Robert H. Park | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1902-03-15)March 15, 1902 |
| Died | February 18, 1994(1994-02-18) (aged 91) |
| Known for | Park's transformation |
| Awards | IEEE Lamme Medal (1945) Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award(1972) |
Robert H. Park (March , 1902 – February 18, 1994) was an Americanelectrical engineer andinventor, best known for thePark's transformation, used for simplifying the analysis of three-phase electric circuits. His related 1929 concept paper ranked second, when looking at the impact of all twentieth centurypower engineering papers.[1][2] Park was anIEEE Fellow and a member of theNational Academy of Engineering.[3][4]
Park was born on March 15, 1902, inStrasbourg, when his fatherurban sociologistRobert E. Park was studying in Germany. Back in the United States Park lived inWollaston, Massachusetts and earned in 1923 a degree in electrical engineering at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology. After this he went to theRoyal Institute of Technology inStockholm, Sweden to improve his knowledge onoperational calculus.[3][4][5]
Park started working forGeneral Electric, where he created his 1929Park's transformation paper, followed byStone and Webster Engineering in Boston as an electrical engineer and forAmerican Cyanamid as a chemical engineer doing physics research. DuringWorld War II he was involved inmine development at theNaval Ordnance Laboratory, resulting in 17 United States patents. After the war he became Director of Research Development and Engineering at theEmhart Manufacturing Company (1946), started working as independent consultant and manufacturer inautomation (1953), and was president ofFast Load Control, Inc. active inpower systems stability (1968).[3][4][5] At the end, Park was able to generate 64 U.S. patents in a broad area of disciplines.[3][4]
Park received several awards and honors, which include theNavy Distinguished Civilian Service Award (1945),[3][4] the election toIEEE Fellow (1965),[4] theIEEE Lamme Medal (1972), “In recognition of his outstanding contributions to analysis of the transient behavior of a-c machines and systems,”[6]and the election to member of theNational Academy of Engineering (1986).[7]