Biography
Ivo Kolin was born in Zagreb on September 23rd, 1924 and finished the Nautical Academy in Dubrovnik in 1944. He graduated from the Faculty of Economy in 1949 and from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture in 1955, both at the University of Zagreb.
He held two doctoral degrees
He held two doctoral degrees; the first one in Technical Sciences was awarded in 1972 from the University of Zagreb - Faculty of Technology. His second Ph. D. degree was from the University of Sarajevo - Faculty of Economy, received in 1975 for investigating the production and investment costs of the nuclear power-plants.
Ivo Kolin started his scientific career as an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Technology in Zagreb, and later on was a Full Professor at the Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering, where he was retired as Professor emeritus. His first two books were ‘Thermodynamics Atlas I’ (1967) and ‘Evolution of the heat engines’ (1972), both published by Longmans, London. The second book was reprinted in 1998 by Morya-Press (USA). As he was researching the evolution of heat engines, he designed and built a collection of 54 heat engine models based on the original drawings. This unique collection is now permanently exhibited at the Technical Museum in Zagreb.
His research on the Stirling engine
His research on the Stirling thermodynamic cycle resulted in the invention of Stirling motor with flat plate heat exchangers. This new thermodynamic concept enables utilization of the moderate temperature renewable energies readily available, like the solar heat, geothermal hot water or the industrial waste heat. He described his new principle in two books on Stirling engines, published by the University of Zagreb in 1983 and 1991.
Croatian government award
Croatian government awarded him the State Award for Science in 1997. He also received several international Awards for his pioneering work on the Stirling engine: Rome (1986), Monterey (1987) and Tokyo (1988, 1995 and 1997). As a visiting professor he gave numerous lectures in Austria, Canada, Italy, Japan, Malta, Morocco, Germany, Norway, Switzerland and The Netherlands. His most successful collaboration was with the University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’, where he taught regularly post-graduate courses from 1987 to 2001.
Ivo Kolin mentored many students
Ivo Kolin mentored many students - 40 for Bachelor's, 30 for Master's and 11 for Doctoral degree thesis. He was also a member of numerous dissertation Committees in Croatia and abroad.
Last years of his life
Last years of his life he devoted to the historical significances of Dubrovnik and peninsula Peljesac, published in a form of the original tourist guides. He also presented a second edition of his father’s book Jedrenjaci (Sailing ships) with more then 50 new stories told by captains from Peljesac Riviera. Ivo Kolin passed away in January 2007, shortly after publishing his fifth book "Energy and Gross National Product".