Advisory Board

CARLO G PANTANO, Ph.D.

The Pennsylvania State University
Carlo Pantano is Director of the Penn State Materials Research Institute, a University level organization which administers interdisciplinary materials research, science and engineering across the campus. He is a Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, teaches courses on glass and surface analysis, and performs research on glass, surfaces and coatings. He is also Co- Director of the NSF International Materials Institute on "New Functionality in Glasses", which brings contact with glass researchers throughout the U.S. and overseas. Glass research activities include surface chemistry and organo functionalization of glass; nanostructured thin films and coatings; glass-polymer adhesion; glass-blowing and related outreach programs for K-12 and the public. He has over 250 journal publications and 6 book chapters. He holds patents for a microporous sol/gel coating for capillary gas chromatography, and substrates for DNA/Protein arrays. He was named an Outstanding Teacher in 1983, he won the Wilson Award for Excellence in Research in 1996 and was named the Corning Faculty Fellow from 1990-2000. He is a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society (ACerS) and of the AVS. He is a former Chair of the Glass and Optical Materials Division of the ACerS, and a former US Council Representative for the International Commission on Glass. He was recently elected to membership in the World Academy of Ceramics, and was also awarded the 2005 George W Morey award for outstanding technical contributions to the field of glass science and technology.

ED SCHMECKPEPER, Ph.D, PE

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Norwich University, 2009 to present Department of Civil Engineering, University of Idaho, 1992-2009 Associate Professor, Civil Engineering, Specialization: Structural engineering
Former Associate Professor, Structures - University of Idaho - Civil Engineering Department
B.S. degree from Valparaiso University in Indiana, M.S.C.E. at the University of New Hampshire, and Ph.D. from the University of New Hampshire. Ed teaches Mechanics of Materials, Theory of Structures, Applied Numerical Methods for Engineers, Reinforced Concrete Design, Steel Design, Matrix Structural Analysis, Advanced Design of Structures, Senior Design Projects, Bridge Design, Pavement Management, Road Design, Computer Aided Drafting (CAD), and Construction Inspection. Research Interests include Structural Analysis and Design, Engineering Materials, Computer Applications in Civil Engineering, and Infrastructure Management.

Gregg W Dixon, Ph.D.

Emeritus Professor - Mechanical Engineering - U.S. Coast Guard Academy
Gregg Dixon served in the Navy Nuclear Power Program as a project officer on the staff of Admiral Rickover. He taught in the Mechanical Engineering Department of California State University, Northridge (CSUN) where he served as the ME Department Chair and Assistant Dean of Engineering... At CSUN Prof. Dixon spearheaded a project to design and install a solar water heating system for an orphanage in Mexico. He served as a consultant to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, where he developed training programs for the Agency's safeguards inspectors. At the IAEA he contributed to the effort that resulted in the Agency being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Professor Dixon contributed to the establishment of the Mechanical Engineering major at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. His professional interests are in the areas of alternate energy development including solar and nuclear energy and radiation detection. He was the faculty advisor for several student entries in the American Society of Mechanical Engineering's (ASME) Solar Splash (solar powered boat) Competition. As a volunteer, he serves as a board member of the New London Section of ASME. He has been appointed to be a member of the State of Connecticut Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee. He is a member of ASME, the American Society for Engineering Education, Tau Beta Pi and Phi Beta Kappa. The courses he has taught at the Academy include: Thermodynamics, Thermal Systems Design, Mechanical Engineering Design, Design Project Management, Experimental Methods in Fluids and Thermal Sciences, and Detection of Radioactive Materials.

FORREST M BIRD, M.D., PhD., ScD.

