In Memoriam: Frederick F. Ling

Abstract

Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and one of the most influential tribologists of the 20th century, Frederick Fongsun Ling died on November 8, 2014 in New York City at the age of 87. Born in Qingdao, China, F. F. Ling received a B.S. in civil engineering from St. John's University in Shanghai in 1947 and left soon; thereafter, for the U.S. on a Ford International Scholarship to Bucknell University, where he received his B.S. in mechanical engineering in 1949. He continued his studies at Carnegie Institute of Technology for a M.S. mechanical engineering (1951), followed by a D.Sc. in mechanical engineering. He began his deep involvement in research on surface mechanics and tribology during his graduate studies; his doctoral dissertation entitled, “An Investigation of Sliding Friction and Interface Temperature Between Two Dry Metallic Surfacesâ€‌ was completed in 1954. That year he was appointed Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Carnegie Tech. Two years later, Dr. Ling joined the Department of Mechanics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he served as Chairman from 1967–1974 and as Chairman, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering & Mechanics from 1974–1986. In 1990, Dr. Ling was named William Howard Hart Professor Emeritus. Following his distinguished career at Rensselaer, during which he introduced many graduate students to the field of tribology, Dr. Ling taught mechanical engineering at Columbia University for four years. While at Columbia he served as Director, Columbia Engineering Productivity Center and was President, Institute of Productivity Research in New York. In 1992, Dr. Ling began a tenyear tenure at the University of Texas at Austin, where he held the Earnest F. Gloyna Regents Chair in Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, and the position of Associate Director for Engineering, Center of Manufacturing Systems. In 2002, he became the Earnest F. Gloyna Regents Chair Emeritus in Engineering. He retired in New York City where he continued to serve as EditorinChief of SpringerVerlag's Mechanical Engineering Series until 2011.