This contribution to the journal issue commemorating Professor Robert Byron Bird focuses on his Dutch connection, which dates back to as early as 1950. Bird twice spent a semester-long period at (the current) Delft University of Technology. The development over time of two different schools of teaching transport phenomena and their mutual influencing are reviewed in quite some detail. The cornerstone in both schools is the analogy between the transport modes for mass, momentum, and energy. However, the role of fluid mechanics and its treatment is different. In addition, the didactic concepts underpinning the textbooks from the two schools are rather different as well, both having their pros and cons. This is illustrated for the mechanical energy balance and its derivation.

1.
R. B.
Bird
,
W. E.
Stewart
, and
E. N.
Lightfoot
,
Transport Phenomena
(
Wiley
,
1960
).
2.
R. B.
Bird
,
W. E.
Stewart
, and
E. N.
Lightfoot
,
Transport Phenomena
, 2nd ed. (
Wiley
,
2002
).
3.
R. B.
Bird
,
W. E.
Stewart
, and
E. N.
Lightfoot
,
Transport Phenomena
, 3rd ed. (
Wiley
,
2007
).
4.
R. B.
Bird
 et al,
Introductory Transport Phenomena
(
Wiley
,
2015
).
5.
R. B.
Bird
, “
Five decades of transport phenomena
,”
AIChE J.
50
(
2
),
273
287
(
2004
).
6.
R. B.
Bird
and
B.
Van Nederveen
, “
Hendrick Kramers
,” in
Memorial Tributes
(
The National Academies Press
,
2008
), pp.
162
167
.
7.
H.
Kramers
, “
Fysische transportverschijnselen
,” in
Course Notes
(
Delftsche Uitgevers Maatschappij
,
Delft
,
1961
).
8.
R. B.
Bird
,
W. E.
Stewart
, and
E. N.
Lightfoot
,
Notes on Transport Phenomena
(
Wiley
,
1958
).
9.
R. B.
Bird
, “
Transportverschijnselen in stromende media
,” in
Course Notes
, edited by
B.
Van Nederveen
(
Delft
,
1958
).
10.
H.
Van den Akker
and
R. F.
Mudde
,
Transport Phenomena: The Art of Balancing
(
Delft Academic Press
,
2014
).
11.
R. B.
Bird
, “
Nederland, de Bernoulli's, de Bernoullivergelijking en technisch onderwijs
,”
NPT Procestechnol.
1
(
5
),
6
10
(
1994
).
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