Chapter 7
Pasadena's Promise
Publication: Hans Albert Einstein: His Life as a Pioneering Engineer
Abstract
When Hans Albert and Frieda arrived in Pasadena, their funds were short and public accommodations were not abundant. Thus, they quickly accepted an invitation to stay temporarily with Hans Albert's new Soil Conservation Service (SCS) colleague, Vito Vanoni, and his wife. In Pasadena, unlike South Carolina, the Einsteins found a culturally diverse community with an abundance of European immigrants. For Hans Albert, Pasadena's main promise had been the prospect of continuing his research in sediment transport. Albert obtained his first SCS position in South Carolina. Hans Albert's official assignment in Pasadena was at the Cooperative Hydraulics Laboratory, operated jointly by Caltech and SCS. Difficulties and disgruntlements aside, Hans Albert was fortunate to have been associated with SCS's lab at Caltech. Firmly convinced that his approach to formulating bed-load transport of sediment was the way to go and should be a research priority, Hans Albert set about extending his approach.
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References Cited
References
Albert Einstein Archives. (AEA). Hebrew University of Jerusalem, quoted with permission.
Daily, J. W. (1985). “Pump lab reminiscences.” Engineering and Science, 48(3), 23–28.
Einstein, H. A. (1936). “Der geschiebetrieb als wahrscheinlichkeits problem (Bed load as a probability problem).” Dissertation for Doctor of Science Degree, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland. Published 1937 by Verlag Rascher, Zurich.
Einstein, H. A. (1942). “Formulas for the transportation of bed load.” Trans. ASCE, 107(1), 561–577.
Einstein, H. A. (1944). “Bed-load transportation in Mountain Creek.” Soil Conservation Service Report SCS-TP-55, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC.
Einstein, H. A. (1950). “The bed load function for sediment transportation in open channel flows.” U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, Technical Bulletin 1026.
Geiger, R. L. (1955). “A chronological history of the Soil Conservation Service and related events.” SCS-Cl-1, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC.
Gilbert, G. K. (1914). “The transportation of debris by running water.” U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 86, Washington, DC.
HAE Papers. Letters and papers of Hans Albert Einstein. Private collection of Elizabeth Einstein, used with permission.
Knapp, R. T. (1944). “Glimpses of the work of the Cooperative Hydraulics Laboratory of the Soil Conservation Service and the California Institute of Technology.” A booklet published by the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA.
Knapp R. T., Levy, J., O'Neill, J. P., and Brown, F. B. (1948). “The Hydrodynamics Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology.” Transactions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 70(5), 437–457.
National Archives Papers. (NAP). Papers received October 24, 1991, from National Archives—Southeast Region, East Point, GA. Included working plans and correspondence related to Hans Albert's SCS work, dated 1938 to 1947.
Rouse, H. (1964). “Discussion of ‘Sediment transportation mechanics: Suspension of sediment: Progress report of the Task Committee on Preparation of Sedimentation Manual of the Committee on Sedimentation of the Hydraulic Division.’ ” J. Hydraul. Div., 90(1), 361–363.
Soil Conservation Service. (SCS). (1945–1947). Reports of the chief of the Soil Conservation Service (1938 through 1947), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC.
Vanoni, V. A. (1946). “Transportation of suspended sediment by water.” Trans. ASCE, 111(1), 67–102.
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Published In
Hans Albert Einstein: His Life as a Pioneering Engineer
Pages: 139 - 158
ISBN (Print): 978-0-7844-1330-2
ISBN (Online): 978-0-7844-7829-5
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Published online: May 29, 2014
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