| Theodore Yaotsu Wu | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1924 China |
| Fields | Fluid dynamics |
| Institutions | California Institute of Technology |
| Alma mater | Chiao Tung University Iowa State University California Institute of Technology |
| Doctoral advisor | Paco Lagerstrom |
| Notable awards | Georg Weinblum Memorial Lectureship (1983-1984)[1] Theodore von Karman Medal (2004) |
Theodore Yaotsu Wu (born 1924) is a Professor Emeritus of Engineering Science at the California Institute of Technology. His research contribution includes compressible fluid flow, free-streamline theory of cavities, jets and wakes, water waves and free-surface flows, mechanics of fish swimming and bird/insect flight, wind and ocean-current energy, and internal waves in the ocean.
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Wu was born in an educated family. His father had a degree in economics and finance, his mother graduated from high school and majored in literature, while his grandfather was a Chinese physician.
During the Japanese invasion, the Japanese airplanes flying overhead eventually inspired him to enter aeronautics in the university.
Wu received his BSc from Chiao Tung University (1946), and spent one year teaching upon graduation.[2] In January 1948 he arrived in the U.S. and enrolled at Iowa State University and graduated with an MS in December the same year. After Iowa, Wu came to Caltech, where he shared an office with Julian Cole. Wu was involved in the research group headed by Paco Lagerstrom, where they developed further the asymptotic perturbation method pioneered by Ludwig Prandtl.
Wu received his PhD in (1952), subsequently worked as a research fellow at Caltech for three years, and developed interest in water waves and hydrodynamics, due to the stimulus given by Qian Xuesen and von Karman. After three years Wu became an assistant professor of applied mechanics (1955) at Caltech. In 1960, under the influence of G. I. Taylor and James Lighthill, Wu started to work on fish locomotion and bird flight (biofluiddynamics). During his time at Caltech he has also contributed to the field of naval architecture and been involved in the International Towing Tank Conferences.
Wu retired in 1996, but is still very active after his retirement.