Rustum Roy
Referred to as a legend of materials science at the time of his death, Rustum Roy (July 3, 1924 – August 26, 2010) was a scientist with doctoral training in the area of ceramics, making seminal contributions in theoretical and experimental understandings in those fields. He founded the Materials Science Laboratory at Pennsylvania State University and progressed through the ranks of the faculty, becoming emeritus professor, with affiliations to three departments.
Later in life he held visiting professorships in materials science at Arizona State University, and in medicine at the University of Arizona.
Roy described himself as a science policy analyst, was an advocate of interdisciplinary education, and had strong and published interests in the areas of alternative medicine and the proper relationship between science and religion.
Early life and education
Roy was born in Ranchi, Bihar Province, India.[1]In 1942 he received BS in Physical Chemistry from Patna University and in 1944 his MS from the same university. He earned a Ph.D. in ceramics, from Pennsylvania State University, in 1948.
Career
Positions held
Roy held the following faculty and other professional positions throughout his career:
- Evan Pugh Professor of the Solid State, Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), to emeritus
- Professor of Geochemistry, Penn State, to emeritus
- Professor of Science, Technology, and Society, Penn State, to emeritus
Career highlights
Rustum Roy was a materials scientist referred to as "[o]ne of the legends of materials science" at the time of his death.[2] He trained in and doing research in ceramics and related areas, and made seminal contributions in theoretical and experimental understandings in those fields.
He founded the Materials Science Laboratory at Pennsylvania State University and progressed in a long career at that institution through the ranks of the faculty, becoming emeritus professor, with affiliations to three departments, including materials science and geochemistry.
Later in life he held visiting professorships in materials science at Arizona State University, and in medicine at the University of Arizona.
Roy was elected as a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering in 1973,[3] and to various other international academies over the remainder of his career, with particular recognition coming from ceramists and materials scientists in Japan (see below).
Publications
Representative research
Roy authored hundreds of technical papers.
- Materials Science and Engineering in the United States: Proceedings (1970, contributor), Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 0271001011.
Edited volumes
- Materials Science and Engineering Serving Society (1998, with others), Elsevier Science, ISBN 0444827935.
- The Interdisciplinary Imperative: Interactive Research and Education, Still an Elusive Goal in Academia (2000), Writers Club Press, ISBN 0595011799.
Other authored/co-authored books
- Honest Sex (2003 [1969], with coauthor Della Roy), Signet Press, ISBN 0595272134.
- Experimenting With Truth: The Fusion of Religion With Technology Needed for Humanity's Survival [1979 Hibbert Lectures] (1980), Pergamon Press, ISBN 0080258204.
- Radioactive Waste (1982), Pergamon Press, ISBN 0080275419.
- Lost at the Frontier: U.S. Science and Technology Policy Adrift (1985), ISI Press, ISBN 0894950428.
Other works
- Science of Whole Person Healing: Proceedings of the First Interdisciplinary International Conference (2003, contributor), iUniverse, ISBN 0595301533.
- Observations and Studies of the Healing Efficacy of the Life Vessel (2012) [2009].[4]
Other interests
Public policy
Roy described himself as a science policy analyst, and as a "citizen scientist." He served as a Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies (1980–1985), and Senior Policy Fellow at the Brookings Institution (1982–1983).
Roy was an advocate of interdisciplinary education.
Health
Later in life Roy held a visiting professorship in medicine at the University of Arizona, and while there, worked with Andrew Weil's program in integrative medicine. Hence, he had strong and published interests in the area of alternative medicine, and in homeopathy in particular. Publishing originally in a journal for which he was editor-in-chief, he wrote in great technical detail about the theory of water structure, and its potential to the alternative medical specialty, homeopathy.[5] which he defended in a letter to The Guardian.[6]
Religion
Roy had strong and published interests in the proper relationship between science and religion. He was on the Planning and Strategy Committee of the National Council of Churches from 1964–70.
