Manoug Manougian

Professor Emeritus

iN memoriam

It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we must inform the USF community and the academic community at large of the passing of our colleague and good friend Dr. Manoug Manougian. He passed on 3/27/24; he was 88 years old.

Dr. Manougian came to USF as an Assistant Professor in 1968 and retired as Professor in 2020. He served as the Chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics from 1974 to 1984. He was the founding Director of the STEM Education Center and served in that capacity until his retirement. Dr. Manougian was also the faculty advisor and initial guiding influence for SOAR (Society of Aeronautics and Rocketry), USF’s student rocketry club.

Manoug led a full and interesting life. In the early 60’s he led a small group of students from Haigazian College in Beirut on a quest to build a rocket that could reach space. This effort became a great source of pride for the Lebanese people and drew the attention of many throughout the world, including the governments of the United States and the USSR. The story of the Lebanese Rocket Society became the subject of a 2012 documentary of the same name. The documentary includes stories and interviews with Dr. Manougian, and it won “Best Feature Documentary Award” at the 2012 Doha Film Festival.

Manoug’s strong belief that rocketry science should be used only for peaceful purposes led him on a lifelong path of advocating for nonviolence in all aspects of life. He wrote and spoke on the subjects of family violence and genocide. He helped establish the USF Center for the Study of Family Violence and served on its advisory board, and he co-wrote and associate produced “The Genocide Factor: The Human Tragedy” a documentary for PBS.

Manoug was a respected colleague, a favorite teacher among his students, and, most importantly, a dear friend. He will be remembered fondly and missed greatly.

EDUCATION

Ph.D., Mathematics, University of Texas at Austin, 1968
M.A., Mathematics, University of Texas at Austin, 1964
B.A., Mathematics, University of Texas at Austin, 1960

RESEARCH

Applied mathematics; differential equations; oscillation; mathematics for the general public; violence and genocide.