Howard Baum

Howard Baum, 89, beloved father, retired NIST Fellow, and University of Maryland Glenn L. Martin Research Professor, died Saturday April 26, 2025 at his home in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Howard Richard Baum was born on April 3, 1936 in New York City, New York. Son of Samuel Baum and Rachel Baum, he grew up in the Bronx borough of New York City and, was a proud graduate of PS78 and the Bronx High School of Science. At age 18, he met his future wife, Alice Linda Prince, at her sweet 16 birthday party.
Howard earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering (1957) and Masters degree in Applied Mathematics (1959) from Brooklyn Polytechnic University.
Howard and Alice married in 1961 while Howard was working toward his PhD in Applied Mathematics at Harvard University. He completed his degree in 1964 and their first child, Allen, was born in 1967. From 1966 to 1971, Howard worked at Harvard as a research assistant, teaching courses in fluid mechanics and applied mathematics. In 1970, just after the birth of their second child, Sarah, the family spent 6 months in England for Howard's sabbatical at Oxford University.
In 1971, Howard took a position as Group Leader at Aerodyne Research Inc. in Sudbury, Massachusetts, where he was responsible for researching gas dynamics and molecular properties of rocket exhaust plumes.
In 1975, the Baums moved to Rockville, Maryland, for Howard's new role as Research Physicist in the Center for Fire Research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) - then known as the National Bureau of Standards. Howard stayed at NIST for the remainder of his career, publishing over 170 papers. His research focused on mathematical and computational modeling, fluid mechanics of fires, turbulent combustion, convective and radiative heat transfer, smoke transport, and microgravity combustion. He became a NIST Fellow at the Building and Fire Research Laboratory in 1983.
Howard earned numerous honors and awards throughout his career at NIST, including the U.S. Department of Commerce Silver Medal Award in 1981 and a Gold Medal Award in 1985. He received the Medal of Excellence from the International Association of Fire Safety Science in 1991 and 1999, the SFPE Arthur B. Guise Medal in 1999, and was elected fellow and chartered physicist of the Institute of Physics also in 1999. He presented his research papers at combustion symposiums all over the world, and in 1994, he was awarded a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowship for his visit at the University of Tokyo Institute of Industrial Science. In 2000, he was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering.
Upon his retirement in 2007, Howard was named Fellow Emeritis and inducted into the NIST Gallery of Distinguished Alumni. His induction citation recognizes him "For developing and implementing widely applied analytical models and numerical tools for understanding and mitigating fire phenomena. These methods were major contributors to performing diverse investigations such as the World Trade Center collapse, container ship fire safety standards and in the cleanup of marine oil spills."
Post retirement, Howard continued to contribute to research projects at NIST, and worked as the Glenn L. Martin Research Professor at the University of Maryland's Department of Fire Protection Engineering (FPE). There, he collaborated with other FPE professors on several research projects including the "Burning Rate Emulator" which was taken aboard the International Space Station to learn how to make space flight safer from fire.
Throughout his career, Howard was deeply committed to mentoring younger researchers. His influence spans generations of fire researchers, many of whom view him as a valued mentor and friend.
Howard loved travel. He and Alice traveled extensively in Europe, Turkey, Israel, China, and Japan throughout their lives together. He also took great joy in non-fiction literature, live theater and concerts, was a lifelong Yankees fan, enjoyed hiking at National Parks both in the U.S. and in Canada, appreciated a well-made Manhattan, and of course, all things chocolate. He was a supporter of the arts, nature, and the planet, and for years donated to PBS and the Nature Conservancy. He and Alice were members at Temple Beth Ami almost since its inception.
Howard is survived by his children Allen Baum and Sarah Marks, their spouses, Stacy Baum and Dan Marks, and grandchildren Samantha Baum and Benjamin Baum.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, May 1, 2025 at 11 am at The Garden of Remembrance Memorial Park Chapel in Clarksburg, Maryland.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his name to the National Academy of Engineers or the Nature Conservancy.