Julian D. Cole
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
April 2, 1925 - April 17, 1999
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Scientific Discipline: Applied Mathematical Sciences Membership Type:
Member
(elected 1976)
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Applied mathematician Julian D. Cole’s research focused on solving the classical problems of fluid mechanics and aerospace engineering. He was best known for inventing techniques of asymptotic, perturbation, and similarity analysis, all of which were much more sophisticated than previous analytical methods. These techniques allowed for a more comprehensive and accurate determination of the mechanisms involved in fluid mechanics. Cole also made advancements in the following subjects: compressible flow theory, transonic flow theory, hypersonic flow theory, magnetohydrodynamics, shock-wave analysis, and wave propagation in solids and liquids. He summarized his findings in his text, "Perturbation Methods in Applied Mathematics".
In 1944, Cole earned his BME degree with distinction from Cornell University. Five years later, he received his PhD from the California Institute of Technology. He remained at the institute, working as a professor of aeronautics from 1951 to 1963 and a professor of applied mathematics from 1963 to 1968. He left Cal Tech in 1968 to accept a position as a professor of engineering and mathematics at University of California, Los Angeles, where he served as the Chairman of Mechanics and Structures Department from 1970 to 1973. He was appointed the Margaret Darrin Distinguished Professor of Applied Mathematics for the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1982. For his achievements in fluid mechanics and engineering, Cole was the recipient of several awards, including the I. M. Laskowitz Medal from the New York Academy of Sciences in 1978, the Arthur Newell Talbot Award for Research in Mechanics from the University of Illinois in 1981, and the Fluid Dynamic Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1992.
