Donald Heirman Explained

Donald Heirman
Birth Date:16 August 1940
Birth Place:Mishawaka, Indiana, U.S.
Death Place:Lincroft, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma Mater:Purdue University
Awards:IEEE Richard M. Emberson Award (2018)
Elihu Thomson Electrotechnology Medal, American National Standards Institute (2017)
IEC Lord Kelvin Award (2008)
IEEE Charles Proteus Steinmetz Award (1997)
Field:Electromagnetic compatibility
Work Institution:Bell Laboratories, IEEE, University of Oklahoma

Donald Nestor Heirman (August 16, 1940October 30, 2020) was an American electrical engineer and military officer.

He was a major contributor to international EMC standardization, serving as president of the IEEE Standards Association, and chair of the International Special Committee on Radio Interference (CISPR). He received the IEC Lord Kelvin Award in 2008, among other awards.[1]

Biography

Heirman was born and raised in Mishawaka, Indiana, where his father worked as a foreman for Uniroyal (US Rubber).[2] His potential as a student was evident from his time in Mishawaka High School, where he was involved in several extracurricular activities such as science and engineering clubs, choir, photographer for a newsletter, editor-in-chief of the yearbook,[3] drama production,[4] among others.[5] He also excelled academically, being inducted into the National Honor Society as a junior.[6] Graduating in 1958, he was co-salutatorian of his senior class, and received a Lions Club Award and a college scholarship from the Kiwanis Club.[7]

He obtained a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University in 1962, and a master's degree in 1963,[8] with Floyd Van Nest Schultz, a radar and radio pioneer, being one the professors that most influenced him. While enrolled on his master's degree he met Lois Marlene, a local West Lafayette girl working as secretary of the men's residence hall. They were married on June 8, 1963, at the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in the Purdue campus.[9] [10]

Heirman was an ensign in the US Navy Reserve, promoted to executive officer in the 1961 annual Navy review.[11] During active duty at the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in the Pentagon from 1963 to 1965, he worked on predicting ship-to-ship high-frequency radio propagation. He retired in 1985 with the rank of Commander.[12]

Away from his work, Heirman was involved with his church's choir, collected Lionel Trains,[13] and led a project to create a historical museum in Mishawaka, donating the building to house it and serving as board president.[14]

He died from congestive heart failure, possibly alongside COVID-19 complications, on October 30, 2020, aged 80 years old,[15] and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery alongside his wife.[16] [17]

Professional career

Heirman worked for Bell Labs in different capacities for over 30 years, mainly at the Bell Labs Holmdel Complex. He focused on electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) compliance testing and interference suppression research, for example in RF absorbers and anechoic chamber measurements. He received the Bell Labs Distinguished Technical Staff Award in 1982.[18] He was the founding manager of the Lucent Technologies (Bell Labs) Global Product Compliance Laboratory.

In 1997, after retiring from Bell Labs, he started his own EMC consulting company, Don Heirman Consultants, located in Lincroft, New Jersey.[19] He was also associate director of the Wireless EMC Center at the University of Oklahoma, in Norman.

Heirman was very involved with the activities of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), joining in the early seventies, serving in different capacities and eventually reaching leadership positions such as president of the EMC Society (1980–1981), and president of the IEEE Standards Association (2005–2006). He was named IEEE Fellow in 1987 for "leadership in establishing techniques and standards for accurate electromagnetic emission measurements",[20] and IEEE Life Fellow in 2007.

He mentored and encouraged other engineers to participate in EMC Society standards work, such as Alistair Duffy, IEEE EMC Society president (2020–2021). Due to his contributions to the field over the years he was called "Mr. EMC Standards".

Technical committee service

Heirman served in various roles in technical committees within the IEEE, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI):

