The appointment is effective for one year beginning July 1, 1994. As the recipient of the instructorship, Richman is awarded a stipend which he can use at his discretion to further his professional development.
Richman, an associate professor of Mechanical Engineering, joined WPI in August of 1985. The son of Mrs. Muriel Richman and the late Mr. Ernest Richman of Bronx, NY, he graduated from Bronx High School of Science, and received his B.S. in Engineering Science from SUNY at Buffalo, his M.S. in Applied Mechanics from the University of Michigan, and his Ph.D. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Cornell University.
Richman's work in the area of particulate media has been extensively cited and recognized by the international community, and his kinetic theory approach for the analysis of granular flows has had a significant impact on the international community of applied mechanics. He has published many papers in prestigious journals and his work has been sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy. Most recently, Richman has developed a theoretical framework from which the vibratory conveying of particulate media can be studied, controlled, and optimized. He is currently extending this work to analyze the dynamics of granular flows through vibratory sieves. A member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Academy of Mechanics, and the Society of Engineering Science, Richman also belongs to the American Society of Engineering Education and the American Association of University Professors.
The Morgan Worcester Distinguished Instructorship, which has been awarded for the second consecutive year at WPI, combines the prestige of an endowed professional chair with the flexibility of a visiting lectureship. Unlike the full professional chair which traditionally emphasized maturity, experience, and past accomplishments in designating its holders, the distinguished instructorship emphasizes youth, innovation, new ideas and promise of future accomplishment.
The instructorship is made possible by Paul S. Morgan, chairman of the board, of the Morgan Construction Co. of Worcester. He served on the WPI Board of Trustees for 25 years, from 1966 to 1991, and as its chairman from 1978 to 1983.