Happy birthday, Mars G. Fontana!

Today is the 113th birthday of Professor Mars G. Fontana, one of the greatest 20th century corrosion educators and engineers with a formidable presence throughout our department's history.

After many years of industry research and experience, he joined The Ohio State University as a professor of Metallurgical Engineering in 1945 and became department chair and director of the Corrosion Center in 1948. The Corrosion Center was the largest university effort in corrosion research in the United States at the time. 

Apart from his research, he was widely known as an illustrious teacher, lecturer and leader. His teaching efforts culminated in the publication of the famous textbook, Corrosion Engineering, published by McGrawHill in 1967.

For his overall contribution in the field, he was elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1967 and later served on the National Research Council's Committee on Ocean Engineering. A lesser known fact about him is that in the height of the Cold War, he also served on the six-person team of corrosion exchange between the USA and USSR (1962-63).

The Office of Research recognized Mars Fontana as one of the 150 Innovators whose "commitment to the discovery and application of knowledge"¹ is encased in the rich history of Ohio State. 

Ohio State "has named Phase I of the Biomedical and Materials Engineering Complex the Mars G. Fontana Laboratories to honor metallurgical engineering’s tradition and impact"² at our institution. His legacy will continue to harvest developments, innovations, and discoveries in biomaterials.

Happy 113th birthday to the father of all things corrosion!