Celebrate NJ! Science, Technology & Environment

Meredith Gourdine By Keana Mirmajlesi June 3, 2010

Dr. Meredith Charles “Flash” Gourdine was a great pioneer in the study of electrogasdynamics. He was a hardworking and talented man who contributed a great deal to the history of New Jersey. Meredith Gourdine was born in Newark, New Jersey on September 26, 1929. For college, Meredith Gourdine studied at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. During this time, he was very athletic and would often compete in sprints and hurdles at Cornell. At the age of 23, Gourdine was the winner of the silver medal for the long jump at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. Gourdine also believed that education was important and was a very good student. He found the area of science and engineering to be especially interesting. Gourdine received his Ph.D. in engineering science from the California Institute of Technology in 1960. Dr. Gourdine pioneered in the research of electrogasdynamics, which is the way to disperse fog and smoke. Gourdine was responsible for the engineering technique called “Incineraid.” This technique helps dissolve smoke from buildings on fire. It helps disperse fog from airport runways, as well (Horn). In addition, Dr. Gourdine invented a way to convert natural gas into electricity. Before long, Meredith Gourdine had built a multi-million dollar corporation based on his ideas in electrogasdynamics. A few years later, Gourdine also created a generator that allows the transmission of electricity in a less expensive way (Bellis).

            In 1964, Meredith founded Gourdine Laboratories, a research laboratory in Livingston, New Jersey. Later on in 1973, he founded Energy Innovation, Inc. in Houston, Texas. This company produces tools for direct-energy conversion, or converting second-rate coal into low-cost, high voltage electrical energy (The Black Inventor). This invention allows people to power buildings without having to spend a great deal of money on coal. During the later years of his life, Dr. Meredith Gourdine was diagnosed with diabetes. This disease caused him to loose his eyesight as well as one of his legs. He died of stroke related causes on November 20, 1998.

            This topic is important to the study of New Jersey because Dr. Meredith Gourdine was one of the few pioneers in science who were able to successfully invent something that people use on a day to day basis. Dr. Meredith Gourdine’s inventions and ideas have become the building blocks upon which many commonly used home appliances have been built upon. The engineering technique that he invented, Incineraid, helps remove fog from airport runways. This prevents a “traffic” jam on the runway from occurring and lets planes to take off and land when they are scheduled to, allowing things to run more smoothly. Incineraid also helps remove smoke from burning buildings, making it easier for people to escape and put the flames out. This technique also helps the environment because it assists in the removal of smoke, which can pollute the air, and it does not release any fumes into the atmosphere. Dr.  Gourdine has also founded two laboratories, which provide jobs for many people, as well as invented tools that help people in doing every day such as powering buildings. Dr. Gourdine’s contributions have had a positive influence on the lives of many people.