Howard Wilson Emmons (1912-1998) was a professor in the department of Mechanical Engineering at Harvard universityLand and Trefethen, 1999. During his career he conducted original research on fluid mechanics, combustion, and fire safety. He helped design the first supersonic wind tunnel, identified a signature of the transition to turbulence in boundary layer flows (now known as "Emmons spots"), and was the first to observe compressor stall in a gas turbine compressor (still a major item of research today)Kronauer et al, 2007. Today he is most widely known for his pioneering work in the field of fire safety engineering, and was eventually awarded the Timoshenko Medal by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He has been called "the father of modern fire science" for his contribution to the understanding of flame propagation and fire dynamicsBeyler, 1999..