Page 60 - ISES SWC50

Baruch Givoni
Country: Israel
Year Started Research: 1960’s
Title of Research: Man, Climate and Architecture
University: Dept. Building Climatology, Building Research Station, Techion
- Israel Institute of Technology AND Solar Buildings Unit, Blaustein
Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Still Active in Research: No

Prof. Emeritus Baruch Givoni passed away one month before his 100th birthday. He was a pioneer and guide in the
fields of building and urban climatology, thermal comfort, solar buildings and more, thus worldwide acknowledged
and respected. He was a very modest and non-assuming person, thus he was also loved by those that met him. In
1958 he founded the Dept. of Building Climatology at the Building Research Station (currently the National Building
Research Institute) at the Technion. Soon after he founded and headed the Solar Buildings Unit at the J. Blaustein
Institute for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (1977). He researched and published extensively,
was active on numerous international organizations, and was honored with many prestigious awards. Many of his
books and papers have been seminal, still widely read and consulted. Prof. Baruch Givoni was lucid and active to
his last days. We had the great fortune to collaborate with him, supervise together research students and publish
research papers on topics touching on the most recent practices and most relevant issues. We shall remember him
as a teacher and a friend.

Yogi Goswami ISES President 2004-05
Country: United States
Year Started Research: 1969
Title of Research: Photo-electrochemical oxidation
University: North Carolina A&T State University, Clean Energy Research
Center at the University of South Florida, Florida, U.S.A.
Still Active in Research: Yes

Dr. Yogi Goswami a true pioneer in the research and development of alternative energy solutions, especially solar
energy. He is also active in research on energy storage, air-conditioning and indoor air quality. His research works
are always strongly based on scientific principles and further lead to the development of new technologies that can
be practically applied to effectively solve engineering problems. His groundbreaking and revolutionary engineering
research efforts set him apart, not only as an explorer who help forge many new pathways to advance the field
of engineering, but also as an entrepreneur who develops his research into technologies to benefit the society.
Prominent successes include the Goswami thermodynamic cycle for multi-generation, solar photocatalytic water
purification, photo-electrochemical oxidation (PECO) technology for air purification, among others. The PECO
technology has been commercialized and the PECO products are available worldwide to safeguard our health.
It is noteworthy that the PECO technology is timely as it can effectively kill viruses to fight against COVID-19.
The above achievements have been well recognized by his professional peers with awards, such as the AAES
Joan Hodges Queneau Palladium Medal for Engineering Excellence for Environmental Conservation and Karl Boer
Award and Medal for Solar Energy, as well as the media at large, for example, Time Magazine’s cover story about
his air disinfection invention, naming it among the top 25 inventions of 2017. Dr. Goswami’s valuable teaching and
mentoring also make significant contributions to research indirectly. He is truly a role model to his students coming
from different parts of the world. Dr. Goswami not only imparts technical knowledge in science and engineering, but
also deeply inspires students by his philosophy of life and selfless contributions to the society.

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