Manuel García Velarde facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Manuel García Velarde
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| Born | 14 September 1941 |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Occupation | physicist and university teacher |
| Spouse(s) |
María del Pilar Ibarz Gil
(m. 1965) |
| Awards | See Awards |
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Manuel García Velarde, born on September 14, 1941, is a Spanish scientist. He is a physicist and a university professor. He is also a member of several important science groups, like the Academia Europaea.
He has worked at universities and research centers in both America and Europe. His work mainly focuses on how liquids and gases move, which is called fluid dynamics. He also studies other complex science problems, like how tiny particles behave and how different surfaces interact.
Because of his important research and his work with scientists from other countries, he has received many special awards. These include honors from France, like the National Order of Merit, and the Blaise Pascal Medal. He also received a medal from the Royal Spanish Society of Physics.
Early Life and Education
Manuel García Velarde was born in Almería, Spain, on September 14, 1941. He studied physics at the Complutense University of Madrid and graduated in 1963. After graduating, he received a scholarship. This allowed him to start working at the Junta de Energía Nuclear (JEN). This organization later became the Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT).
In 1965, he left JEN and married María del Pilar Ibarz Gil. He then decided to pursue a PhD degree. A famous scientist named Ilya Prigogine influenced him greatly. Manuel García Velarde ended up earning two PhD degrees. He received one in 1968 from the Complutense University of Madrid. His second PhD was in 1970 from the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium. Having two PhDs helped him work in both Spain and other countries.
From 1969 to 1971, he worked in the United States. He was at the University of Texas at Austin, where Ilya Prigogine led a research institute.
Career in Academia
After his time in the United States, Manuel García Velarde returned to Spain in 1971. He began teaching and doing research at the Autonomous University of Madrid. There, he started the Department of Fluid Physics.
In 1979, he moved to the National University of Distance Education. He created the Department of Physics at this university. Later, in 1993, he returned to his first university, the Complutense University of Madrid. He became a full professor there and helped start the Instituto Pluridisciplinar.
From 1995 to 1997, he served as the vice-president of the European Low Gravity Research Association. He then became its president from 1997 to 1999. This association studies how things behave in very low gravity, like in space.
Throughout his career, Professor García Velarde has been a visiting professor or invited guest at many universities around the world. These include universities in Paris, London, Cambridge, and Stanford. He also worked at important research centers like the Los Alamos National Laboratory. From 2002 to 2004, he was the rector (a top leader) of the International Center for Mechanical Sciences.
Awards and Honors
Manuel García Velarde has received many awards for his important contributions to science:
- 1991: Academia award from the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences
- 1994: Doctor honoris causa from Aix-Marseille University. This is a special honorary degree given to people who have achieved great things.
- 1994: Ordre des Palmes Académiques (an award from France for contributions to education and culture)
- 1996: Médaille Rammal from the Société Française de Physique
- 2003: Premio DuPont de la Ciencia
- 2006: Medal of the Royal Spanish Society of Physics
- 2010: Doctor honoris causa from Saratov State University
- 2013: National Order of Merit of France (a high honor from France)
- 2015: Blaise Pascal Medal in Physics
- 2015: Doctor honoris causa from the University of Almería
See also
In Spanish: Manuel García Velarde para niños
