Gaudin and his colleagues at the University of Utah/U.S. Bureau of Mines, and later Montana Tech, systematically investigated the function of reagents on the flotation behavior of pure minerals. Gaudin is admired as the father of ‘Fundamental Flotation Research’ due to his focused research on flotation process. Earlier work had focused on the improvement of machinery and physical systems, while Gaudin focused on the chemical. During this time and because of his and other metallurgists work, the understanding of flotation processes evolved from one of mechanics and empirical research to that of the chemical phase, the understanding of the science underpinning the process, which aided in the greatly expanded utility of the process. His book "Flotation" (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1932, revised edition 1957) was the first definitive hand-book for the process. In 1941, the Montana School of Mines bestowed on him the honorary degree of Doctor of Science for his research on flotation. The book "Principles of Mineral Dressing" authored by Gaudin is still the basic book for all mineral processing engineers.