Irvin Glassman

Irvin Glassman, 96, of Princeton died Dec. 14, 2019. He was a native of Baltimore.

Prof. Glassman was the Robert H. Goddard Professor (Emeritus) of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University. He retired from Princeton in 1999 after 49 years on the faculty.

He was considered one of the world’s leading authorities on combustion as applied to problems in energy production, pollution, propulsion, and fire safety. In 1972, he founded Princeton University’s Center for Energy and Environmental Studies. He was editor and founder of the journal Combustion Science and Technology and published more than 250 articles as well as two major books, including “Combustion,” considered the leading book in his field. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1996, received an honorary doctorate of science from Princeton in 2009, and was awarded the Daniel Guggenheim Medal in 2018, which honors innovators who make notable achievements to aeronautics.

He received his bachelor of engineering in 1943 and his doctorate of engineering in 1950 from Johns Hopkins University, from which he received a scholarship.

Get New Jersey Jewish News's Newsletter by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up

He served during World War II in the U.S. Army as a research scientist and was honorably discharged in 1945.

He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Beverly Wolfe Glassman; three daughters, Shari (Warren) Powell, Diane (Edwin) Gienger, and Barbara Glassman (Arthur Rubin); and six grandchildren.

Services were held Dec. 15 with arrangements by Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel, Ewing. Memorial contributions may be made to the Irvin Glassman Fund at the Trustees of Princeton University (Princeton University, Alumni and Donor Records, P.O. Box 5357, Princeton, N.J. 08543-5357).