Raymond viskanta
Encyclopedia
Professor Raymond Viskanta is W. F. M. Goss Professor of Engineering at Purdue University
. He has distinguished himself during the past 50 years with research that has encompassed a wide range of topics in convection
and radiation
heat transfer, contributing significantly to Purdue's position as a leader in the field.
Dr. Viskanta was born in Marijampole
, Lithuania
. As the front lines of the Soviet-German conflict approached his family's home, his family left Lithuania in 1944 and, after almost six months of intermittent travel across Germany
, settled near the city of Nienburg
. Shortly after World War II
, they moved to displaced persons camps in West Germany
. They emigrated to the United States
in 1949, when a farmer near Stockbridge, Michigan
, guaranteed employment to his father and housing for the family.
A year later, young Viskanta moved to Chicago
, where he worked in a factory and attended evening high school. He received his diploma in 1951, attended junior college at night while working during the day, and later enrolled as a full-time student at the University of Illinois-Navy Pier in Chicago before transferring to the main campus in Champaign. He received his bachelor's degree
with high honors in 1955 and started graduate work at Purdue in heat transfer, earning his master's degree
in 1956.
He started his career as a mechanical engineer at Argonne National Laboratory
and, thanks to a U.S. Atomic Energy Commission fellowship, returned to Purdue to work on his doctoral degree, which he completed in 1960 while still working for Argonne.
He joined the Purdue faculty as an associate professor in mechanical engineering
in 1962 and remained here, with the exception of doing occasional visiting professorships in California, Germany, and Japan. He was named W.F.M. Goss Distinguished Professor of Engineering in 1986.
Dr. Viskanta has achieved recognition over his career not only because of the unusual quality and productivity of his research but also because of the expansive breadth of his work, involving publications in over 50 different journals in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. Viskanta has been listed as an ISI Highly Cited Author in Engineering by the ISI Web of Knowledge, Thomson Scientific Company.
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
. He has distinguished himself during the past 50 years with research that has encompassed a wide range of topics in convection
Convection
Convection is the movement of molecules within fluids and rheids. It cannot take place in solids, since neither bulk current flows nor significant diffusion can take place in solids....
and radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
heat transfer, contributing significantly to Purdue's position as a leader in the field.
Dr. Viskanta was born in Marijampole
Marijampole
Marijampolė is an industrial city and the capital of the Marijampolė County in the south of Lithuania, bordering Poland and Russian Kaliningrad oblast, and Lake Vištytis. The population of Marijampolė is 48,700...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. As the front lines of the Soviet-German conflict approached his family's home, his family left Lithuania in 1944 and, after almost six months of intermittent travel across Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, settled near the city of Nienburg
Nienburg
There are two towns named Nienburg in Germany.*Nienburg, Lower Saxony*Nienburg, Saxony-AnhaltThe Name Nienburg means "Neue Burg" ....
. Shortly after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, they moved to displaced persons camps in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. They emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1949, when a farmer near Stockbridge, Michigan
Stockbridge, Michigan
Stockbridge is a village in Stockbridge Township, Ingham County in the U.S. state of Michigan, and lies from downtown Lansing, Michigan. The population was 1,218 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, guaranteed employment to his father and housing for the family.
A year later, young Viskanta moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where he worked in a factory and attended evening high school. He received his diploma in 1951, attended junior college at night while working during the day, and later enrolled as a full-time student at the University of Illinois-Navy Pier in Chicago before transferring to the main campus in Champaign. He received his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
with high honors in 1955 and started graduate work at Purdue in heat transfer, earning his master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in 1956.
He started his career as a mechanical engineer at Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne National Laboratory is the first science and engineering research national laboratory in the United States, receiving this designation on July 1, 1946. It is the largest national laboratory by size and scope in the Midwest...
and, thanks to a U.S. Atomic Energy Commission fellowship, returned to Purdue to work on his doctoral degree, which he completed in 1960 while still working for Argonne.
He joined the Purdue faculty as an associate professor in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
in 1962 and remained here, with the exception of doing occasional visiting professorships in California, Germany, and Japan. He was named W.F.M. Goss Distinguished Professor of Engineering in 1986.
Dr. Viskanta has achieved recognition over his career not only because of the unusual quality and productivity of his research but also because of the expansive breadth of his work, involving publications in over 50 different journals in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. Viskanta has been listed as an ISI Highly Cited Author in Engineering by the ISI Web of Knowledge, Thomson Scientific Company.