Robert Byron Bird facts for kids

Robert Byron Bird (born February 5, 1924 – died November 13, 2020) was an American chemical engineer. He was a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He was famous for his studies on how different substances move and mix. This field is called transport phenomena. He especially looked at liquids that don't act like water, known as non-Newtonian fluids. He also studied polymers, which are large molecules found in plastics and rubber.

Robert Bird helped write a very important textbook called Transport Phenomena. In 1987, he received the National Medal of Science. This is one of the highest awards a scientist can get in the United States.

Early Life and Schooling

Robert Byron Bird was born on February 5, 1924, in Bryan, Texas. His father, Byron Bird, was a civil engineering professor. Robert went to elementary and junior high school in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Later, he attended Central High School in Washington D.C.

He started college at the University of Maryland in 1941. However, he had to stop his studies to serve in World War II. He was a second lieutenant in the US Army. He fought in battles from eastern Belgium to the Austrian border.

After the war, Bird continued his education. He earned his first degree in chemical engineering in 1947. He got this from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 1950, he received his PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Wisconsin.

After his PhD, he worked as a researcher in Amsterdam, Netherlands. There, he helped write his first textbook. It was a large book called Molecular Theory of Gases and Liquids. He wrote it with his professor, Joseph O. Hirschfelder, and another professor, Charles F. Curtiss.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Robert Bird received many important awards for his work. In 1987, he was given the National Medal of Science. President Ronald Reagan presented him with this award. It was for his important books and research. His work helped us understand how liquids and gases behave.

In 1974, he won the Bingham Medal. This award recognized his great work in rheology. Rheology is the study of how materials flow and change shape. He also received the Eringen Medal in 1983.

Bird was a member of several important science groups. These included the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences. He was also part of science academies in other countries. These included the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In 2004, he received a special honor from the Netherlands. He was made a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau. This was for helping to share Dutch language and culture in the United States.

Robert Bird passed away in November 2020 when he was 96 years old.

Important Books

Robert Bird wrote or co-wrote several very important books. These books are used by students and scientists around the world.

One of his most famous books is Transport Phenomena. This book has been translated into many languages. These include Spanish, Italian, Russian, and Chinese. It teaches about how heat, mass, and momentum move in different systems.

Another big book he helped write was Molecular Theory of Gases and Liquids. This book is over 1,200 pages long.

Since Transport Phenomena was published, it has become a key textbook. It is now a standard course in chemical engineering programs. Students learn about transport phenomena in universities everywhere.

• TRANSPORT PHENOMENA (2nd Ed.) (2006)
• Introductory Transport Phenomena (2015)
• Molecular theory of gases and liquids (with J.O. Hirschfelder and C.F. Curtiss)
• Dynamics of Polymeric Liquids, Volume 1: Fluid Mechanics (1987)
• Dynamics of Polymeric Liquids, Vol. 2, Kinetic Theory (with C. F. Curtiss, R. C. Armstrong, and O. Hassager) (1977, 2nd ed. 1987)