Elaine Oran

Elaine Surick is the daughter of Herman E. Surick and the stepdaughter of Doris Luterman-Surick. She is married to Daniel Oran. Elaine Surick attended school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bryn Mawr College awarded her a bachelor's degree in both physics and chemistry (1966). She then attended Yale University, where she received a master's degree from the department of physics (1968) and a Ph.D. from the department of engineering and applied sciences (1972). == U.S. Naval Research Lab ==

Elaine Oran joined the Plasma Physics Division at United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in 1972. She worked to start the Center for Reactive Flow and Dynamical Systems, and became its head. Reactive flow modeling can be applied to solar and stellar astrophysics to study novae, star formation, and cosmology. It can model mixing in Earth's atmosphere, rarefied gas flow during atmospheric reentry, torpedo launches in the Earth's oceans, the spread of fires in cities and forests, and the behavior of car engines and chemical lasers. Oran has applied simulation methods to various issues at the Naval Research Lab. She has helped to design biosensors, propulsion systems for rockets and jets, and space and planetary exploration vehicles. She has studied the fundamental physics of combustion processes, applying flow models to flames, detonations, and the conditions underlying the transition to denotation. Her work has supported the safe storage of hydrogen fuels and other energetic materials. == Aerospace engineering ==

She is currently a professor at Texas A&M University. She worked at the department of aerospace engineering at the University of Maryland as a Glenn L. Martin Institute Professor of Engineering from 2013 to 2019. She continues to serve as an emeritus scientist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and is an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan and a visiting professor at Leeds University. She is also a senior visiting professor in the Institute for Advanced Study at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and a distinguished visiting professor at Tsinghua University. == Publications ==

She has published extensively in journals and has written a textbook, Numerical Simulation of Reactive Flow (1987, 2005), which is reported to be the most frequently used textbook on the topic. == Awards and honors ==

Among many other awards and honors, Elaine Oran is an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), "the highest distinction conferred by AIAA, … granted to preeminent individuals who have had long and highly contributory careers in aerospace, and embody the highest possible standards in aeronautics and astronautics." • Fluid Dynamics Prize (APS), 2013, from the American Physical Society (APS) • Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Senior Professionals, from the United States Government, for exceptional long-term accomplishments, 2007 • Dryden Lectureship in Research Award from American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2002 • Women in Technology International (WITI) Hall of Fame, 2002 • Combustion Institute's Zeldovich Gold Medal, 2000, for "outstanding contributions to the theory of combustion and detonations." Honorary degrees • Doctor of Science, honoris causa (DSc) from the University of Leeds, conferred 15 July 2010 • Docteur Honoris Causa from the École Centrale de Lyon, 2006 • Docteur Honoris Causa, Institut National des Sciences Appliquées Rouen, conferred on 3 April 2015. Memberships • Elected an international fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, 2024 • Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2018 • Fellow, The Combustion Institute, 2018 • Member, Committee on Human Rights, National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine • Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), 2012 • Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), "the highest honor to which any aerospace engineer can aspire." • Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), 1990 • Society of Women Engineers == References ==