Education

Doctor of Philosophy, Civil Engineering
    Iowa State University, Ames, IA    1963

Master of Science, Geotechnical Engineering
    Iowa State University, Ames, IA    1961

Bachelor of Science, Engineering
    U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY    1957


Employment History (Selected)

Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI)
    Principal Research Scientist    1998-Present

Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT)
Director, Construction Research Center    1987-1998

Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA)
    Director, Nuclear Survivability and Security Directorate    1983-1987

U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories (USACERL)
    Director    1979-1983

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
    Colonel    Completed military service in July 1987


Experience Summary (Selected)

At GTRI, Director of Plasma Research.  Areas of research are directed toward the development of engineering and environmental applications of plasma arc technology for soil stabilization and the treatment and remediation of municipal and hazardous/toxic wastes.  Specific research interests include the in situ plasma stabilization of geologic materials for ground improvement, and the in situ plasma remediation of contaminated soils, municipal landfills, and buried hazardous/toxic waste deposits.

At GIT, Founding Director of the Construction Research Center in the College of Architecture.  Established a nationally-recognized research facility to support the U.S. construction industry in all aspects of construction technology and information exchange.  Areas of research included the use of computers in planning, design and construction; composition and performance of building materials; and management technologies for facility operations and maintenance.

At DNA, directed a research program responsible for all Department of Defense (DoD) exploratory development research for the worldwide peacetime security of nuclear weapons, and the wartime survivability of theater nuclear forces in Europe and the Pacific.

At USACERL, directed a staff of over 400 government employees and academic student/faculty scientists and engineers at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana; conducted basic research and exploratory development research programs relating to worldwide military facility planning, design, construction, operations and maintenance in support of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers military construction and installation support requirements.


Other Important Facts

Registered Professional Engineer (Civil), District of Columbia

Consultant, U.S. Army Science Board, appointed by the Asst. Secretary of the Army (Research Development and Acquisition), 1995-1996

Listed in “Who’s Who in Science and Engineering,” 8th Edition, 2005-2006

Co-inventor, U.S. Patent No. 4,067,390; Apparatus and method for the recovery of fuel products from subterranean deposits of carbonaceous matter using a plasma arc; January 10, 1978

Co-inventor, U.S. Patent No. 5,181,797; In-Situ Soil Stabilization Method and Apparatus; January 26, 1993

Co-inventor, U.S. Patent No. Re.35,782; In-Situ Landfill Pyrolysis, Remediation and Vitrification; January 26, 1993

Co-inventor, U.S. Patent No. Re.35,715; In-Situ Remediation and Vitrification of Contaminated Soils, Deposits and Buried Materials; January 4, 1994

Inventor, U.S. Patent No. 5,827,012; Thermal Plasma Conversion of Local Soils into Construction Materials; October 27, 1998

Engineer of the Year in Education, Georgia Society of Professional Engineers, 1998

Outstanding Achievement Award in Education, the Missouri Waste Control Coalition, 2003


Selected Reports and Publications

1. “An Ecotoxic Risk Assessment of Residue Materials Produced by the Plasma Pyrolysis/Vitrification Process,” Waste Management 22, 2002, pp. 335-342, with N. Lapa, J. F. Santos Oliveira and   S. L. Camacho

2. “In-Situ Plasma Remediation of Contaminated Soils,” Remediation Journal, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Autumn 2001, pp. 3-13, with C. A. Fox and R. C. Martin

3. ”Plasma Magmavication of Soils by Nontransferred Arc,” Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), May, 2000, pp. 387-396, with P.W. Mayne and S.E. Burns

4. “In Situ Stabilization of Geologic Materials by Vitrification Using Plasma Arc Technology,” U.S. Army Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR), May 1998, Final Report

5. “Plasma Treatment of Pulp and Paper Industry Waste Streams,” Institute of Paper Science and Technology (IPST), April 1998, Final Report

6. “All Fired Up,” Cover Photograph/Story, Civil Engineering Magazine, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), November 1997

7. “Evaluation of Plasma Arc Technology for the Treatment of Municipal Solid Wastes in Georgia,” Construction Research Center, January 1997, pp. 72

8. “Demonstration of In Situ Plasma Vitrification Technology for Savannah River Site Contaminated Soils,” Georgia Institute of Technology, ERDA Contract No. 95069, December 1996, pp. 131

9. “Technologies for the Restoration of Soils, Waters and Groundwaters Contaminated with Hazardous Wastes,” U.S. Army Environmental Policy Institute, GIT Contract D48-X11, October 1996, pp. 287

10. “Destruction of Asbestos-Containing Materials Using Plasma Arc Technology,” U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, Contract D48-A08, Atlanta, GA, March 1996, with R. A. Newsom

11. “Plasma Remediation of In Situ Materials - The PRISM Concept,” 33rd Hanford Symposium on Health and the Environment: In Situ Remediation, Pasco, WA, 7-11 November 1994, with S. L. Camacho, G.K. Jacobs and J. S. Tixier

12. “In Situ Thermal Stabilization of Road and Airfield Foundation Soils Using Plasma Arc Technology,” 4th International Conference on Bearing Capacity of Roads and Airfields, Minneapolis, MN, July 1994, pp. 899-916, with P.W. Mayne

13. “In Situ Thermal Stabilization of Soils Using Plasma Arc Technology,” Final Report to National Science Foundation, NSF Grant MSS-9113134, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, pp. 39, 1993, with P.W. Mayne  

14. “Destruction and Vitrification of Asbestos Using Plasma Arc Technology,” Final Report, Construction Research Center, Contract D48-626, Atlanta, GA, October 1991