The Team
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Chair
Curt McNamara - Minneapolis College of Art and Design; LogicPD, Minnesota, USA Curt McNamara, P.E. (BSc/University of Minnesota, MEng./Portland State University) is a practicing designer with 30 years experience in medical, commercial, and industrial markets. An active Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers member, Curt received the IEEE Millennium Medal in 2000 for his ongoing work in education. He has co-created a learning module on modularity in biology and design, taught the first engineering for biomimics course for the Institute, and managed the Institute's first Biomimicry in Higher Education Webinar. Curt created and teaches the Systems courses for the MCAD Sustainable Design certificate, and ensures every student going through the program gets a grounding in the techniques of biomimicry.Co-Chair
Early in George’s career, he guided requirements development and plans for Space Shuttle Orbiter’s ground inspections. Then, after leading the Shuttle Program Plan Schedules for return-to-flight after the Challenger accident, he led the Space Station Freedom Verification Program. Prior to the Columbia accident, George managed the Sandia development and flight of Laser Dynamic Range Imager (LDRI), a 3D LADAR video system for in-space structural dynamics measurements of the International Space Station Solar Arrays. This system was matured after the Columbia accident to conduct inspections of the Shuttle Orbiter's wing leading edge in all lighting conditions. As a part of the International Space Station Module Leak Detection and Repair Project, George was principle investigator for the ISS hand-held leak detection system and is on the team to place NDE inspection systems up there as well. He also has been investigating penetrating imager technologies for characterizing damage in space structures such as re-entry tile, and metallic, composite and fabric walls of manned pressurized modules. He is also investigating multi-functional structures, advanced composite resins, hybrid windows, Gecko and Electrostatic Adhesion methods of temporary attachment in zero-g and autonomous remote inspection.
George holds a BS from the USAF Academy and MS from the Air Force Institute of Technology, both in Astronautical Engineering.
Dr. Lawrence D. Pohlmann, owner of Strategics, is semi-retired and living on a mountaintop in Western North Carolina. He continues to provide new business and proposal development support to selected companies across several domains.
In academia, he taught mathematics, psychology, and software engineering and conducted research on human performance. In a government laboratory, he conducted flight simulation research and developed an expert system for grading student pilot flight performance. As a small business project director, he guided flight simulator design. As a Boeing engineer, manager, and director, he was part of design/project teams for avionics, space, and information technology systems—including managing an artificial intelligence group, and supporting NASA's space station and other programs. He led or participated in process improvements for software development, systems engineering, ergonomics engineering, business development, and business systems.
He is a founding member of INCOSE (membership #9), directed all technical activities ('91-'93), served as Regional Director, wrote the first INCOSE Strategic Plan ('96), and represented INCOSE on the industry advisory board for the DoD Systems and Software Technology Conference ('99-'05). He has published and presented extensively. He is recipient of INCOSE's Founders Award.
John Ackley
John Ackley has designed and built software-intensive systems for thirty years, the last decade as systems engineer. He is currently senior member of the technical staff at Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute. Lately, getting back to his roots in western Pennsylvania woods and farms, he has trained in permanent agriculture design and seeks to bring systems engineering practices and natural systems together to help make communities more self-reliant and resilient.