Ernst Rudolph Georg Eckert (September 13, 1904 – July 8, 2004) was an Austrian American engineer and scientist who advanced the film cooling technique for aeronautical engines. He earned his Diplom Ingenieur and doctorate in 1927 and 1931, respectively, and habilitated in 1938. Eckert worked as a jet engine scientist at the Aeronautical Research Institute in Braunschweig, Germany, then via Operation Paperclip, began jet propulsion research in 1945 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. In 1951, Eckert joined the University of Minnesota in the department of mechanical engineering. Eckert published over 550 scientific papers and books. The Eckert number in fluid dynamics was named after him. In 1995 the National Academy of Engineering honored Eckert with its thirteenth Founders Award. Eckert's son-in-law Horst Henning Winter, a specialist in rheology, is professor at UMass Amherst. References and notes External links Short biography of Ernst R. G. Eckert 1904 births 2004 deaths American aerospace engineers American science writers American technology writers German emigrants to the United States German people of World War II 20th-century German physicists NASA people Scientists from Prague Engineering educators University of Minnesota faculty Fluid dynamicists Aerodynamicists Czech Technical University in Prague alumni German aerospace engineers Operation Paperclip 20th-century Austrian engineers 20th-century American physicists 20th-century American engineers