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September 19, 2005 Vol.
77, no. 4F
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| MSE professor T. N. Narasimhan obtained
a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in geology from the University of Madras
in 1956, an M.S. in 1971, and a Ph.D. in 1975, both in Engineering
Science at Berkeley. His career has been devoted to the study
of water, including its scientific, engineering, cultural, human,
and policy aspects. The study of the natural occurrence and movement
of water in earth systems has led him over the past ten years
to take a serious interest in the evolution of ideas related to
diffusion over the past two centuries. (Photo credit: Peg Skorpinski)
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Professor
Minute with MSE Professor T. N. Narasimhan
What first inspired
you to go into engineering?
I am geologist by training and am interested in water that occurs in
soils and rocks. I got into engineering so that I could complement the
descriptive, qualitative understanding of a geologist with the more
quantitative engineering analysis of groundwater resource systems.
To date, what has been the most memorable moment in your career
and why?
In 1990, the deans of the College of Engineering and the College of
Natural Resources invited me to accept a joint appointment in both colleges
to address scientific-engineering aspects of water as well as its human
and policy perspectives. I consider this a high point in my career. I
believe that the future of wise utilization of the world’s water
is going to greatly depend upon the sciences and the humanities coming
together in imaginative ways.
Whom do you most admire and why?
James Clerk Maxwell, the 19th century physicist and natural philosopher.
His approach to science was a balanced mixture of intuition and mathematics,
very reassuring to a natural scientist like myself who wishes to apply
mathematics to comprehend earth systems. Maxwell was not bashful to
admit that mathematics can become so overwhelming as to impede physical
understanding, and that it was necessary to develop theories that draw
upon mathematics while still preserving intuitive comprehension. And,
Maxwell’s writings are remarkable for the manner in which they
convey the excitement of doing science and sharing the same with others.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Read, listen to Indian classical music, and do crossword puzzles.
If you would like us
to feature your favorite professor, please e-mail his or her name to
engnews@coe.berkeley.edu.
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