Simon Ostrach

Simon Ostrach was an American applied mathematician and mechanical engineer. He was a pioneer in the fields of buoyancy-driven flows and microgravity science.

Early life and education

Ostrach was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island. He was a member of the class of 1938 at Hope High School (Rhode Island) in Providence, then entered Rhode Island State College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Engineering, followed by an additional Master of Science and a PhD from Brown University, both in Applied Mathematics.

Career

He was a Distinguished Professor at Florida State University, where he was affiliated with the Florida A&M University – Florida State University College of Engineering. He was also the Wilbert J. Austin Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He was honored by NASA in 1998 as one of its "12 Superstars of Modern Aeronautics" and was a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Personal life

Ostrach was married twice and had five children. One of his sons, Louis Ostrach, died in 2017.
He died at the age of 93 in Pepper Pike, Ohio.