Papers of John Miles, fluid mechanics engineer, geophysicist, and educator from 1964-2003. Miles is known for research of wave propagation and generation, hydrodynamic stability, and fluid dynamics. The papers include over three hundred published scientific articles, fluid mechanics reports, and research files. Additionally, the papers include correspondence, grant proposals, UCLA teaching materials, and biographical materials.
John Miles Papers, 1943-1998 (MSS 453)
Extent: 4.2 Linear feet (11 archives boxes)
John Wilder Miles was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 1, 1920. After graduating from high school in Oakland, CA, Miles entered Cal Tech and went on to receive a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1942, a master's degree in electrical and aeronautical engineering in 1943, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering in 1944.
During the World War II, he held brief positions at General Electric, Lockheed Aircraft, and the MIT Radiation Laboratory. His work at MIT supported research used for radar detection of German U-Boats off the coast of England. In 1945, Miles accepted a teaching position with the University of California, Los Angeles, in the geophysics and engineering departments until 1964. During this time, he became a consultant to several aeromechanics companies and institutions including the United States Air Force, Space Technology Laboratories, and Northrop Aircraft, Incorporated. In 1962, he was a visiting professor of applied mathematics at the Australian National University, Institute of Advanced Studies.
One of the prominent projects Miles co-investigated was a grant project funded by the National Science Foundation. The University of California established the primary branches of the laboratory at the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP) in Los Angeles and La Jolla in 1960. Miles, along with Walter Munk, George MacDonald, and George Backus, concentrated on geophysical fluid dynamics in both the ocean and the atmosphere.
In 1964, Miles moved to the newly formed UCSD campus in La Jolla, taking a position as professor of applied mechanics and geophysics, where he was also chairman of the Academic Senate, 1977-1978. He also became the associate editor of the Journal of Fluid Mechanics in 1964, providing editorial and peer review scholarship. He was appointed vice chancellor of academic affairs, under Chancellor Richard Atkinson from 1980-1983.
Miles was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in 1958-1959, a Fulbright lectureship from the University of Australia in 1951, and the Timoshenko Medal of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering in 1982.
In 2003, Miles retired as professor emeritus from UCSD. He passed away in October, 2008.
References cited:
Of Fluid Mechanics and Related Matters: The Proceedings of a Symposium Honoring John Miles on His Seventieth Birthday, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, December 1, 1990.
The papers of John Miles illustrate his academic and scientific career in the field of fluid dynamics and engineering. The majority of the materials are published reprints dating from 1943-1998. The papers also contain correspondence, reports, subject based research and grant proposals, UCLA teaching materials, biographical materials. Arranged in six series: 1) CORRESPONDENCE, 2) WRITINGS BY MILES, 3) RESEARCH, 4) UCLA TEACHING MATERIALS, 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS, and 6) UC and UCSD SUBJECT FILES.