Gourdine, Meredith C.
1929-1998 · Contribution: 1969-1996
Engineer, physicist, and inventor
Pioneering electrogasdynamics (EGD) technology, converting the kinetic energy of ionized, high-pressure gas into electricity; invented electrostatic precipitators ('Incineraid') to clear smoke and disperse runway fog, and the 'Focus Flow Heat Sink' for cooling computer chips

Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1929, Newark, New Jersey
- Active since
- 1960
- Category
- Technology & Engineering
- Best known for
- Pioneering electrogasdynamics
Impact on the world
Gourdine turned the physics of charged gases into practical technologies for energy conversion, air purification, and electronics cooling, holding dozens of patents.
An alternative history
What Would the World Look Like Without It?
One contribution. Many possible consequences. No single-person origin story.
Imagine this selected contribution absent, not the person or the entire field. The areas below are reflection prompts related to this discipline, not verified chains of direct dependency.
Sources
- Source lookupFind
Lemelson-MIT
Exact source links open the cited record. Source lookups help locate legacy references whose original records did not include a direct URL.
3 more sources and references are available to members.
Related visionaries
Johnson, George E.
1927–2017
Founder of Johnson Products Company and creator of the Ultra Sheen and Afro Sheen Black hair-care lines; built the first Black-owned company listed on the American Stock Exchange (1971)
West, James E.
1931-
Foil electret microphone
Christian, John B.
unknown
Developed high-temperature, extreme-pressure synthetic greases and lubricants (polyol-ester and fluorinated-polysiloxane based) for high-speed aircraft and aerospace vehicles, performing from about -100F to 450F
Woods, Granville T.
1856-1910
Synchronous multiplex railway telegraph