FF grad honored for aerospace accomplishments

By Trisha Marczak (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Tuesday, June 3, 2008

The list of Parviz Moin’s accomplishments goes on and on.

Moin, who graduated from Fergus Falls High School in 1971, was honored by the University of Minnesota’s Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics in May with an Outstanding Achievement Award (OAA) for his work in the field of turbulent flow research.

Moin attended the University of Minnesota for Engineering and Mathematics after his graduation from Fergus Falls in 1971. He later went on to study at Stanford University in California, where he is now employed as a professor and director of the Center for Turbulence Research.

The Center is highly acclaimed as one of the world’s most respected turbulent research institutes.

Moin relocated to Fergus Falls from Iran during his eleventh grade year. He recalls the day when he first landed in Fargo — he was greeted by a snowstorm. The day after his arrival, Moin began attending Fergus Falls High School.

Moin’s cousins, Mehdi and Ahmaed Orandi, were working as doctors in Fergus Falls at the time, which was the main reason for Moin’s move to the area.

Initially, Moin wasn’t certain that his move would be permanent, but his time spent in Fergus Falls proved to be a positive experience, and inspired Moin to continue his educational endeavors in the U.S.

“The turning point for me was my experience in Fergus Falls,” he said.

Moin also met his wife, known then as Linda Gray, while attending Fergus Falls High School.

Before running the Center for Turbulence Research, Moin worked for NASA’s Ames Research Center in California.

In 1997, Moin founded consulting company, Cascade Technologies Inc., which provides services to clients such as Honda, General Electric, Shell Oil and General Motors, just to name a few. Companies consult Moin in their efforts to create designs that optimize product function in regards to aerodynamics and liquid propulsion. For example, Moin and his team worked with General Motors to develop designs for side mirrors that would optimize efficient airflow and eliminate unnecessary noises.

Every year, some 10,000 students graduate from the University of Minnesota. The OAA award was presented to Moin based on his accomplishments since his time in Minnesota. Moin has received many awards over the years, but the OAA from the University of Minnesota invoked a special sense of Minnesota pride.

“It is very special when you’re alma matter calls on you,” he said. “It is a place that I have fond memories of.”

Moin and his wife still regularly visit friends and family in the Fergus Falls area.