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This is the 28th volume of Memorial Tributes compiled by the National Academy of Engineering as a personal remembrance of the lives and outstanding achievements of its members and international members. These volumes are intended to stand as an enduring record of the many contributions of engineers and engineering to the benefit of humankind. In most cases, the authors of the tributes are contemporaries or colleagues who had personal knowledge of the interests and the engineering accomplishments of the deceased. Through its members and international members, the Academy...
This is the 28th volume of Memorial Tributes compiled by the National Academy of Engineering as a personal remembrance of the lives and outstanding achievements of its members and international members. These volumes are intended to stand as an enduring record of the many contributions of engineers and engineering to the benefit of humankind. In most cases, the authors of the tributes are contemporaries or colleagues who had personal knowledge of the interests and the engineering accomplishments of the deceased. Through its members and international members, the Academy carries out the responsibilities for which it was established in 1964.
Under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering was formed as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. Members are elected on the basis of significant contributions to engineering theory and practice and to the literature of engineering or on the basis of demonstrated unusual accomplishments in the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology. The National Academies share a responsibility to advise the federal government on matters of science and technology. The expertise and credibility that the National Academy of Engineering brings to that task stem directly from the abilities, interests, and achievements of our members and international members, our colleagues and friends, whose special gifts we remember in this book.
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BY MELISSA E. ORME
ERIC PHILLIP MUNTZ, emeritus professor of astronautics, passed away on Aug. 1, 2017, at the age of 83.
“Phil,” as he was known by his colleagues, was a world-renowned scientist, engineer, and former professional athlete. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, on May 18, 1934.
Phil received a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering and master’s and doctoral degrees in aerophysics from the University of Toronto. In 1961, he joined the General Electric Space Sciences Laboratory in Pennsylvania. In 1969, he moved to Los Angeles as an assistant professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Southern California, where he later became chair of the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department. He also held a joint appointment as a professor in the School of Medicine for his research in reduced-dose mammography. He founded and joined the Department of Astronautical Engineering in 2013, retiring in 2014.
Phil is fondly remembered by his peers, students, and mentees as a brilliant and creative thinker, where no domain was off-limits to his intellectual curiosity and contributions. A true scientific explorer, he was an experimentalist’s equivalent to Magellan. His research spanned rarefied gas dynamics, medical imaging, propulsion inventions, and 3D printing. He combined his experimental work with rigorous theoretical and analytical substantiation, ensuring that his ideas were both innovative and technically sound.
Throughout his career, Phil remained deeply engaged in hands-on experimentation. His students knew his preferred workplace was in the laboratory, side by side with them. He encouraged them to be curious, explore, and recognize unintended discoveries that could lead to new scientific breakthroughs.
His contributions were groundbreaking, particularly in experimental aerodynamics, where he developed electron beam fluorescence techniques and X-ray diagnostics in radiology. Early in his career, he introduced and developed the Knudsen compressor, a multistage vacuum pump with no moving parts or fluids. Over the years, he received 25 U.S. patents.
Phil’s profound impact on science and engineering was recognized in 1993 when he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for “technical and academic leadership in rarified-gas dynamics and non-equilibrium flow phenomena.” In 1994, he was elected a fellow of the American Physical Society. He was also a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, some of the highest honors in their respective fields.
Phil’s influence extended worldwide. He gave invited lectures in Göttingen, Aachen, Cannes, Leningrad, Vancouver, and Marseille, among other locations. He organized the International Rarefied Gas Dynamics Symposium in his hometown of Pasadena, with contributors from the Netherlands, Italy, France, Poland, the USSR, Canada, and Japan. He also served as a lead technical reviewer and advisor for the symposium in other years and locations until his retirement. His 25-page curriculum vitae lists his numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book contributions.
Few of his colleagues knew that he was also a former professional athlete. While studying aeronautical engineering at the University of Toronto, Phil was a star fullback for the university’s football team. His athletic career continued as a halfback in the Canadian Football League playing for the Calgary Stampeders (1956) and the Toronto Argonauts (1957-60).
Phil also earned his wings with the Royal Canadian Air Force Reserve’s 400 Squadron, where he developed a lifelong love of flying. He later continued his passion for aviation with his wife, Jan, piloting their Cessna 310 on flights to Europe from Los Angeles.
Phil’s greatest joys in his later years were working out at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, spending time with his grandchildren, and enjoying life with his family and friends at his ski chalet in Whistler, British Columbia. Whether racing down the slopes or walking his bear-size Malamute, he embraced every moment with enthusiasm.
Phil is survived by his wife of 53 years, Janice (Jan); their children, Eric Muntz Jr. and Sabrina Muntz Rassam; and grandchildren, Owen Muntz and Leah and Peter Rassam.
His legacy extends far beyond his scientific achievements. Through his teaching, mentorship, and research, Phil shaped generations of scientists and engineers. His pioneering work continues to inspire those who follow in his footsteps.