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| Home : Volume 33 : Spring 2007 : | |
| Retirements | |
Y. Austin Chang (Large image) |
Known for his dedication to education as well as research advances, Wisconsin Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Y. Chang retired in summer 2006. His research in thermodynamics, kinetics and phase diagram calculations has greatly benefited the study of structural, electronic and magnetic materials.
Chang also has been instrumental in improving undergraduate education in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, including updating laboratories and enhancing curriculum.
“I like to think that I am a scholar/researcher, a teacher/educator and someone who cares for the institution and the community,” Chang says.
Chang received his MS in chemical engineering from the University of Washington in 1955 and his PhD in metallurgy from UC-Berkeley in 1963. He joined the College of Engineering in 1980.
Chang has received numerous awards for both his research and teaching, including multiple awards from the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, of which he was president in 2000, and ASM International (formerly the American Society for Metals). He counts his elections to membership in the National Academy of Engineering (1996) and foreign membership in the Chinese Academy of Sciences (2000) among his highest honors.
His continued presence on campus may cause some to wonder whether
Chang
truly has retired. “Although I now have an emeritus status, I continue to work with graduate students,” says
Chang.
He also will continue to teach
David C. Larbalestier (Large image) |
Grainger Professor of Superconducting Materials and L.V. Shubnikov Professor of Materials Science and Engineering David Larbalestier is renowned for his work in superconductivity.
Through his research, he has made major advances in high-field superconductivity and its applications, for which he was made a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2003. He is the director of the Applied Superconductivity Center (ASC), which studies superconductive materials for applications including cryogenics, magnetism, and microscopy. In recent years, ASC research on magnesium diboride, a new high-temperature superconductor, has gained considerable attention. The ASC is celebrating its 25th year.
Larbalestier received both his BS (’65) and PhD (’70) in metallurgy from Imperial College, University of London. He was named L.V. Shubnikov Chair in 1990 and Grainger Professor of Superconductivity in 1996.
Retiring from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Larbalestier Larbalestier moved to a warmer climate. He and the ASC relocated to Florida State University.
Thomas M. Lillesand (Large image) |
Talk with Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Tom Lillesand and he’ll trace a distinguished career filled with many mentors—the most significant of whom, he says, was his father, head of aerial mapping for the local U.S. Department of Agriculture office. “I helped locate control points on photos and then went with him into the field to mark these points on the ground,” says Lillesand. “It was during those times that I came to realize that I wanted a career related to mapping and imagery.”
A Madison native, Lillesand earned bachelor’s (1969), master’s (1970) and PhD (1973) degrees, all in civil and environmental engineering, from UW-Madison. He began his academic career at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse University, then moved to the University of Minnesota.
In 1982, he joined the faculty at UW-Madison and now maintains affiliations with several programs. “I returned to UW because it was different: different in terms of quality, number of colleagues in the mapping sciences, and faculty governance,” says Lillesand. “Madison just offered so many more opportunities, including returning home.”
Respected for his work in photogrammetry, remote sensing, surveying and mapping, particularly as they relate to environmental, transportation and commercial issues, Lillesand says he is most proud of his positive influence on others. “I have prided myself on being a demanding mentor and a thorough researcher—traits I believe have rubbed off on my students,” he says.
Lillesand is co-author, with Ralph Kiefer and Jonathan Chipman, of the textbook Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation, a widely adopted text both nationally and internationally. He has served on the NASA/USGS Landsat Program advisory committee and continues advisory involvement with the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. In addition, he has participated in countless initiatives to apply university expertise for the benefit of the state.
He plans to remain active as a faculty member emeritus, a researcher and a consultant. He also hopes to spend time with his family, travel, and fish more often for muskies near his cabin in the Minocqua area.
Frank L. Scarpace (Large image) |
Although he now is renowned for his contributions to the mapping community, Frank Scarpace’s first exposure to remote sensing didn’t come until he was in the midst of postdoctoral research in physics at UW-Madison, where he earned his PhD in physics in 1971. During his summer job in Boulder, Colorado, at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Scarpace worked with thermal scanning and realized he didn’t want to spend his career working in a lab.
Eventually, he completed postdoctoral work in civil engineering under UW-Madison Professors Ralph Kiefer and Jim Clapp. He became an assistant scientist with what now is the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies (IES) and, in 1974, joined the faculty in civil and environmental engineering and IES as an assistant professor.
Early in his career, Scarpace focused mainly on remote sensing; more recently, he has directed his research toward photogrammetry. In particular, he develops computer algorithms to more efficiently and correctly identify and quantify environmental resources from satellite and aerial images. In addition, he developed terrain-mapping software called OrthoMapper, which he continuously updates, that has helped to teach students the nuances of creating digital orthophotos from both current and older aerial pictures.
A constant in his tenure on campus is Scarpace’s love of teaching and his positive relationship with his students. He has been the major advisor for about 25 PhD students and nearly 60 master’s degree students.
He and his wife, Peggy, have a Florida home where they spend winters. He advises several students and plans to stay involved in research and product development in his business, Image Processing Software, Inc.
Alan P. Vonderohe (Large image) |
In the summer before he entered college, Alan Vonderohe worked as a land surveyor for the father of a close friend. “I had always been good at math and science in school, so I saw surveying as a tangible way to apply the things at which I thought I was good,” he says. “That summer job got me hooked.”
In 1970, he earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, with specialties in photogrammetry and geodetic science, from the University of Illinois, then became a commissioned officer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for three years. He spent much of his time on ships, doing hydrographic surveys, tidal benchmarking and nautical charting.
When he left NOAA, he returned to the University of Illinois and earned master’s and PhD degrees before joining the UW-Madison faculty in 1979. Vonderohe’s research projects have ranged from analyzing and designing spatial/temporal reference frameworks, to testing the accuracy of digital spatial data, to developing management schemes and applications for real-time information telemetered by intelligent vehicles, to conceptual data modeling for spatial/temporal information systems. He also is known as the technical mastermind behind the recent Wisconsin county coordinate system redesign project known as “WISCRS.”
Vonderohe has developed or taught 34 different courses on topics ranging across legal aspects of land surveying, engineering applications of GIS, analytical photogrammetry, and geodesy.
A respected instructor who has refined his teaching skills to suit his students’ changing needs, Vonderohe has enjoyed sharing knowledge with students he calls excellent. “My reward is seeing the people I’ve mentored go on to accomplish great things in life,” he says.
In retirement, Vonderohe plans to remain active professionally and fish for as many fish as he can find.
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Date last modified: 05-Jun-2007
Date created: 05-Jun-2007
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