Flow Computation Pioneer Irmgard Flügge-Lotz (1903-1974)

Abstract

Volumes of this journal typically include one or two historical articles, many of which celebrate the life and impact in fluid mechanics of a recently deceased contributor to the field. The Editorial Committee recently stepped beyond this model to examine whom might have been missed over the years. Naturally, even when a candidate is identified, the passing of time makes it hard to find authors with living memory of the subject. Fortunately, in the case of Professor Dr. Irmgard Flügge-Lotz there is a rare opportunity: An appropriate article appeared in the collection Women in Mathematics, coauthored by her first PhD student John Spreiter and her husband Wilhelm Flügge, both her colleagues at Stanford University. We republish this article to share her remarkable story and contributions in fluid mechanics, as she worked with Prandtl, led a research group at ONERA (Office national d'études et de recherches aérospatiales), and eventually became the first woman professor of engineering at Stanford.