Dr. Bell
In April 2023, Professor Kenneth J. Bell passed away. My note below is about my personal recollections of interactions with him. He was my M.S. and Ph.D. “major advisor” as the term was used back then. This is neither an obituary nor a record of his monumental achievements—just my memories of working with and learning from him.
Dr. Bell was a recognized expert in his chosen field of Heat Transfer—definitely among the five best in the world, in his time. His writing of the Bell–Delaware method for shell-and-tube exchangers is/was the gold standard in heat transfer engineering. He was often in demand as an expert witness in the court of law. At one trial, the judge asked him and his opposing expert witness to describe their work background—wanting to know why they are considered expert witnesses. Dr. Bell explained his and casually mentioned that he had “written a chapter” in the opposing witness's publication on heat transfer. The opposing witness then described his expertise and background and mentioned that he had the honor of writing a part in Dr. Bell's publication. Needless to say, the judge was left speechless.
When I and a few of my contemporary graduate students learned about his work at Hanford and Oak Ridge, we asked him (or rather pestered him) to teach us the topic. He created a brand new course on “fundamentals of Nuclear Reactor Engineering” and taught it next semester. It turned out to be a very intense course, and there was nothing “fundamental” about it. His teaching was very easy mix of theory and practice. He was a practicing engineer and firmly believed that applying the theoretical knowledge to industrial practice is what makes it useful. He was also a strong proponent of independent thought. He used to say that we award Bachelor's degrees when the student sincerely does the work and has exposure and some absorption of the vast information we throw at them. The Masters degrees are given when the students realize that they do not know much and there is a lot of learning ahead of them. The Ph.D. is reserved for those who have demonstrated the ability to be able to investigate and independently learn what they do not know.
He guided his graduate students by making them think. If he did not know an answer to your question, he was very up front about it. He promised to find it and delivered. He never made things up, just to answer a question. On the other hand, when asking him questions, I had to be thoroughly ready to answer his cross-examination. He made me think about the possible answers and solutions. He never spoon fed his answers. He engaged in the conversation for a few minutes or hours—sometimes disregarding his appointments, just to make sure that I am looking at all potential aspects when answering my own query. While this style scared many, I thrived on it.
Professor Bell traveled extensively for a variety of reasons—both personal and professional. Students occasionally complained about his absence. But he recorded his lectures on Video and met his obligations for the class—especially the Process Heat Transfer course. So, it surprised me very much when he told me to teach his classes for several weeks in a row, as he was going off for another trial as the expert witness. I was honored but worried. He assured me that he knew what he was doing and has seen me in action enough times, to be sure that “it will work out just fine.”
His editorials in Heat Transfer Engineering have been legendary. He had said that the real goal of writing them was to make people think, even though he thought that he had at times overdid it. He held the Editor in Chief responsibility for about 20 years—no small feat. Some of his writings truly have stood the test of time. He wrote about alternate energy sources in 1979, and those observations are apt even today. He never held back his feelings for fear of offending the ivory tower leaders. I think a lot of eyebrows were raised when he asked in 1982: “just how much of the academic nonsenses is the real world engineer supposed to put up with?” This is coming from a very well respected professor. His musings and writings included very thoughtful comments and also many flippant irreverent and downright rude ones (in his own words), but still consistently thought provoking. One that will stay with me forever is “Natural Stupidity will beat Artificial Intelligence Every Time,” circa 1986–1987.
Dr. Bell and Anil Gokhale
In October 2015, my wife and I met Dr. Bell and Mrs. Karen Bell for dinner in Stillwater, OK. I was seeing him after many years. About five minutes into the conversation, he said that I have now earned the right to call him by his first name. I was taken aback, but could not come to terms for such a change. He had always been the respected Dr. Bell to me and always will be. As I said to him, “in some 5+ years of working under his guidance, he gave me so much that it will last a life time.” Not just in Heat Transfer but many a life lesson. Several of his students went on to excel in the field of heat transfer and are now recognized experts themselves. But the training I received from him beyond the technical matter has allowed me, and several others to easily branch out to other fields and succeed in our professional life.