Rutherford Aris
| Rutherford Aris | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | September 15, 1929 |
| Died | November 2, 2005 (aged 76) |
| Residence | United States |
| Citizenship | American |
| Fields | Control theory, Chemical reactor design, Mathematical modeling, Catalysis |
| Notable awards | Richard E. Bellman Control Heritage Award (1992) |
Rutherford "Gus" Aris (September 15, 1929 – November 2, 2005) was a chemical engineer and a Regents Professor Emeritus of Chemical engineering at the University of Minnesota (1958–2005).
Aris was born in Bournemouth, England, to Algernon Aris and Janet (Elford). From a young age, Aris was interested in chemistry. Aris's father owned a photo-finishing works, where he would experiment with chemicals and reactions. He attended St Martin's, a small local kindergarten and moved to St Wulfran's, a local preparatory school, now Queen Elizabeth's School. Here, he studied Latin, a skill much used later by him and he was encouraged to continue pursuit of his interest in chemistry. Because of his achievements, he was referred to the Reverend C.B.Canning, Headmaster of Canford School, a well-known public school, close to Wimborne. On the strength of this interview, he was given a place in the newly created house that the school had provided for day-boarders. This was in 1943, when he was 14. His mathematics teacher, H. E. Piggott, had a particular influence on Aris due to "the liveliness, enthusiasm, and care that he brought to his teaching", which "were unparalleled in my experience". Piggot spent substantial time on pure and applied mathematical papers, an experience that Aris described as "extraordinary". Aris dedicated his book Discrete Dynamic Programming to Piggot 15 years later.
Piggot helped Aris to get a job working for Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) as a laboratory technician in the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Research Labs, at the age of 17. While working at ICI, Aris attended the University of London part-time to work toward his B.Sc.. Aris described this as "an excellent way to get a degree, although perhaps not so good a way of getting an education." After 2 years Aris made an attempt to earn the B.Sc. Honours Degree. He sat 12 papers (exams) covering a wide range of mathematical topics, and got a degree with first-class honours.
In 1948, ICI sent him to Edinburgh, Scotland for two years of study at the Mathematical Institute at the University of Edinburgh, which was presided over by Alexander Aitken. Aris, who was accepted for post-graduate studies but not for a Ph.D., did post-graduate work at the University under the supervision of John Cossar. During this break from ICI, Aris also registered for a University of London M.Sc. in the area of mathematical analysis. When he sat the papers, however, he failed to get the degree.
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