ChemE News, Events, and Seminars

Symposium to Honor Professor Robert C. Reid

A Symposium was held to celebrate the life and work of Robert C. Reid. His educational and research contributions to Chemical Engineering was highlighted in a series of invited presentations with emphasis on applied thermodynamics and physical property estimation. Friday, October 13, 2006 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Gilliland Auditorium Building 66-110 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Reception followed in Walker Lounge (Rm 66-201)

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MIT Professor Robert C. Reid is known throughout the chemical engineering community for his contributions to methods of teaching thermodynamics, estimating physical properties and the understanding of a variety of complex physical-chemical phenomena including the phase behavior of supercritical fluids and boiling heat transfer at the interface between two immiscible liquids. Generations of 10.40 students have known him for the thermodynamics text he co-authored with Mike Modell, "Thermodynamics and Its Applications", through two editions. His basic postulatory approach and conceptual problem formulation methods continue to be used at MIT and elsewhere in teaching graduate chemical engineering thermodynamics.

In addition, Professor Reid co-authored the legendary reference book on the “The Properties of Gases and Liquids” with Tom Sherwood in 1958. This was later revised and published in 4 separate editions over 40 years during which John Prausnitz, Bruce Poling and Jeff Tester were added as co-authors. Professor Reid also served as editor of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Journal; his efforts substantially enhanced the Journal’s reputation as the leading scientific publication of the chemical engineering profession. He was a director of AIChE from 1969 to 1971 and was a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He won AIChE’s Warren K. Lewis Award in 1976 and its Founders Award in 1986. Professor Reid received the Purdue Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1976. He has over 150 publications, including 6 books.

Professor Reid was an active member of the MIT faculty for 31 years before retiring in 1985. His former students, many of whom went on to careers in teaching and research, remember him as an inspiring mentor. He was known to be humble and thoughtful in his approach to engineering problems, and all who remember him comment on his welcoming and friendly demeanor. He was particularly noted for the personal interest that he took in every student with whom he interacted. Professor Reid also liked to have fun with his classes, occasionally dressing up for a "guest" lecture as the great thermodynamicist, J. Willard Gibbs, complete with 19th-century dress, wig and accent.

Professor Reid received a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering in 1949 from Purdue University and a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1950 from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. He continued his studies at Purdue and graduated with an M.S. degree in Chemical Engineering in 1950. He then earned his Sc. D. degree from MIT in 1954, and became Assistant Professor and Director of the Oak Ridge Station of the Practice School, finally returning to Cambridge in 1956 permanently to teach and mentor hundreds of graduate students in the department over the next three decades.

Reid is survived by his wife of 55 years, Anna M. (Murphy) Reid of Lexington, MA, son Donald M. Reid of Chapel Hill, NC, daughter A. Christine Reid of Arlington, VA, four grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.