Robert Loewy
Encyclopedia
Robert G. Loewy is an aerospace engineer who has been influential in the development of rotary-wing vertical take-off and landing aircraft.
He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
in the class of 1947 with a Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering degree. He earned an M.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania
. From 1948 to 1962, Dr. Loewy worked in industry for the Glenn L. Martin Co.; Piasecki Helicopter
Corp.; Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory; and Vertol Aircraft, which later became a division of the Boeing Company. Between September 1965 and 1966, he was chief scientist for the United States Air Force
.
As a faculty member at the University of Rochester
, Dr. Loewy was Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Sciences, Director of the Space Science Center and finally Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. In 1974 he moved to RPI where he became provost and Professor of Aeronautical Engineering and Mechanics. In 1978, Dr. Loewy became Institute Professor, a senior teaching and research position in the School of Engineering. He later founded the Rotorcraft Technology Center at RPI and served as its director.
He joined Georgia Tech in 1993 and became William R. T. Oakes honorary professor and chair of the School of Aerospace Engineering. He was awarded the Daniel Guggenheim Medal
for aeronatical engineering in 2006. Other honors include membership in the National Academy of Engineering
and the Spirit of St. Louis Medal. He was inducted into RPI's Alumni Hall of Fame in 2009.
He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
in the class of 1947 with a Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering degree. He earned an M.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. From 1948 to 1962, Dr. Loewy worked in industry for the Glenn L. Martin Co.; Piasecki Helicopter
Piasecki Helicopter
The Piasecki Helicopter Corporation was a designer and manufacturer of helicopters located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s. The company was renamed Vertol Aircraft Corporation in the mid-1950s...
Corp.; Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory; and Vertol Aircraft, which later became a division of the Boeing Company. Between September 1965 and 1966, he was chief scientist for the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
.
As a faculty member at the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
, Dr. Loewy was Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Sciences, Director of the Space Science Center and finally Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. In 1974 he moved to RPI where he became provost and Professor of Aeronautical Engineering and Mechanics. In 1978, Dr. Loewy became Institute Professor, a senior teaching and research position in the School of Engineering. He later founded the Rotorcraft Technology Center at RPI and served as its director.
He joined Georgia Tech in 1993 and became William R. T. Oakes honorary professor and chair of the School of Aerospace Engineering. He was awarded the Daniel Guggenheim Medal
Daniel Guggenheim Medal
The Daniel Guggenheim Medal is an American engineering award, established by Daniel and Harry Guggenheim. The medal is considered to be one of the greatest honors that can be presented for a lifetime of work in aeronautics...
for aeronatical engineering in 2006. Other honors include membership in the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
and the Spirit of St. Louis Medal. He was inducted into RPI's Alumni Hall of Fame in 2009.