Von Mises Appointed To Gordon McKay Seat

Richard M. E. von Mises, noted Austrian aviation authority, has been appointed Gordon McKay Professor of Aerodynamics and Applied Mathematics, according to an announcement, Sunday, by the University. Von Mises had been here for six years as a lecturer in the same field before his appointment to the McKay chair.

Ever since his graduation from Vienna, in 1908, von Mises has taught in various European universities. After serving at Strasbourg and Dresden, he joined the faculty of the University of Berlin in 1920, and while there founded and became director of the Institute of Applied Mathematics. Leaving Germany upon the arrival of Hitler in 1933, von Mises went to the University of Istanbul, where he taught for six years before coming to Harvard.

Specializing in the theory of aerodynamics ever since 1913, he has contributed notably to the knowledge of elasticity and to the theory of probability and statistics. Credited with several works on theoretical aviation, his latest book is "Theory of Flight."