Alan Hugh Schoen

Physicist

Birthday December 11, 1924

Birth Sign Sagittarius

Birthplace Mount Vernon, NY

DEATH DATE Jul 26, 2023 (98)

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About

American physicist and computer scientist known for his discovery of a triply periodic minimal surface called the gyroid. His career in physics was spent working for aerospace engineering companies including NASA, and later as a professor for multiple universities. 

Before Fame

He studied physics at Yale University and later earned a PhD in physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Trivia

His publications include different geometric images and puzzles, a game called Rombix, and a website for geometric structures. He played the violin. He held US patents for six of his inventions.

Family Life

He grew up in Illinois with his parents and siblings; Donald, Homer, and Alice. He and his wife Reiko had three children named Cathy, Andrew, and Alison.

Associated With

At Southern Illinois University Carbondale, he worked at the same department office that Buckminster Fuller had.