Spring Break
The Daily OrangeVisiting professor passes away during trip to SU
By Eddie Jacovino
Posted: 9/21/06, 1:10 AM EST Section: News
He was one of the most highly regarded professors in Syracuse University's long history, and also the world's leading expert and a pioneer in the field of indoor environment and its effect on human comfort, health and productivity.
P. Ole Fanger died of an aneurism at age 72 in Crouse Hospital Monday evening, after being admitted earlier that day.
"The fact that you're sitting in a room comfortably, not sweating, being productive, whether it's in your home or office: that's Ole Fanger," said H. Ezzat Khalifa, director of SU Environmental Quality Systems Strategically Targeted Academic Research Center, of Fanger's work.
Fanger, who resides in Denmark for most of the year, was in Syracuse to give a lecture Tuesday, Khalifa said.
"He single-handedly created the field of the scientific study of environment and its effect on human performance," Khalifa said.
Fanger is most known for his "princess and the pea" approach to the indoor environment, Khalifa said.
Instead of targeting the average or greatest number of people, Fanger wanted to discover what conditions of air temperature, air velocity, humidity, dust, chemicals, lighting and noise would satisfy even those most sensitive to their environment, Khalifa said.
"We spend 90 percent of our time inside something: home, car, office, airplane, theater, subway tunnel," Khalifa said. "He focused on things that will affect you the most."
Fanger's approach was qualitatively based on perceived environment, said Jianshun Zhang, director of indoor environmental systems at SU. Zhang is planning to spend three months in Denmark next year working with Fanger's colleagues to combine their concepts of perceived environment with his quantitative focus, which measures the variables of an indoor environment.
"This field of research is inherently a team sport," said Edward Bogucz, executive director of the SU Center of Excellence. "These are high-level problems that require multiple people from multiple areas of expertise."
P. Ole Fanger died of an aneurism at age 72 in Crouse Hospital Monday evening, after being admitted earlier that day.
"The fact that you're sitting in a room comfortably, not sweating, being productive, whether it's in your home or office: that's Ole Fanger," said H. Ezzat Khalifa, director of SU Environmental Quality Systems Strategically Targeted Academic Research Center, of Fanger's work.
Fanger, who resides in Denmark for most of the year, was in Syracuse to give a lecture Tuesday, Khalifa said.
"He single-handedly created the field of the scientific study of environment and its effect on human performance," Khalifa said.
Fanger is most known for his "princess and the pea" approach to the indoor environment, Khalifa said.
Instead of targeting the average or greatest number of people, Fanger wanted to discover what conditions of air temperature, air velocity, humidity, dust, chemicals, lighting and noise would satisfy even those most sensitive to their environment, Khalifa said.
"We spend 90 percent of our time inside something: home, car, office, airplane, theater, subway tunnel," Khalifa said. "He focused on things that will affect you the most."
Fanger's approach was qualitatively based on perceived environment, said Jianshun Zhang, director of indoor environmental systems at SU. Zhang is planning to spend three months in Denmark next year working with Fanger's colleagues to combine their concepts of perceived environment with his quantitative focus, which measures the variables of an indoor environment.
"This field of research is inherently a team sport," said Edward Bogucz, executive director of the SU Center of Excellence. "These are high-level problems that require multiple people from multiple areas of expertise."
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