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Mahmoud A. Melehy Emeritus Professor On faculty since 1958 University of Connecticut Electrical & Computer Engineering 371 Fairfield Way;d U-2157 Storrs, Connecticut 06269-2157 USA Office: ITE Building 347 Phone: (860) 486-3344 Fax: (860) 486-2447 E-Mail: melehy@engr.uconn.edu

Education:
B.S., Electrical Engineering, University of Cairo, 1947
M.S., Electrical Engineering, Ohio State University, 1949
M.S., Mathematics, University of Illinois, 1950.
Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois, 1952

Brief Biography:
After finishing his graduate studies, Dr. Melehy served on the faculty of the University of Arkansas, and Michigan State University. Then, in 1958, he joined the University of Connecticut, and continued to serve until his retirement in 1992. During that time, he taught courses in a number of areas, including semiconductor physics, statistical and interfacial thermodynamics, and electromagnetism.

His research areas, which are still active, primarily include semiconductor physics, and interfacial thermodynamics. His work on thermodynamics involves generalizing Einstein’s theory of Brownian to interfacial systems.

This work has been published in over 80 journal and conference articles and abstracts, and in one book and part of another, which contains the Proceedings of the 1969 Pittsburgh International Symposium on Thermodynamics. More recently the work was presented at the 2005, Paris “Albert Einstein Century International Conference.”

Dr. Melehy's work in thermodynamics has numerous applications. It has unified the theory of semiconductor diodes and solar cells. Theory has accurately corroborated experimental data reported by some 27 authors, in a period exceeding a quarter of a century. He has further shown that the two laws of thermodynamics require the electrification of surfaces, membranes and other interfaces. This novel result has readily explained, qualitatively and quantitatively, numerous diversified, natural phenomena, of interdisciplinary interest, including: (1) generation of static electricity upon rubbing two different insulators against one another, (2) surface tension, (3) capillarity (4) adhesion of light particles to surfaces, (5) the origin of atmospheric electricity, (6) the electromagnetic forces that shape tornadoes, and (7) the cloud and fog suspension. This work has been presented in a book to be published by Oxford University Press.

In 1960, Dr. Melehy served as a consultant to Shockley transistor, Mountain View, California, where he worked, and published three papers, one of which was coauthored by Dr. W. Shockley, inventor of the junction transistor and co-recipient of the 1958 Nobel Prize in Physics. In 1970, 1977, and 1989, he spent sabbatical leaves, respectively, at Harvard University, the University of Oxford, Oxford, England, and Yale University. During his visit in 1977 to England, he was invited to give seminars on his work on thermodynamics as applied to semiconductor devices, at 26 universities and research institutes in England, Germany, the three Scandinavian countries, and Poland, where he was a guest of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

In 2007, Dr. Melehy received the Distinguished Faculty Service Award from the University of Connecticut School of Engineering.

Memberships:
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
American Physical Society

Recent Publications

Recent Publications:
Journal and Conference Articles:

"Thermal Momentum in Thermodynamics, Part 3: On the Evaluation of Thermodynamic Parameters and Entropy Uniqueness," Physics Essays, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 49-58, 2001.

" Thermodynamic Theory of Adhesion of Particles on Surfaces, " Proceedings of the Eighth International Symposium on Particles on Surfaces Detection, Adhesion and Removal, Providence, RI, June 24-26, 2002.

" Thermal Momentum in Thermodynamics and Interfacial Electrification, " Proceedings of the 12th International Heat Transfer Conference, (J. Taine and International Scientific Committee, eds.), Elsevier, Vol. 1, pp. 507-512, Grenoble, France, Aug. 18-23, 2002.

" Generalization of Einstein’s Theory of Brownian Motion” pp. 524-531, Proc. of the Albert Einstein Century International Conference, " held July 18-22, 2005, Paris, published by Am. Institute of Physics, vol. 861, pp. 524-531, 2006.

Books:

"Foundations of the Thermodynamic Theory of Generalized Fields, " Mono Book Corporation, Baltimore, MD, USA, 1973.

"Interfacial Transport: A Generalization of Einstein’s Theory of Brownian Motion with Interdisciplinary Applications, " to be published, Oxford University Press, Oxford, England.