| Dr. Meredith C. Gourdine Gourdine Systems Physicist and engineer, Dr. Meredith G. Gourdine, is best known for his ground breaking work in the research of electrogasdynamics and for his invention of various electrostatic precipitator systems including the engineering technique called "Incineraid", which aids the removal of smoke from burning buildings, and a method used to disperse fog from airport runways. These systems clear the air by introducing a negative charge to air-born particles. Once negatively charged, the particles are electromagnetically attracted down to the ground to have their former place taken by fresh air. Dr. Gourdine held 70 patents that deal with thermal management and the conversion of gas to electricity. He applied his work in electrogasdynamics to circuit breakers, acoustic imaging, air monitors and coating systems, as well as the Focus Flow Heat Sink, which is used to cool computer chips. In the 1960s Dr. Gourdine founded the research and development firm, Gourdine Systems, in Livingston, New Jersey and in 1973, he established Energy Innovations in Houston, Texas, to produce direct energy conversion devices. The companies he founded worked on purifying the air and converting low-grade coal into inexpensive, transportable and high-voltage electrical energy. They produced a commercial air-pollution deterrent, a high-powered industrial paint spray and a device to eliminate fog above airports. Before becoming a physicist and engineer, Dr. Gorudine was a gifted athlete, and won the 1952 Olympic silver medal for the long jump. He received a Bachelor of Science degree at Cornell University in 1953 and a PhD in Engineering Physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1960. |
