Education:

• B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Wyoming (1960)
• M.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Wyoming (1962)
• Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University (1969)

Areas of Expertise:

Vibration and structural dynamics. Control, simulation and animation of dynamic systems.

Current research activity is in the area of MATLAB animation of dynamic systems governed by ordinary and partial differential equations.

 

Recent Honors and Awards

Wyoming Alpha Chapter of Tau Beta Pi, Wyoming Eminent Engineer, April 2008

Casper College Distinguished Alumnus, October 2007.

Wyoming Engineering Society, President’s Outstanding Engineer Award, February 2007.

Elected Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education, June 2003.

Recent Publications and Presentations

 

Books:

• Electrical Engineering PE-Power: Problems and Solutions, Kaplan Professional Education, LaCrosse, WI, 2010. (with Suresh Muknahallipatna)
• Modern Digital Control Systems: 2nd Edition, Marcel Dekker, New York, NY 1995.
• The Control System Design Program, Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 1988. (with R. C. Dorf)
• Introduction to Engineering Systems, Allyn-Bacon, Newton, MA, 1988. (with F. M. Long)
• Modern Digital Control Systems, Marcel Dekker, New York, NY, 1981.

 

Chapters in Books:

• "Improvement of My Teaching: Letting Students in on the Secret," Invited contribution to a book, The Ellbogen Experience, University of Wyoming, 2000, pp. 15-29.
• "Digital Control Systems," Invited contribution to a book, The Electrical Engineering Handbook: Second Edition, R.C. Dorf, Ed., CRC Press, 1997, pp. 2306-2312, with J.E. McInroy.
• "Digital Control," Invited contribution to a book, The Engineering Handbook, R.C. Dorf Ed., CRC Press, 1995, pp. 1680-1687.
• "Digital Control Systems," Invited contribution to a book, The Electrical Engineering Handbook, R.C. Dorf, Ed., CRC Press, 1993, pp. 2147-2153, with J.E. McInroy.
• "Digital Filtering," Invited contribution to a book, The Froehlich/Kent Encyclopedia of Telecommunications, v. 5, Marcel Dekker, 1993, pp. 451-468, with J.W. Steadman.
• "Techniques for Adaptive State Estimation Through Utilization of Robust Smoothing," Invited contribution to a book, Control and Dynamic Systems, v. 25, 1987, pp. 273-308, edited by C.T. Leondes, with F.D. Groutage and R.L. Kirlin.

Recent Journal Publications:

• "Visualization of Partial Differential Equation Solutions," Computing in Science and Engineering, v. 8, no. 1, January/February, 2006, pp.73-77, with C.H.G. Wright, T.V. Edgar, R.F. Kubichek.
• "Optimal Damper Location for Randomly Forced Cantilever Beams," Journal of Sound and Vibration, v. 269, no. 22, January, 2004, pp.623-632.
• "The Spatial Average Mean Square Response as an Objective Function for Optimizing Damping in Damped Modified Systems," Journal of Sound and Vibration, v. 259, no. 4, January, 2003, pp.955-965.
• "Computer Exercises to Incorporate Energy Concepts into the Electrical Engineering Curriculum," Computers in Education Journal, v. 11, no. 2, April/June, 2001, pp.30-33, with J.W. Pierre and J.C. Hamann.
• "Suppression of Random Vibration in Plates Using Vibration Absorbers," Journal of Sound and Vibration, v. 248, no. 4, December, 2001, pp.585-596.
• "Random Vibration of Modified Beam Systems," Journal of Sound and Vibration, v. 234, no. 3, July, 2000, pp. 441-454.
• "Generalized Gain Curves for Second-Order All Pole Plants," IEEE Control Systems Magazine, v. 20, no. 3, June, 2000, pp. 80-84, with J.C. Hamann.
• "Stochastic Optimal and Suboptimal Control of Irrigation Canals," ASCE Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, v. 125, no. 6, Nov./Dec., 1999, pp. 369-378, with J. Mohan Reddy.
• "Digital Control-A Setting for a Mixture of Computing Strategies: Numerics, Symbolics and Simulation," Computers in Education Journal, v. 9, no. 1, Jan./March 1999, pp. 12-15, with J.C. Hamann and J.E. McInroy.
• "Visualization of PDE Solutions Using Implicit Methods and MATLAB," Computers in Education Journal, v. 7, no. 3, July/Sept., 1997, pp. 2-5, with J.C. Hamann.
• "Teaching Digital Filter Design Using Symbolic and Numeric Features of MATLAB," Computers in Education Journal, v. 7, no. 1, January/March, 1997, pp. 8-11, with J.C. Hamann, J.W. Pierre and R.F. Kubichek.
• "A Software Package to Enhance Teaching of Engineering Dynamics," Computer Applications in Engineering Education, v. 3, no. 7, 1995, pp. 21-28, with D.A. Smith and D.L. Whitman.

