Τhe library of engineer and inventor Rudolf E. Kalman

Part of his library came to the Foundation in 2017 through a generous donation from his wife, Konstantina Stavrou-Kalman. It consists of books on engineering, physics, mathematics, and other sciences as well as complete series of journal publications. It also includes his published studies and articles.

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Rudolf E. Kalman (1930-2016) was an electrical engineer, mathematician, and inventor. He was born in Hungary but lived and achieved professional success in the United States. He studied at MIT (Bachelor’s and Master’s) and Columbia University, where he received his doctorate in 1957. He worked as a researcher at the Research Centre for Advanced Study in Baltimore (1958-1964), conducting fundamental research in mathematical system theory and modern control theory. He taught as a professor at Stanford University (1964-1971) and collaborated as a research professor with the Centre for Mathematical System Theory at the University of Florida (1971-1992). He was president of Mathematical System Theory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (1973-1997). His most significant contribution to science is considered the Kalman filter, a mathematical algorithm widely used in technological research in control systems and navigation. It is one of the most important inventions of the past century, with applications in mobile phones, airplanes, satellites, and more, and continues to find new applications in various fields. Additionally, Kalman contributed to many fields of mathematics with his research. He published over fifty technical articles, gave numerous lectures, and was a member of the editorial boards of numerous journals. For his contributions to science, he received many significant international distinctions and awards. In 2008, U.S. President Obama honored him with the National Medal of Science, the highest honor in the country for scientific achievements.