Robert C. Strasser has been appointed director of research of the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., a subsidiary of Tenneco Inc. The announcement was made by J. R. Kane, director of engineering at the Virginia shipyard.
A native of New York, Mr. Strasser joined Newport News in 1959. He was appointed assistant director of research in May 1967, to manage research and development in the company's materials, hydraulic, and engineering laboratories. Prior to that appointment, he was chief of the engineering laboratory.
His previous experience includes four years as an engineer with the marine division of Sperry Gyroscope Co. From 1953 to 1955 he served as hull design officer with the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, USN, New York.
He is a graduate of New York State Maritime College, from which he received a bachelor's degree in marine engineering in 1951. Upon graduation from college, Mr. Strasser was employed as a naval architect at the David Taylor Model Basin. In 1955 he was granted a master of science degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University.
Mr. Strasser holds a U.S. Coast Guard third assistant engineer's license for steam and diesel vessels.
A member of The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, Mr. Strasser has authored several technical papers, including The Acoustic Habitability of Ships, which was published in the Transactions of the Society in 1964. He is also a member of the Society of Naval Engineers and the Propeller Club.