 

Recent Presentations with Proceedings Paper:

• "Standing and Traveling Waves on Transmission Lines: Getting It Right," Proc. 118th ASEE Annual Conference, Louisville, KY, June 20-23, 2010, CD Rom Paper AC 2010-235, with D.R. Voltmer and J.W. Steadman.
• "DampedBeams: A Versatile MATLAB Script for Animation of a Variety of Beam Vibration Problems," Proc.117th ASEE Annual Conference, Austin, TX, June 14-18, 2009, CD Rom Paper AC 2009-215, with J.R. Anderson and D.E. Walrath.
• "Scripts in MATLAB for Animation of the Solutions to Partial Differential Equations," Proc.117th ASEE Annual Conference, Austin, TX, June 14-18, 2009, CD Rom Paper AC 2009-214, with J.R. Anderson and D.E. Walrath.
• "A Library of MATLAB Scripts for Illustration and Animation of Solutions to Partial Differential Equations," Proc. 115th ASEE Annual Conference, Honolulu, HI, June 24-27, 2007, CD Rom Paper 1120-5, with G.H.G. Wright, R.F. Kubichek and T.V. Edgar.
• "Animation Software for the Teaching of Electrical Transmission Lines," Proc. 114th ASEE Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, June 18-22, 2006, with G.H.G. Wright and R.F. Kubichek, Accepted
• "Clarification of Partial Differential Equation Solutions Using 2-D and 3-D Graphics and Animation" Proc. 113th ASEE Annual Conference, Portland, OR, June 12-15, 2005, CD Rom, Paper 1320-2, with C.H.G. Wright, T.V. Edgar and R.F. Kubichek.
• "Enhancement of an Introductory Computing Course with Experiential and Cooperative Learning," Proc. 109th ASEE Annual Conference, Albuquerque, NM, June 24-27, 2001, CD Rom, Paper 3553-2, with S. J. Steadman, B. R. Dewey and P. J. Marquard.
• "Solution of Static and Dynamic Beam Bending and Static Buckling Problems Using Finite Differences and MATLAB," Proc. 109th ASEE Annual Conference, Albuquerque, NM, June 24-27, 2001, CD Rom, Paper 2220-4, with B. R. Dewey.

 

Non-Academic Publications:

• A Climber's Guide to the Snowy Range, self-published, 1970, 46 pp, with R.O. Hoff.
• Book Review, A Climber's Guide to Devils Tower National Monument, by T. Rypkema and K. Haire, American Alpine Journal, v. 22, no. 1, p 340, 1979.
• Book Review, Mountaineering in the Tetons: The Pioneer Period, 1898-1940, by F.M. Fryxell and P.M. Smith, American Alpine Journal, v. 22, no. 2, pp. 667-669, 1980.
• Book Review, A Climbers Guide the Teton Range, by L.N. Ortenburger and R.G. Jackson, Casper Star-Tribune, Feb. 13, 1997.
• Burton Marston: Champion of the National Wilderness Act, contribution to Ahead of Their Time: Wyoming Voices for Wilderness, B. Coburn and L. Bruno, Eds., pp. 23-25, 2004.
• CC on the Rocks: The Story of the Wyoming Mountaineers of Casper College 1955-1959, self-published, 2005, 104 pp, with D.E. Reynolds.
• CC on the Rocks: The Story of the Wyoming Mountaineers of Casper College 1955-1959, Second edition, self-published, 2013, 124 pp., with D.E. Reynolds.
• “Demystifying the Professional Surveyors Exam,” Lines and Points, v.22, no. 2, 2011, p. 5.