Hall of Fame Member Biographies

Charles W. Bert III

Students of aerospace engineering and composite materials construction have been uplifted by the teaching and publications of the University of Oklahoma’s Charles W. Bert III, who has left an unparalleled record of achievement. Born in Pennsylvania, Charles W. Bert earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering from Pennsylvania State University, and a doctorate in 1961 from Ohio State University. He then became an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma, where he taught and conducted research for the next forty years, rising to the Director of Aerospace, Mechanical, and Nuclear Engineering. His work on composite materials earned him an international reputation in the field; he authored or co-authored 205 papers in refereed journals, published one monograph, edited three books, and produced 13 book chapters. No less significant, he mentored twenty-six Ph.D. and over 40 M.S. students. He has served as the President of the American Academy of Mechanics. For this record, Charles W. Bert has received countless honors. He was named the George Lynn Cross Research Professor and has been elected as Fellow to seven organizations, including the American Academy of Mechanics, American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Society for Experimental Mechanics, the American Society for Composites, and the Society of Engineering Science. Indeed, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers elected him to Life member in 1995. At OU, Charles W. Bert has also been a firm supporter of several branches of engineering and the sciences including Ph.D. committees. For these outstanding achievements, the OHEHS proudly inducts Charles W. Bert III into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame.