by Hilary Parker

Interdisciplinary scholar and educator Steve Slaby, an expert in descriptive geometry, engineering graphics and the impact of technology on society, died July 5. He was 86.

A member of Princeton’s School of Engineering and Applied Science faculty for almost 40 years before retiring in 1991, Slaby was committed to teaching his students to consider the political and social implications of technology. Keenly interested in engineering for the developing world, Slaby contributed to reconstruction efforts in Vietnam and solar energy projects throughout the Caribbean.

Slaby’s academic interests extended far beyond engineering, and he took pride in serving as a member of the faculty committee for the then-Program in African American Studies.

Slaby joined the Princeton faculty in 1952 as a member of the former Department of Graphics and Engineering Drawing. He chaired the department from 1961 to 1966, when it merged with the civil engineering and geological engineering departments.

Slaby wrote 10 books and numerous articles on descriptive geometry, a mathematical system for visualizing the properties of three-dimensional objects used in engineering and manufacturing. He also created and led an engineering graphics seminar series in which the students wrote and published four volumes on the subject.

To read the full obituary, go to www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S21/57/87I61/.