Awards

Selected publications

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.ansi.org/standards-news/all-news/2020/11/11-2-20-ansi-remembers-donald-n-heirman
  2. Web site: Hochheiser. Sheldon. February 24, 2015. Oral History: Don Heirman. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210327143100/https://ethw.org/Oral-History:Don_Heirman. March 27, 2021. March 27, 2021. IEEE History Center.
  3. News: May 8, 1958. MHS yearbook to make debut. 40. The South Bend Tribune. February 28, 2021.
  4. News: March 21, 1957. Play cast rehearsing for junior class drame. 45. The South Bend Tribune. February 28, 2021.
  5. Web site: Donald Heirman: 1940–2020. live. February 13, 2021. EMC Standards. https://web.archive.org/web/20201204045321/https://www.emcs.org/assets/documents/DonHeirmanMemoriam2.pdf . December 4, 2020 .
  6. News: March 24, 1957. Mishakawa holds candlelight affair. 72. The South Bend Tribune. February 28, 2021.
  7. News: June 3, 1958. Seniors hold class night. 21. The South Bend Tribune. February 28, 2021.
  8. Web site: Donald N. Heirman. February 13, 2021. Electrical and Computer Engineering – Purdue University. en.
  9. News: January 24, 1963. Society News. 37. The South Bend Tribune. February 28, 2021.
  10. Web site: Don and Lois Heirman cut the cake – Donald N. Heirman papers . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150906061033/http://e-archives.lib.purdue.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/msa291/id/6/rec/22 . September 6, 2015 . February 28, 2021 . Purdue University Libraries.
  11. News: May 19, 1961. Lynch gets NROTC command. 7. Journal and Courier. February 28, 2021.
  12. Web site: Certificate, 1985 June 1, Retired Reserve of the United States Navy. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210327142053/https://earchives.lib.purdue.edu/digital/collection/msa291/id/1. March 27, 2021. March 27, 2021. Purdue University Libraries.
  13. Wall. Art. 2020. The Legacy of Donald N. Heirman. IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Magazine. 9. 4. 96–97. 10.1109/MEMC.2020.9328009. 2162-2272. free.
  14. Web site: Dits. Joseph. January 2, 2019. Downtown museum to tell Mishawaka stories with each artifact. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210331040448/https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/local/history/downtown-museum-to-tell-mishawaka-stories-with-each-artifact/article_486c8141-d27c-59d2-9e81-12f7de89e369.html. March 31, 2021. March 31, 2021. South Bend Tribune. en.
  15. Duffy. Alistair. 2020. Completed Careers: The Legacy of Donald N. Heirman. IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Magazine. 9. 4. 94–97. 10.1109/MEMC.2020.9328009. 2162-2272. free.
  16. Web site: October 31, 2020. Donald Heirman Obituary - (2020) - 80, Lincroft, NJ - Asbury Park Press. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210301044054/https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/app/obituary.aspx?n=donald-n-heirman&pid=197027134&fhid=27008. March 1, 2021. March 1, 2021. Legacy. en.
  17. Web site: Tribute for Donald N. Heirman John E. Day Funeral Home . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210415000500/https://www.johnedayfuneralhome.com/tributes/Donald-Heirman . April 15, 2021 . 2022-06-03 . John E. Day Funeral Home . en.
  18. Web site: Donald N. Heirman papers. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210313000000/http://collections.lib.purdue.edu/heirman/collection.php. March 13, 2021. March 13, 2021. Purdue University Libraries. Alt URL
  19. Web site: Don Heirman Consultants LLC – Company Profile and News. live. https://archive.today/20210323110842/https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/0022114D:US. March 23, 2021. March 23, 2021. Bloomberg. en.
  20. Web site: IEEE Fellows Directory – Member Profile. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210319131809/https://services27.ieee.org/fellowsdirectory/getdetailprofile.html?custNum=2XHSfzW7FKyQIypAthfyrw%253D%253D&bccaptions=Alphabetical%2520Listing%2520&bclocations=%252Ffellowsdirectory%252FmenuALPHABETICAL.html. March 19, 2021. March 19, 2021. IEEE Fellows Directory.
  21. Web site: November 11, 2020. IEC mourns the passing of a top EMC expert. live. https://archive.today/20210223145547/https://www.iec.ch/blog/iec-mourns-passing-top-emc-expert. February 23, 2021. February 23, 2021. International Electrotechnical Commission.
  22. Web site: November 2, 2020 . ANSI Remembers Donald N. Heirman, Retired U.S. Navy Commander and Global Electrotechnical Standardization Leader . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201129172127/https://www.ansi.org/news-and-events/standards-news/all-news/2020/11/11-2-20-ansi-remembers-donald-n-heirman . November 29, 2020 . March 1, 2021 . American National Standards Institute . en.
  23. Web site: IEEE Awards Booklet – 2018 – 7. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210323104917/https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/awards_2018/index.php?startid=7#/p/6. March 23, 2021. March 23, 2021. Nxtbook Media. en-US.
  24. Web site: July 31, 2017 . ANSI Announces Recipients of the 2017 Leadership and Service Awards . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201022003944/https://www.ansi.org/news-and-events/standards-news/all-news/2017/07/ansi-announces-recipients-of-the-2017-leadership-and-service-awards-31 . October 22, 2020 . March 1, 2021 . American National Standards Institute . en.
  25. Web site: 2011 Electrical & Computer Engineering Awards. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210327135833/https://engineering.purdue.edu/ECE/Alums/OECE/2011/index_html. March 27, 2021. March 27, 2021. Electrical and Computer Engineering – Purdue University. en.
  26. Web site: November 24, 2008 . US experts win Lord Kelvin Awards . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200928015256/http://www.hazardexonthenet.net/article/20717/US-experts-win-Lord-Kelvin-Awards.aspx . September 28, 2020 . February 28, 2021 . Hazardex.
  27. Web site: IEEE Charles Proteus Steinmetz Award Recipients . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20200904053319/https://www.ieee.org/content/dam/ieee-org/ieee/web/org/about/awards/recipients/steinmetz_rl.pdf . September 4, 2020 . February 12, 2021 . IEEE.
  28. Web site: Don Heirman wins the Richard R. Stoddard Award of the IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Society. live. https://archive.today/20210228234210/http://e-archives.lib.purdue.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/msa291/id/38/rec/23. February 28, 2021. February 28, 2021. Purdue University Libraries.

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