News & Events

The Mechanical Engineering Department Introduces Freudenstein Distinguished Lecture

03/28/2011

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University is proud to announce the establishment of the Freudenstein Distinguished Lecture series. Upon nomination from ME faculty, a prominent scholar in any area of mechanical or related engineering/science will be invited annually to deliver a lecture on the topic of his/her choosing. The Lecture will be widely publicized in SEAS, other parts of the University, and regional institutions as appropriate. The lecture will be typically scheduled in the spring semester.

 

This Lecture embodies the superb scholarship and mentorship ideal of Dr. Freudenstein.

 

About Dr. Ferdinand Freudenstein:

Ferdinand Freudenstein was born on May 12, 1926 in Frankfurt, Germany. With his parents, he then lived in Amsterdam, London and Cambridge before moving permanently to the United States when he was 16 years old. He pursued and studied his PhD under the guidance of Professor H. Dean Baker, and in 1954 was appointed an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering in Columbia University. In 1958 he was appointed as the Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department. Professor Freudenstein spent his entire career working and teaching in Columbia, as the Higgins Professor of Mechanical Engineering. He passed away on March 30, 2006.

In his PhD dissertation, Freudenstein developed what become known as the Freudenstein equation, which uses an algebraic method to determine the position of an output lever in a linkage mechanism. He revolutionized the field of mechanical design by ushering in the computer age in kinematics synthesis and the design of mechanism, being elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1979 and appointed as a Guggenheim Fellow and a recipient of the Egleston Medal. Professor Freudenstein is also a great teacher and mentor. Over his lifetime, he has over 500 academic descendents (students and students' students) belonging to the Freudenstein family tree. For these extraordinary accomplishments, he is known as the "Father of Modern Kinematics."

 

 

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The Freudenstein Distinguished Lecture was made possible by a generous gift from Dr. Hitoshi Tanaka, a former doctoral student of Prof. Freudenstein and a successful industrialist. Currently the Senior Vice President of Designatronics, Inc., Dr. Tanaka has consistently supported the Department of Mechanical Engineering and School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). He has served on the departmental External Advisory Board (EAB) since 2006 and currently chairs the EAB. He earned his BS, MS and Doctor of Engineering Science in Mechanical Engineering at Columbia in '63, '65, and '76 respectively.