Retirements

John R. Conrad (31K JPG)

Performing research in controlled fusion back in 1986, John Conrad combined his understanding of plasma physics with his appreciation of the difficulties associated with directed ion beams and ion implantation and developed a new concept, called plasma-source ion implantation, or PSII.

Conrad, who retired from the department this year, reasoned that by immersing a target in a plasma and periodically pulsing it to a high negative voltage, he could implant ions on targets with complex geometries.

The technique came as a much-needed alternative to conventional ion-implantation technology, in which the ion beam and the target must undergo a complex and time-consuming manipulation to ensure implantation over the entire surface of a three-dimensional target. Conrad's patented technique now is being developed throughout the world for modifying surfaces of materials ranging from steel to advanced semiconductors.

Conrad earned his bachelor's degree in physics in 1968 from St. Mary's University and a PhD in physics from Dartmouth College in 1973. Before joining the department in 1975, he was a research associate at the Institute for Fluid Dynamics and Applied Mathematics at the University of Maryland, College Park. From 1989 to 1999, he was a Wisconsin Distinguished Professor.

Additionally, he was vice president for plasma-source ion implantation at Applied Science and Technology and was one of the original members of the college's NSF Center for Plasma Aided Manufacturing.

David S. Malkus (21K JPG)

David S. Malkus, who began his college career with a degree in music history, retired from the department this past summer.

He earned his PhD in mathematics from Boston University and was a post-doctoral research associate at the U.S. National Bureau of Standards from 1975 to 1977.

Later, Malkus spent seven years on the faculty at the Illinois Institute of Technology and came to UW-Madison in 1983 as a visiting associate professor. In 1984, he joined the department full time and was active in several college and university research centers, including the Center for Mathematical Sciences and the Rheology Research Center.

Recipient of the college's 1992 Byron Bird Award for Excellence in Research, Malkus co-authored "Mixed Finite Element Methods — Reduced and Selective Integration Techniques: A Unification of Concepts." Published in Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, the paper was honored in 1990 as one of the journal's five most widely cited papers.

In addition, he co-authored, "Concepts and Applications of Finite Element Analysis," one of the most influential text and reference books about finite element analysis.

In retirement, Malkus will teach EMA 605 and begin work on a novel about best friends who serve in Vietnam but return home very different people.