Awards and honours
Roy was honoured with the following awards and affiliations throughout his career:
- Mineralogical Society of America Award, 1957;
- Member, National Academy of Engineering, 1973.[3]
- Foreign Member, Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, 1977;
- Foreign Fellow, Indian National Science Academy, 1984;
- Honorary Fellow, Indian Academy of Sciences, 1990;
- Ceramic Society of Japan (Centennial) International Award, 1991;
- Honorary Member, Ceramic Society of Japan, 1991;
- Foreign Associate, Engineering Academy of Japan, Foreign Associate, 1991;
- Federation of Materials Societies, National Materials Advancement Award, 1991;
- American Chemical Society, DuPont Award in Chemistry of Materials, 1993;
- American Society for Engineering Education Centennial Medal, 1993;
- American Society for Engineering Education Hall of Fame, installed, 1993 (1 of 43 in 100 years);
- Foreign Member, Academy of Russian Sciences Foreign Member, 1999;
- Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd Class, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, 2002.
Personal life
Roy became an American citizen in 1961.
Roy was married to Della Martin Roy, and had three children: Neill R. Roy, Jeremy R. Roy, and Ronnen A. Roy.[2]
Roy died on August 26, 2010 at the age of 86.[7] He was survived by his wife and children.[2]
References
- ↑ Somiya & Ikuma
- 1 2 3 Wray, P. (2010). "Rustum Roy, 1924-2010". ceramics.org (online, September 14). Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- 1 2 NAE (2015). "Members Directory: Prof. Rustum Roy". Washington, DC, USA: National Academy of Engineering. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
Election citation: Contributions to the development of the modern science and technology of non-metallic materials. Primary Section: Materials Engineering.
- ↑ Roy, Rustum (2009). "Observations and Studies of the Healing Efficacy of the Life Vessel". lifevesselarizona.com (Scottsdale, AZ, USA: Life Vessel Arizona Advanced Wellness Center). Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ↑ Roy, R, Tiller, WA Bell, I & Hoover, MR (2009). "The Structure of Liquid Water: Novel Insights from Materials Research, Potential Relevance to Homeopathy" (PDF). Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy 3 (2, April-June): 36ff. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
This article was originally published in the journal Materials Research Innovations 9[(4):577-608, ISSN] 1433-075X. Reprint with the consent of the author and the publisher.'
- ↑ Roy, Rustum (2007). "'Homeophobia' must not be tolerated". The Guardian (online, December 19). Retrieved 2008-02-24.
- ↑ Anon. (2010). "Influential Materials Scientist Rustum Roy Dies". Penn State News (online, August 27). Retrieved 21 November 2015.
Further reading
- Somiya, Shigeyuki & Ikuma, Yasuro (2011). "Obituary: Professor Rustum Roy, July 1924-August 2010". Trans. Mater. Res. Soc. Japan 36 (1). Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- Rotstein, Gary (2010). "Obituary: Rustum Roy, July 3, 1924 - Aug. 26, 2010: World-class materials science expert at Penn State". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (online, September 1). Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- Woodard, Kathy L. (2000). "Profiles in Ceramics: Rustum Roy". Amer. Ceramics Soc. Bull. 79 (12): 36ff. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- Link, Phoebe Forrest (1994). Passionate Realist: Rustum Roy In Our Life And Time. Pittsburgh, PA, USA: Cricklewood Press. ISBN 0964307707. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
External links
- Rustum Roy home page
- Profile and interviews at PBS Faith and Reason series
- Novella S, Roy R, Marcus D, Bell IR, Davidovitch N, Saine A (2008). "A Debate: Homeopathy-Quackery or a Key to the Future of Medicine?". J Altern Complement Med 14 (1): 9–15. doi:10.1089/acm.2007.0770. PMID 18199017.
- Scientific paper proof of the inability of water to retain structure Published in Nature (journal)
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