
1988 deaths
Corrosion
University of Michigan College of Engineering alumni
Metallurgy