Ferdinand Pierre Beer (August 8, 1915 – April 30, 2003) was a French mechanical engineer and university professor.
His most significant contribution was the co-authorship of several textbooks in the field of mechanics, which have been widely cited and utilized in engineering education.
[1][3] He received a Masters of Science degree from the Sorbonne and conducted post-graduate work at Brown University.
[1] Beer served in the French Army during the Second World War before moving to the United States and took a job at Williams College.
He remained there for four years, where he taught as part of the school's collaborative arts/engineering program with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In 1970, Beer was named the chairman of the newly formed University Forum, which was composed of 125 students and faculty members with the goal of promoting discussion between the two bodies.