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Keith Stewartson
Times obituary
Professor Keith Stewartson, F.R.S., who died on May 7 aged 57, was Goldsmid Professor of Mathematics at University College London. He was universally recognized for his remarkably perceptive and original research into the applications of mathematics, especially to the dynamics of fluids in motion.
Born on September 20, 1925, he was educated at Stockton Secondary School and St. Catherine's College, Cambridge, where his studies in the mathematical tripos led to research work under the guidance of Professor L. Howarth, F.R.S., culminating in the Ph.D. degree. In 1949, he was appointed Lecturer in Applied Mathematics at the University of Bristol, being promoted Reader in 1954; he became Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Durham in 1958, and took up the Chair at University College in 1964. Shortly afterwards, in March 1965, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. He was awarded the Honorary Degree of D.Sc. by the University of East Anglia in 1979.
Keith Stewartson's abiding passion in mathematical research lay in the solution of the equations governing the motion of liquids and gases, and in the comparison of his theoretical predictions with experiment and observation. He made penetrating discoveries in the dynamics of the aerodynamic boundary layer, leading to the concept known as the triple-deck, by means of which zones of fluid flow are delineated and their calculation made tractable.
Our present knowledge of the "separation" of the boundary layer, a phenomenon which is of crucial importance in determining the drag of aircraft in flight and which occurs throughout nature, owes much to the insight he showed in his mathematical studies. His Von Neumann Lecture of 1980, given before the American Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, dealt brilliantly with this topic under the title of "d'Alembert's Paradox." In 1971, he turned his attention to the related and difficult problem of the early stages of the transition process by which smooth (laminar) flow becomes turbulent, a phenomenon again of central relevance for the magnitude of aircraft drag and also of importance in geophysical and physiological flows. He made striking theoretical progress here, too.
His other major theoretical activity lay in the mathematical description of the dynamics of rotating fluids, whether on the scale of planetary atmospheres, or in laboratory experiments, or for the case of a rotating projectile containing liquid. The "Stewartson layer," for example, is now a household name with research workers in rotating-fluid dynamics.
The universality of Stewartson's mathematical ideas, and their relevance to both scientific experiment and to engineering practice, led to his being frequently consulted by scientific and engineering research laboratories and by aircraft manufacturers. He acted as a powerful scientific stimulus, and visitors regularly came to his department from the United States, the USSR, Australia, Canada, Israel, Holland, and elsewhere.
He himself travelled widely, lecturing and collaborating on research projects abroad. His stature in applied mathematics may stand comparison with those applied-mathematical giants of the past, Sir George Stokes, Lord Kelvin, and Lord Rayleigh. In addition to research, he was strongly devoted to other academic matters. Within the Department of Mathematics at University College, he was much concerned for the welfare and progress of every kind of student and of the staff.
The hospitality of Stewartson and his wife was legendary, and his happy, generous personality, coupled with his staunch support of those conducting good research and teaching, made him one of the most widely loved and revered of mathematicians.
He is survived by his wife Jean, whom he married in 1953, and by their two sons and one daughter.
Professor Keith Stewartson, F.R.S., who died on May 7 aged 57, was Goldsmid Professor of Mathematics at University College London. He was universally recognized for his remarkably perceptive and original research into the applications of mathematics, especially to the dynamics of fluids in motion.
Born on September 20, 1925, he was educated at Stockton Secondary School and St. Catherine's College, Cambridge, where his studies in the mathematical tripos led to research work under the guidance of Professor L. Howarth, F.R.S., culminating in the Ph.D. degree. In 1949, he was appointed Lecturer in Applied Mathematics at the University of Bristol, being promoted Reader in 1954; he became Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Durham in 1958, and took up the Chair at University College in 1964. Shortly afterwards, in March 1965, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. He was awarded the Honorary Degree of D.Sc. by the University of East Anglia in 1979.
Keith Stewartson's abiding passion in mathematical research lay in the solution of the equations governing the motion of liquids and gases, and in the comparison of his theoretical predictions with experiment and observation. He made penetrating discoveries in the dynamics of the aerodynamic boundary layer, leading to the concept known as the triple-deck, by means of which zones of fluid flow are delineated and their calculation made tractable.
Our present knowledge of the "separation" of the boundary layer, a phenomenon which is of crucial importance in determining the drag of aircraft in flight and which occurs throughout nature, owes much to the insight he showed in his mathematical studies. His Von Neumann Lecture of 1980, given before the American Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, dealt brilliantly with this topic under the title of "d'Alembert's Paradox." In 1971, he turned his attention to the related and difficult problem of the early stages of the transition process by which smooth (laminar) flow becomes turbulent, a phenomenon again of central relevance for the magnitude of aircraft drag and also of importance in geophysical and physiological flows. He made striking theoretical progress here, too.
His other major theoretical activity lay in the mathematical description of the dynamics of rotating fluids, whether on the scale of planetary atmospheres, or in laboratory experiments, or for the case of a rotating projectile containing liquid. The "Stewartson layer," for example, is now a household name with research workers in rotating-fluid dynamics.
The universality of Stewartson's mathematical ideas, and their relevance to both scientific experiment and to engineering practice, led to his being frequently consulted by scientific and engineering research laboratories and by aircraft manufacturers. He acted as a powerful scientific stimulus, and visitors regularly came to his department from the United States, the USSR, Australia, Canada, Israel, Holland, and elsewhere.
He himself travelled widely, lecturing and collaborating on research projects abroad. His stature in applied mathematics may stand comparison with those applied-mathematical giants of the past, Sir George Stokes, Lord Kelvin, and Lord Rayleigh. In addition to research, he was strongly devoted to other academic matters. Within the Department of Mathematics at University College, he was much concerned for the welfare and progress of every kind of student and of the staff.
The hospitality of Stewartson and his wife was legendary, and his happy, generous personality, coupled with his staunch support of those conducting good research and teaching, made him one of the most widely loved and revered of mathematicians.
He is survived by his wife Jean, whom he married in 1953, and by their two sons and one daughter.
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