1976 AAE Distinguished Engineering Alumnus

Richard M. Patrick

Vice President
AVCO-Everett Research Laboratory, Inc.
BSAE ’50, MSAE ’52

Dr. Patrick, who earned a Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1956, joined AVCO-Everett as a principal research scientist and has made outstanding research contributions in high-temperature gas dynamics and plasmas, including development of a magnetic, annular, arc-driven shock tube as a thruster for space flight. He was appointed to his present position of vice president for advanced products in 1972, and is responsible for the development of lasers for commercial use. An outstanding recent project has been the application of high-power CO₂ laser systems to industrial metalworking and welding. Dr. Patrick has published extensively in professional journals and has been awarded five patents for his innovative work in plasma physics.