| Aldo Vieira da Rosa | |
|---|---|
Aldo Vieira da Rosa (born November 15, 1917) is a Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. His research interests are in ionospheric processes, energy processes and renewable energy. He is the author of "Fundamentals of Renewable Energy Processes"[1] and "Fundamentals of Electronics".[2] He is also the holder of a US patent on the process for the production of ammonia.[3]
Da Rosa was born in Florianópolis, Brazil. After graduating from the Brazilian Military Academy and the Brazilian Aeronautical School, both in Rio de Janeiro, he attended Stanford and Harvard Universities. He received a PhD from Stanford in Electrical Engineering.
From 1945 to 1951 da Rosa founded and was the first head of the Research and Standardization division of the Diretoria de Rotas Aéreas (the Brazilian FAA). From 1952 to 1953 he was Associate Professor of Electronics at ITA, an engineering college in São José dos Campos, Brazil. In 1954, da Rosa founded and was the first Director of the Instituto de Pesquisas e Desenvolvimento (IPD), and in 1956 became Chairman of the Brazilian National Research Council. He resigned from the Council following a serious injury to his leg during an international glider competition in France. From 1961 to 1963, da Rosa founded and was the first chairman of the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, (the Brazilian NASA). In the early 1960s, da Rosa was a helicopter test pilot for the "Beija Flor", a helicopter designed by Heinrich Focke.
Da Rosa retired from the Brazilian Air Force as Brigadier General in 1965 and in 1966 became a Research associate, then professor, and now Professor Emeritus at Stanford University.
An active Masters Swimmer, da Rosa has broken 99 National Records and 37 World Records. He currently still holds the world records in the 85-89 age group in the 200 meter IM and 200 meter breast stroke. He was inducted into the International Masters Swimming Hall of Fame in 2004.[4][5]
In March 2010, da Rosa was awarded the Grã-Cruz da Ordem Nacional do Mérito Científico[1], an honor bestowed by the President of Brazil upon Brazilian and foreign personalities recognized for their scientific and technical contributions to the cause and development of science in Brazil.
Da Rosa continues to attract large numbers of students to his renewable energy classes at Stanford. He lectures on renewable energy topics, with an emphasis on classical physics.