The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1985 (12. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
1985-07-01 / 7. szám
Paul Body HUNGARIAN COMMUNITY LIFE IN REVIEW Hungarians in Science and Technology One of the frequently noted contributions of Hungarians to American society and culture is their outstanding role in the advancement of science and technology. Yet, unfortunately, very few reliable, satisfactory studies of this important contribution exist. In order to understand this subject fully, it is in fact important to be aware of several interrelated developments of our time: the worldwide expansion of scientific knowledge in the twentieth century, especially since 1930, the extraordinary high level of scientific and basic instruction in Hungary since 1880, and trends following World War I leading to the emigration (loss for Hungary) of the leading scientists who received their education in Hungary. Let us take a brief look at two of the best-known Hungarian scientists of our time, who illustrate the importance of the three developments stated above. John von Neumann is considered one of the foremost mathematicians and scientists of the modern age. He was born in Budapest in 1903. He received his secondary education at the Evangélikus Gimnázium, an institution well known for its rigorous course of studies. He studied chemistry at the Universities of Berlin and Zurich and mathematics at Budapest. In 1931, he accepted a position at Princeton University. In 1933, he was appointed research professor of mathematics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Neumann made contributions to several fields of mathematics and related sciences, including computer theory, quantum physics, the theory of games, mathematical logic and mathematical economics. In 1945, he was appointed director of the Electronic Computer Project at the Institute for Advanced Study, where he directed the development of high-speed electronic computers, his many honors include the presidency of the American Mathematical Society and the award of the Enrico Fermi Award in 1956. One of the great research scientists of our time is unquestionably Theodore von Karman, the founder of modern aeronautics and astronautics. His basic research contributed to the development of aeronautical technology, including helicopters, gliders, aircrafts, supersonic aviation and rocket design. Bom in Budapest in 1881, Karman attended a newlydeveloped model secondary school in Budapest, designed by his father, Mor Karman, the founder of modem Hungarian secondary education. It is of interest to note that several other Hungarian scientists of world fame attended that school, including György Hevesi and Leo Szilard. Following the completion of his studies at the Polytechnic University of Budapest, Karman pursued his engineering studies in Hungary, France, and Germany. He became director of the Aeronautical Institute of Aachen in 1912. In that position he developed many of his scientific findings. In 1930 he emigrated to the United States and became director of the Guggenheim Aeronautical Labratory at the California Institute of Technology. He founded the U.S. Institute of Aeronautical Sciences. He participated in the establishment of Aerojet General Corporation in 1941, the first American manufacturer of rocket engines. He was co-founder of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Karman’s scientific achievements are truly impressive, he orginated the boundary surface theory, the theory of wing surface design, the turbulence theory and Karman’s vortex. He July, 1985 made contributions to fluid mechanics, supersonic flight technology, wind erosion, elasticity, aerodynamics and thermodynamics. He played a leading role in the development of American rocket technology and guided missiles. He received the First National Medal of Science from President Kennedy in 1963. Starting in the 1920’s, Hungarian scientists and engineers came to the United States and continued to make lasting contributions to science and technology in many fields. The general public is primarily aware of the great names such as Neuman and Karman, but in fact, the story of Hungarian contributions to American technology consists of a great many individuals and their success stories. Each of them deserves special recognition for individual achievement. One of the most recent examples is the extraordinary success of Joseph Rokop, president of the Pittsburgh-based Rokop Corporation, in developing the design of continuous steel casting technology. In April 1985, Mr Rokop was able to conclude an historic agreement with Nippon Steel Corporation, the world’s largest steelmaker, licensing the Japanese company to manufacture the Rokop design in Japan and other parts of Asia. The agreement is highly significant because it reverses recent trends leading to the import of Japanese technology to the United States and now provides American-designed technology to Japanese industry. Joseh Rokop left Hungary following the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, in which he played a prominent role. He arrived in the United States in 1961, and was employed by the Koppers Corporation in Pittsburgh. There he became involved in the early development of continuous steel casting technology. In 1971, following a number of inventions in that field, Mr. Rokop founded Rokop Corporation, which developed the Rokop-designed steel caster. He sold his first caster to Mississippi Steel, the nation's smallest steel company. Since then Rokop established the new technology in facilities in the United States, Canada, Australia, South America, Egypt, France and Great Britain. Following these worldwide successes, it appears anticlimatic that after the announcement of the licensing agreement, Pittsburgh firms are expressing an interest in utilizing the Rokop technology in the traditional center of steelmaking: Pittsburgh. In 1981, the Hungarian Ethnic Study of Pittsburgh (still available for sale) interviewed Mr. Joseph Rokop and featured him as one of seven prominent Hungarian-Americans in Pittsburgh. Rokop’s remarks made in 1981 remain very timely today and sum up an important value of Hungarian scientists in the United States: “Hungarians are generally highly-skilled, intelligent, diligent and above all, exceedingly individualistic in thought and conduct. Placed in the American environment based on freedom and free development, they naturally utilize their intelligence and individuality in the pursuit of personal and professional Page 7
