Led globally-recognized technology development and fostered junior scholars in the area of thermal engineering Contributed to the development of the energy industry and the refrigeration industry and internationalization of academic activities
Ro Sung Tack
Professor Emeritus, Seoul National Univ (1943~ )
- Academic background
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1966
B.E., Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National Univ.
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1969
M.E., Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Mechanical Engineering)
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1972
D.Eng., Brown Univ. (Mechanical Engineering)
- Professional career
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1973 ∼ 2008
Professor, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Aeronautical Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National Univ.
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1991 ∼ 2000
Head of Turbo Power Machine Research Center, Seoul National Univ.
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1996 ∼ 1997
President, Society of Air-conditioning and Refrigerating Engineers of Korea
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1997 ∼ 2001
Head of Precision Machine Design Joint Research Institute, Seoul National Univ.
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1998
President, Korea Society of Mechanical Engineers
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1998
President, Assembly for the International Heat Transfer Conferences
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1998 ∼
Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers
- Award
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1986
Korea Society of Mechanical Engineers Award
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1997
Outstanding Professor of College of Engineering Award, Seoul National Univ.
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2002
National Academy of Sciences Award
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2008
Order of Service Merit, Green Stripes
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2011
8th Iljin Award (National Academy of Engineering)
Professor Sung Tack Ro is a pioneer and an authority in thermal engineering in Korea. He has published over 200 papers and fostered numerous excellent junior scholars while teaching at Seoul National Univ. for 35 years as professor. He also contributed to academic exchanges both in Korea and overseas, serving as president of academic organizations including the Society of Air-conditioning and Refrigerating Engineers of Korea, Korea Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Assembly for the International Heat Transfer Conferences as well serving as Erudite Scholar Member of American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He is an excellent researcher and educator who established his fame in the area of thermal engineering and is broadly respected as a great scholar in science and technology in Korea.
Promoted the development of new refrigerant via globally -recognized research on thermophysical properties
He was born in 1943 and graduated from Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National Univ. He received his master's degree in mechanical engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and doctor's at Brown Univ. He worked for Seoul National Univ. as a professor from 1973 to 2008 at Dept. of Mechanical Engineering or Faculty of Aeronautical Mechanical Engineering, making pioneering accomplishments in research, education and academic exchanges.
He majored thermal engineering which is the basis of mechanical engineering and he achieved excellent research accomplishments in the areas of thermophysical properties, energy conversion, refrigeration engineering, etc. In the area of thermophysical properties, he measured and discovered thermodynamic properties for existing or new substances and provided the thermophysical data necessary for designing and performance analysis of mechanical equipment. His thermophysical property research provided a excellent data for developing new refrigerants in accordance with new regulations related to the ozone depletion in 1990s. Recognized for this accomplishment, he won the National Academy of Sciences Award in 2002.
Led the development in academia and industry of energy conversion and refrigeration engineering
In the energy conversion area, he proposed optimum conditions for efficient operation of a thermal power plant, the combined cycle power plant, etc., which resulted in nationwide energy saving and the effective utilization of imported fuels. His analysis of the design of energy conversion equipment contributed to improving the designing technology of power plants in Korea. In the area of refrigeration engineering, he contributed to improving the efficiency of air-conditioning and refrigeration systems, thus, contributing to the management of electricity peak consumption and reducing electricity consumption. Aided by these research, thermal engineering in Korea matured in academic aspects and the energy and refrigeration industry, too, reached the highest global standards.
He served at Seoul National Univ. as a professor for 35 years and he fostered a total of 113 masters and 30 doctors students. Those junior scholars when on to play central roles in academia, industry, and governmental bodies making use of their training in mechanical engineering technology. His work, "(State-of-the-art) Industrial Thermodynamics," first published in 1986, was revised the fourth time in 2008, and continues to enjoy popularity as a fundamental textbook for thermal engineering area in Korea.
Served as presidents of Korea Society of Mechanical Engineers and Assembly for the International Heat Transfer Conferences
He served as presidents of the Society of Air-conditioning and Refrigerating Engineers of Korea in 1996～1997, and the Korea Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1998, having great impact on the advancement of education and research in mechanical engineering in Korea. In 1991～2000, he established the basis for linking universities with industry, taking charge of the Turbo Power Machine Research Center as a national R&D project. In 1997～2001, he served as the head of Precision Machine Design Joint Research Institute of Seoul National Univ. He also edited the "Science and Technology Dictionary" produced by the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies as well as "History of Korean Industrial Technology Development" published by the Korea Academy of Engineering as a survey of Korea’s mechanical engineering field
Professor Ro also actively presented at international academic exchanges based on his excellent research accomplishments. He served repeatedly as editing committee member of international journals and organizing committee chairman of an international academic conferences in the area of thermal engineering. In 1998, he took the office of President of the Assembly for the International Heat Transfer Conferences (AIHTC) and was elected as Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). In 2009, the leading journal in thermal engineering, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, published a special article “In Celebration. Professor Sung Tack Ro on his 65th birthday”, that recounted Professor Ro's accomplishments on the occasion of his retirement.