Born in Stoughton, Massachusetts, Forrest M Bird learned to fly a plane with the encouragement of his father, a World War I pilot. By the age of fourteen in 1935, young Forrest was soloed by his father in his 1928 Waco Biplane. In 1941, with extensive Aviation qualifications, he was called to active duty as a Technical Air Training Officer in the US Army Air Corps. During World War II, as a highly qualified pilot, Forrest transitioned almost every aircraft the Armed Services had in inventory. He was one of the earliest military Jet as well as Helicopter pilots. His Aeronautical knowledge coupled with a later medical education, permitted Dr. Bird, with dual qualifications, to effectively enter into conceptual aeromedical technology. Over the years, Dr. Bird developed in-flight Aircrew Breathing Regulators and anti gravitational devices for pilots flying the latest state of the art military and civil aircraft. Following Dr. Bird's military accomplishments he became interested in developing pneumatically servoed Cardiopulmonary Support Systems. Beyond Aviation circles, Dr. Bird is well known by most clinicians for the first universal mass produced medical respirator known as the Bird Mark 7 Respirator, which still remains in world wide service. Dr. Bird's BABYbird, first introduced in 1969, reduced mortality in Neonates with Respiratory Distress Syndromes (IRDS) from some 70% to less than 10% within several years. During the 1980s Dr. Bird perfected Intrapulmonary Percussive Ventilation (IPV) which has proven to be a major advance in mechanical Cardiopulmonary Care. In 1995 Dr. Bird was inducted into the US Inventors Hall of Fame for his developments in fluid Dynamics and the patented BABYbird. He is a past president of the Civil Aviation Medical Association (CAMA). Dr. Bird is still an active highly qualified FAA certificated Flight Instructor Pilot and Aeronautical Engineer. He remains an ardent Lecturer as well as Educator, with deep Research and Development commitments in Aeromedicine.

Dr. Forrest Bird was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal on December 12th, 2008 by President George W. Bush at a private ceremony in the Oval Office. The presidential citation lists Dr. Bird's groundbreaking work in creating the world's first mass-produced medical respirator. Dr. Bird was also inducted into the Inventor's Hall of Fame in 1995.

Forrest Bird
President Barack Obama presents the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Dr. Forrest M. Bird of Percussionaire Corp. in Idaho, Oct. 7, 2009, in the East Room of the White House in Washington.

PAMELA RIDDLE BIRD, Ph.D.

Founder and CEO, Innovative Product Technologies, Inc. Dr. Pamela Bird is an internationally recognized commercialization expert. She was recently selected as a "Product Evaluator" for ABC television's new series titled, "American Inventor." She is the Founder and CEO of Innovative Product Technologies, Inc. (IPT, Inc.). IPT, Inc. is a product and technology based market commercialization corporation located in Gainesville, FL with a branch office in Sandpoint, Idaho. Dr. Bird is a "key player" in the technology-transfer process. She is a liaison between inventor organizations, venture capital organizations, entrepreneurial networks and research park facilities. In fact, Dr. Bird was interviewed and has served as a consultant to ABC television network 20/20 as a national new product development and commercialization expert. She works diligently with her clients (inventors) to bring new products to the end consumer with "hands on" experience by working with national buyers in retailing, pricing, promoting, packaging, and distributing products. She also works with manufacturers regarding production of new products and with investors to capitalize new business ventures. Dr. Bird is the author of over 70 publications and has been quoted and featured in numerous newspapers throughout the country including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Barron's - The Dow Jones Business and Financial Weekly, Forbes Magazine and the Miami Herald. She has appeared as a guest on numerous television shows including the GOLDEN LIFESTYLES TV Show. Dr. Bird is the author of Inventing for Dummies published by Wiley Publishing Company, owner of the Dummies series. At the request of the U.S. Consulate, Dr. Bird served as the "keynote" via satellite conference with China officials regarding new product commercialization and evaluation in the United States. Dr. Bird is the Founder of the Inventors Educational Foundation. This is a non-profit public charity to assist in the educational, as well as commercialization needs of innovators and entrepreneurs with new ideas, products and technologies from all ages and walks of life. She co-branded the first credit card in the nation with MBNA - one of the largest credit card companies in the world - to start the first credit card for innovators, patent attorneys and patent agents. All proceeds Dr. Bird receives from this card are donated to the Inventors Educational Foundation. Dr. Bird is a licensed pilot, as well as licensed commercial and residential building contractor.

ROBERT GERLACH, DPhil

Dr. Gerlach obtained his doctorate in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford (2010), and previously received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Dresden (2006). Dr. Gerlach's research focusses on the dynamic behaviour of advanced materials, such as glass and carbon fibre composites, transparent ceramics, polymers and high strength alloys. His particular interests include aspects related to failure, damage and fracture of materials subjected to impact loading. He is an expert in experimental mechanics, and developed several novel experimental methodologies for a variety of materials. Integrating experimental and numerical methods, he also developed related Finite Element constitutive models, and taught the 'Computational Finite Element Analysis' course at Oxford University. He published numerous international journal articles and holds patents related to novel experimental and manufacturing methods. Dr. Gerlach has a strong personal interest in efficient public infrastructure and projects related to the development of a sustainable and fair society. He is the co-founder of Endemo, a social enterprise developing user friendly on-line infrastructure for public political engagement. Dr. Gerlach is a passionate rower, and former coach of the St. Catherine's College graduate rowing team at Oxford University.