 Click to enlarge
|
Romanian professor
On October 1, 1921 Victor Vâlcovici, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Iaşi, was appointed rector of the Polytechnic School of Timişoara. For this purpose he was posted permanently in Timişoara. Born in Galaţi, Victor Vâlcovici followed secondary studies at the "Nicolae Balcescu" High school Brăila. After graduation in 1904, he obtained a scholarship to attend the Faculty of Sciences in Bucharest. Here he will distinguish as outstanding student, winning in school year 1906-1907 Award "Hillel" and the 1907 prize "Halfon", given to the most valuable faculty graduate. Between 1907 and 1909 he was working as a math teacher at the Pedagogical Seminary in Bucharest.
In 1909, supported by Spiru Haret, he got a scholarship at the "Georg August" in Göttingen. Vâlcovici supported his PhD thesis in July 30, 1913 under the leadership of scientist Ludwig Prandtl with his "Űber diskontinuierliche Flűssigkeits-bewegungen mit zwei freien Strahlen". Following the results obtained by his PhD student, his mentor Prandtl modify wind tunnel at the University of Gottingen. Vâlcovici returned home the same year and was appointed Professor of Mechanics at the University of Iaşi, where, in addition to the basic lecture, he held courses of hydrodynamics, theory of sets, elasticity theory and a course of mathematics philosophy.
Victor Vâlcovici, same as Traian Lalescu, has known many local and foreign universities and the mechanisms that animate them. Appointed rector of the Polytechnic School of Timişoara, he continued and amplified the guidelines set by his predecessor. He acutely perceived two major components that define a university: a staff competent and efficient and a well developed and properly designed infrastructure. His efforts, as rector, will be directed primarily to these two directions. He carefully selected figures which he invested as professors (most of those presented here have been employed by Victor Vâlcovici). More laborious and difficult to achieve was the assets, mainly because of poor economic conditions of the immediate postwar period. To obtain funds he submitted memories to all powerful of the day, called for industrial companies and private individuals and together with architect Victor Vlad, also a professor at the Polytechnic, conceived a far-reaching plan to achieve a modular campus. The results do not delay: in 1923 he inaugurated the Mechanics Hall, in 1927 new student hostel, in 1925 he allocated funds to build pavilions with apartments for teachers, in 1930 was finished the new student canteen.
Obviously, without laboratories, Polytechnic is not worthy of this name. As a result, Professor Vâlcovici devoted a part of his efforts to achieve the laboratories. Together with his assistant Ioan Zăgănescu (future professor of Locomotives) set up a modern laboratory for Mechanics. The rector personal example and persuasion make that from two laboratories, found on arrival, to be equipped Polytechnic School with thirteen laboratories, a museum and three collections of teaching material, when he left, in 1930.
To organize the best possible scientific work of professors, at his call, in 1923, he founded "Scientific Society of the Polytechnic School of Timisoara" and in 1925 he will publish the journal "Bulletin Scientifique de l'École Polytechnique de Timişoara". In order to stimulate collaborative work with former students with school, in 1927 he organized the first congress of engineers who graduated Politehnica Timişoara.
As a result of his scientific work, in 1936 he became member of the Romanian Academy. He published three volumes of "works" and over 170 scientific papers. It is surprising the variety of areas that have attracted attention of academician Vâlcovici. In Mathematical Analysis he dealt with the differential and partial differential equations. In mechanics he published news in problems of material point systems dynamics. In the theory of fluid mechanics, he dealt with wind tunnels, making valves with twin channels. On his theories and under direct supervision of his collaborator, Ioan Stroescu, will be performed in Paris a modern aerodynamic tunnel. Important are also his studies on the equations of fluid motion on Bernoulli surfaces (then known Bernoulli-Vâlcovici surfaces). He concerned on the theory of elasticity and obtained important results on elastic buckling of bars. In the field of astronomy has made a new cosmological theory about planetary systems.
Polytechnic School of Timişoara took full advantage of the qualities of teaching, scientific and organizational aspects of professor Victor Vâlcovici.
|
| |
|
|
variant spelling:
Valcovici, Victor
|
| |
|
|
|
Curriculum vitae
|
|
|
* 1885
|
Galati, Romania
|
born
|
|
1907
|
Bucuresti
|
Mathematician
|
|
1913
|
Gottingen
|
Ph.D.
|
|
1921
|
Timisoara
|
Rector
|
|
1930
|
Bucuresti
|
Professor
|
|
1936
|
Bucuresti
|
Academician
|
|
† 1970
|
Bucuresti
|
died
|
|
|
Newsletter
DMG-Lib
Europeana
