Meredith C. Gourdine
Meredith C. Gourdine was a prominent American engineer and inventor, celebrated for his groundbreaking work in the field of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and energy conversion. Born on September 26, 1929, in Newark, New Jersey, Gourdine excelled in athletics before pursuing an education in engineering physics at Cornell University, where he earned a silver medal in the long jump at the 1952 Olympics. Following his graduation in 1953, he served in the U.S. Navy and later obtained his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology.
Throughout his career, Gourdine held significant positions, including laboratory director at Plasmodyne Corporation and chief scientist at Curtiss-Wright Corporation. He was a pioneer in developing the electrogasdynamics (EGD) generator, enabling gas to generate electricity efficiently. Gourdine founded multiple companies, including Gourdine Systems and Energy Innovations, where he focused on creating technologies that converted low-grade coal into high-voltage electricity and developed air purification systems.
Despite facing health challenges later in life, Gourdine continued to innovate, contributing to over seventy patents, including advancements in energy and environmental technologies. His legacy includes improving energy production methods and reducing pollution, earning him induction into several prestigious halls of fame and advisory roles under U.S. presidents. Gourdine's work has had lasting impacts on science and technology, emphasizing sustainable energy solutions.
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Subject Terms
Meredith C. Gourdine
Physicist, engineer, and inventor
- Born: September 26, 1929
- Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey
- Died: November 20, 1998
- Place of death: Houston, Texas
Gourdine was a pioneer in the development of electrogasdynamics, which is used to manipulate ionized gas molecules for cooling, generating electricity, and several other applications. He invented numerous devices, including an electrostatic precipitator to remove smoke from buildings and clear fog from airport runways.
Early Life
Meredith Charles Gourdine (MEHR-uh-dihth gohr-DEEN) was born on September 26, 1929, in Newark, New Jersey. Encouraged by devoted, hardworking parents, he learned the importance of a strong work ethic and education early in his life. Gourdine grew up in the streets of Harlem and Brooklyn, New York, attended public school in Brooklyn, and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School. He was a star athlete and competed in swimming and track and field. After turning down an athletic scholarship to the University of Michigan, Gourdine enrolled at Cornell University and received a track and field scholarship after his sophomore year. Led by Gourdine, Cornell captured second place in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) track championships in 1952. Later that year, Gourdine won an Olympic silver medal in the long jump in Helsinki, Finland.
Gourdine earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering physics from Cornell in 1953. He spent the next two years as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy. After receiving a Guggenheim Foundation graduate fellowship, he attended the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). While attending Caltech, Gourdine worked on the technical staff at the Ramo-Woolridge Corporation and as a senior research scientist at Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His research focused on the physics and mathematics of magnetic fields and how the movement of objects in these fields affected magnetic behavior. He earned his doctorate in engineering physics from Caltech in 1960.
Life’s Work
After graduating from Caltech, Gourdine served as the laboratory director for the Plasmodyne Corporation for two years. He then took a position at Curtiss-Wright Corporation as a chief scientist for aeronautics. He explored the use of magnetohydrodynamics to produce power using gas and magnetic fields. In 1964, he invented an electrogasdynamics (EGD) generator, a device through which gas could flow, interact with some electrodes, and generate charged particles (ions). The device was designed to produce optimal electrical power output. Soon thereafter, Gourdine started his own company, Gourdine Systems, in Livingston, New Jersey, with a staff of more than 150. He had the independence to research, invent, and develop devices and technical processes at will. His company manufactured an EGD generator, known as Gourdine Mark I, for school laboratories and industries. In 1969, he was granted two EGD-related patents in the United States.
In 1973, Gourdine founded Energy Innovations, a company initially based in East Orange, New Jersey, then in Houston, Texas. The company focused on devices for energy conversion—particularly the conversion of low-grade coal into inexpensive, high-voltage electrical energy—and on research and development in EGD. Gourdine developed an electrostatic precipitator filtration system, known as Incineraid, to remove smoke from buildings and disperse fog from airport runways. It also is used to remove allergens from the air in homes and to purify the exhaust fumes from automobiles. The Incineraid system produces negative charges on airborne particles, causing them to be electromagnetically attracted to the ground. Gourdine was granted seventy U.S. and foreign patents that included using EGD to convert natural gas to electricity, desalinate sea water, and create circuit breakers. Other uses included refrigeration and acoustic imaging. He also received patents for his Focus Flow Heat Sink, which is used to cool computer chips, and for a high-powered industrial paint spray system.
In his later life, Gourdine suffered from diabetes, which cost him his vision and one leg. However, blindness did not deter him from his creative work. His last research projects involved the conversion of thermal and chemical energy into electricity for technological applications. He was issued patents for this work in 1996. At the time of his death in 1998, Gourdine was still serving as the president of Energy Innovations.
Significance
During his prolific career, Gourdine contributed to advances in physics research and technology with his pioneering work in applications of EGD. His use of EGD to convert gas into electricity was a milestone that had eluded other scientists for decades. His research and innovations helped produce energy without harming the environment. Some of his inventions reduced atmospheric pollution by removing contaminants from the air. His fog removal system increased airport safety. Gourdine served on President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Advisory Panel on Energy and President Richard M. Nixon’s Task Force for Small Business. In recognition of his many contributions to science and technology, Gourdine was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering, the Black Inventors Hall of Fame, the Science and Engineering Hall of Fame, and Cornell University’s Hall of Fame.
Bibliography
Marché, Wina. African American Achievers in Science, Medicine, and Technology: A Resource Book for Young Learners, Parents, Teachers, and Librarians. Bloomington, Ind.: AuthorHouse, 2003. Profiles more than one hundred prominent African Americans, including Gourdine, and details their scientific achievements. Includes sources for further reading.
Sluby, Patricia Carter. The Inventive Spirit of African Americans: Patented Ingenuity. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2004. A thorough and fascinating history of the contributions of African Americans, including Gourdine, to the world of inventions. Includes an appendix listing patents granted to African American inventors.
Wilson, Donald, and Jane Wilson. The Pride of African American History: Inventors, Physicians, Scientists, Engineers. Bloomington, Ind.: 1st Books, 2003. Contains an overview of the lives of many renowned African American inventors, physicians, scientists, and engineers, including Gourdine. Includes index.