(MENAFN- The Conversation) I am an dynamicist. I study the movement of things, both the applied problem of how to achieve a desirable motion and the theoretical problem of studying its underlying causes. Along theoretical lines, one of the challenges that faces engineering is with dynamic modelling that integrates disciplines (mechanical, electrical, and thermodynamic), scale (small and large), and phase (gaseous, liquid, and solid states). I teach the graduate course Modern Modelling (MAE 789). The emphasis is on theoretical and computational issues of integrative modelling. Along applied lines, there is a growing need for algorithm development in engineering systems, like in autonomous operation of robotic systems. Some of my work focuses on the development of unmanned systems, mostly aerial systems. I direct the program entitled Namibia Wildlife Aerial Observatory (WAO) in which field units of undergraduate and graduate students spend the fall semester in Namibia collecting aerial data using unmanned aerial vehicles to address a variety of endangered wildlife issues. I also teach the course Mechatronics (MAE 320). In this introductory course, undergraduate students learn how to integrate electronics and computer algorithms into hardware, then they form small teams and develop their own Mechatronic systems. The course ends in a conference where the students showcase their innovations.

Outside of work, I enjoy basketball and spending time with family and friends.

Experience

• 1984present Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, North Carolina State University

Education

• 1983 Virginia Tech, PhD

Publications

• 2018 Book and Kit: Analog Electronics Kit - Basic Experiments in PID Control (3rd Ed. Book), Test Fixture, and Parts Package, Amazon
• 2009 Book: Unified Field Theory of the Engineer and the Applied Scientist, Wiley
• 2001 Book: Mark's Mechanics Problem-Solving Companion, McGraw Hill
• 1982 Journal Articles: 60+, 1982 to present, archival

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