After graduating with my Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 1986, I began my career with International TechneGroup, Inc., developing commercial software and consulting in product development process enhancement for several major automotive manufacturers.

I joined the faculty of SUNY Buffalo in 1988 and developed a successful externally funded research program.

In 1991, I was recruited to Iowa State University to help build the Iowa Center for Emerging Manufacturing Technology (ICEMT). During my first year with the ICEMT, I established myself as its leading contributor, securing over $1M of research funding from the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, and several industrial sources.

In 1993, I was awarded tenure and named Associate Director of ICEMT, focusing on day-to-day operations, as well as fund raising and strategic planning. My 1992 ONR grant was the first major project at the center focused on applied virtual reality (VR), and I was instrumental in recruiting Dr. Carolina Cruz-Neira (inventor of the CAVE immersive VR room) to ISU in 1995. With $250,000 from my ONR grant as seed funding (rebudgeted from salary to equipment), I helped raise the rest of the $1M needed to build the C2, ICEMT’s first surround screen immersive projection technology device.

In 1996, I led a group of colleagues in obtaining the center’s largest industrially funded grant to date; a two-year, $450K grant from Deere and Company to investigate of VR applications in product development.

In early 1996, I began consulting for Engineering Animation Incorporated (NASDAQ: EAII): a software company providing computer visualization solutions to the world’s leading automotive, aerospace, heavy equipment, telecommunications, and consumer products manufacturers. As my involvement with EAI grew, I became increasingly motivated by the direct impact I could have on industrial productivity. I worked at EAI fulltime during summer 1997 and half-time through the fall of 1997.

In January 1998, I began an unpaid leave of absence from ISU to join EAI full time. I contributed to EAI’s success in a number of roles, culminating in an assignment to conceive, design, and lead the development of an Internet solution called e-Vis. E-Vis pioneered secure, Internet-enabled visual collaboration to facilitate the integration of manufacturers with their supply chains.

As the technical leader of this product, I interacted with many different manufacturers, exploring how emerging information technologies could improve their product development processes. I also worked closely with IT leaders such as SAP, Oracle, I2, and the major CAD/CAM and PDM product vendors, which deepened my understanding of the complex infrastructure needed to power today’s manufacturing enterprises.

In the Fall of 2000, I accepted the position of Vice President of Product Development at Cognicity, a Minneapolis-based startup company focused on Internet-based entertainment marketing. Founded by a distinguished University of Minnesota faculty member, Cognicity was based on a unique wavelet-based digital watermarking technology and an innovative business model. The following year Cognicity was acquired by Digimarc, and I returned to the ISU faculty.

My experience at EAI and Cognicity has convinced me that the universities that will thrive in the coming decades will be those which most successfully embrace information technology. My decision to return to ISU was motivated by my desire to help Iowa State become one of those leading universities.

My scholarship has been on the forefront of computer and information technologies that improve the design and delivery of highly engineerred products and services. My own research and experience in business at the interface between industry and the academic world has guided my research directions and educational contribution for the last fifteen years.

I have maintained an active graduate research program; supervising, supporting, and graduating 10 PhD and 48 M.S. students I am currently major professor for 8 PhD and 3 M.S. students.

Because of my industrial experience, I was asked to create and present a short course on entrepreneurial management for the Executive Engineer Dual Master’s Degree Program: a cooperative program between Iowa State University’s College of Engineering and University of Iowa’s College of Business. Through this program, I have served as major professor for 15 Master of Engineering students.

My former M.S. students have developed successful careers in industry ranging from CAD/CAM software, geological visualization, computer gaming, video special effects, mechanical analysis, and product engineering.

My former Ph.D. students have also begun successful careers: after working for Caterpillar and Boeing, Kevin Renze is now a Senior Research Analyst at The National Transportation Safety Board in Washington D.C.; Philip Theruvakattil is an Internet Security Specialist for Genuity Inc., in Boston MA; Shanna Smith (formerly Shiang-Fong Chen) started her academic career at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and is now an Associate Professor at ISU’s Department Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering.

I know I am a better educator and researcher because of my experience outside of ISU. I agree with National Academy of Engineering President Bill Wulf that “faculty hiring and promotion criteria need to be revamped so that those who have actually practiced engineering get credit for that experience.” I look forward to continuing to apply my particular blend of experience to the benefit of ISU and its students.