A Legacy of Science, accident or intention?
Recently, Former Department Head of HAS, Soroosh Sorooshian, was announced to be the recipient of the William Bowie medal. A medal awarded by the American Geophysical Union (AGU). An award that not only recognizes his distinguished career, it also recognizes the work that the students under his tutelage have greatly contributed to science and engineering.
His son, Professor Armin Sorooshian, was a student of his by proxy. Armin remembers how he and his brother Jamshid played in their father’s office while he worked. Armin is also the recipient of the Walter Orr Roberts Lecturer, awarded by the American Meteorological Society (AMS).
Sorooshian Family: Father, Soroosh, and Son, Armin
Despite their dedication and research around science and engineering, both Soroosh and Armin describe their paths differently. Soroosh feels that his career was more “accidental” while Armin describes his as intentional.
“I grew up in a farming family in Iran,” said Soroosh, “and water was an important issue always. So then, when my professor at UCLA suggested, ‘why don’t you study hydrology?’ I didn’t even know what hydrology was.”
Soroosh said his professor, John Dracup, provided him a textbook to read. Within a few days, he returned and was eager to know more. “The rest is history,” said Soroosh.
He further pursued his career in engineering and hydrology. His storied career involves many accolades including his success with propelling another generation of scientists and engineers into their careers. We remember him for his numerous contributions to HAS, and Soroosh remembers his time with us fondly.
“I spent 20 years at the University of Arizona, that’s where Armin and his brother Jamshid grew up,” said Soroosh. “It was a very hard decision to move from Tucson to California.” He explained it was for familial reasons. “My loyalty has always been with the University of Arizona, and I am proud of what we accomplished there.”
Armin expressed that, unlike his father, he and his brother grew up in an environment surrounded by science. “Being a professor in hydrology, his career was a lot of our influence,” Armin said. Many people at HAS feel that despite being a professor of chemical engineering, he has a home in our department.
Armin Explains that it wasn’t until his undergraduate studies that he started to align more with the kind of work his father did. Armin was worried about being siloed into a career path that many chemical engineers take. The industrial chemistry workforce.
“I felt like I could have more purpose, more satisfaction by working on understanding earth,” he said.
Armin had decided long before that he wanted to be a professor just like his father, however he felt stuck because he didn’t know what to pursue for his graduate studies. “My undergrad research advisor, Jost Wendt, suggested I look at one particular group at Caltech,” Armin said. Through careful examination, Armin agreed to pursue applying to work with that well-known chemical engineering professor at Caltech University. Professor John H. Seinfeld.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to research in specifically,” Armin said, “but the fact that this group used aircraft to study things was kind of like a match made in heaven.” Armin expressed that he has always had an interest in aircraft engineering. The studies were focused on aerosols in the atmosphere, which is what lead Armin to his study focus.
Whether it’s how the water works deep below the surface, or what is happening in the air high above us, sometimes it just takes a little push from somewhere unexpected to find your path.
Soroosh’s award article here.
Armin’s award article here.