Oral history interview with Stuart Winston Churchill
- 1985-Mar-21 (First session)
- 1985-Mar-28 (Second session)
Oral history interview with Stuart Winston Churchill
- 1985-Mar-21 (First session)
- 1985-Mar-28 (Second session)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.Stuart Churchill begins with background information about his family and early education. He then describes his undergraduate years at the University of Michigan, where he was quite active in the mathematics department as well as in chemical engineering. After working in industry for five years, at Shell Oil and Frontier Chemical, he returned to Michigan for graduate school. There, he began both his extensive research on heat transfer, natural convection, and combustion, as well as his career in teaching. After earning his Ph.D. and a position on Michigan's faculty, he began work on several military projects in the nuclear field. In addition, he served on the National Council of and as president of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. He was also active in industrial consultation. After acquiring increasing administrative responsibilities as chairman of the department, he chose to move to the University of Pennsylvania to return his focus to research and teaching. His students were always a top priority, and throughout the interview he frequently alludes to his close, continuing relationships with them. He also stresses the dramatic impact of increased use of applied mathematics and improved computer technology on chemical engineering. Churchill concludes the interview with a brief discussion of his current work, his family life, and his leisure activities.
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About the Interviewers
Jeffrey L. Sturchio is president and CEO of the Global Health Council. Previously he served as vice president of corporate responsibility at Merck & Co., president of the Merck Company Foundation, and chairman of the U.S. Corporate Council on Africa. Sturchio is currently a visiting scholar at the Institute for Applied Economics and the Study of Business Enterprise at Johns Hopkins University and a member of the Global Agenda Council on the Healthy Next Generation of the World Economic Forum. He received an AB in history from Princeton University and a PhD in the history and sociology of science from the University of Pennsylvania.
Joseph C. Marchese received a BS in physics from St. John’s University, an MA in physics from Columbia University, an MA in history of science from the University of Notre Dame, and a PhD in history of science from Princeton University. He has taught high school physics, mathematics, and chemistry, and has held positions at Visual Education Corporation and Mathematical Policy Research, Inc. He served as a consultant to CHF's Beckman Center for the History of Chemistry in 1984–1985.
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| Oral history number | 0016 |
Related Items
Interviewee biographical information
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Education
| Year | Institution | Degree | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | University of Michigan | BS Engineering | Chemical Engineering |
| 1942 | University of Michigan | BS Engineering | Engineering Mathematics |
| 1948 | University of Michigan | MS Engineering | Chemical Engineering |
| 1952 | University of Michigan | PhD | Chemical Engineering |
Professional Experience
Shell Oil Company
- 1942 to 1946 Technologist
Frontier Chemical Company
- 1946 to 1947 Technical Supervisor
University of Michigan
- 1948 to 1949 Research Assistant, Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering
- 1949 to 1950 Research Associate, Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering
- 1950 to 1952 Instructor, Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering
- 1952 to 1955 Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering
- 1955 to 1957 Associate Professor, Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering
- 1957 to 1967 Professor, Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering
- 1961 to 1967 Chairman, Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering
University of Pennsylvania
- 1967 to 1990 Carl V.S. Patterson Professor of Chemical Engineering
- 1990 to 2016 Carl V.S. Patterson Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering
Honors
| Year(s) | Award |
|---|---|
| 1961 | Phi Lambda Upsilon Award for Outstanding Teaching and Leadership, University of Michigan |
| 1961 | Citation for Research Contributions, Air Force Aeronautical Systems Division |
| 1964 | Professional Progress Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers |
| 1966 | Honorary Fellow, Chemical Institute of Canada |
| 1966 | President, American Institute of Chemical Engineers |
| 1969 | William H. Walker Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers |
| 1971 | Elected Fellow, American Institute of Chemical Engineers |
| 1974 | Elected Member, National Academy of Engineering |
| 1977 | S. Reid Warren, Jr., Award for Excellence in Teaching, University of Pennsylvania |
| 1977 | Visiting Researcher Award, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science |
| 1978 | Warren K. Lewis Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers |
| 1979 | Max Jakob Award in Heat Transfer, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and American Institute of Chemical Engineers |
| 1980 | Founders Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers |
| 1981 | Special Honorary Issue, Chemical Engineering Communications |
| 1983 | Diamond Jubilee Medallion, American Institute of Chemical Engineers Heat Transfer and Energy Conversion Division |
| 1983 | Eminent Chemical Engineer, Diamond Jubilee of the American Institute for Chemical Engineers |
| 1983 | Elected Corresponding Member, Verein Deutscher Ingenieure |
| 1987 | Featured Engineer, Chemical Engineering Progress |
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Complete transcript of interview
The published version of the transcript may diverge from the interview audio due to edits to the transcript made by staff of the Center for Oral History, often at the request of the interviewee, during the transcript review process.