Biographical Sketches of Committee Members
John H. Johnson, Chair, is a presidential professor emeritus in the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics at Michigan Technological University (MTU) and a fellow of the SAE and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). His experience spans a wide range of analysis and experimental work on advanced engine concepts, diesel and other internal engine emissions studies, fuel systems, and engine simulation. He was previously project engineer at the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Center, and chief engineer in applied engine research at the International Harvester Company before joining the MTU mechanical engineering faculty. He served as chairman of the MTU mechanical engineering and engineering mechanics department from 1986 to 1993. He has served on many committees related to engine technology, engine emissions, and health effects—for example, committees of the SAE, the NRC, the Combustion Institute, the Health Effects Institute, and the Environmental Protection Agency—and consults to a number of government and private sector institutions. In particular, he served on many NRC committees, including the Committee on Fuel Economy of Automobiles and Light Trucks, the Committee on Advanced Automotive Technologies Plan, the Committee on the Impact and Effectiveness of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards, and the Committee to Assess Fuel Economy for Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicles. He chaired the NRC Committee on Review of DOE’s Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies and the NRC Committee on Review of the 21st Century Truck partnership, Phase 1. Dr. Johnson received from SAE the Horning Memorial Award, Colwell Merit Award (two), McFarland Award, Myers Award for Outstanding Student Paper, the Franz Pischinger Powertrain Innovation Award, and the ASME Honda Medal. He received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin.
Joseph M. Colucci (NAE) is president, Automotive Fuels Consulting, Inc., and retired executive director, Materials Research, General Motors Research and Development Center. His previous positions include serving as head, assistant head, research engineer, and senior research engineer, Fuel and Lubricants Department, General Motors Research and Development Laboratories. His research interest focuses on vehicle emissions and fuel economy and on the interactions among the engine, fuel system, fuel, and emissions-control system. Conventional engines (spark-ignition and diesel) and fuels (gasoline and diesel fuel), alternative fuels, and new vehicle propulsion systems (hybrids and fuel cells) are also among his current interests. These research topics have societal benefits for improved air quality and reduced vehicular energy consumption. Mr. Colucci has served on numerous technical advisory committees. He has a B.S.M.E. from Michigan State University and an M.S.M.E. from the California Institute of Technology.
David E. Foster is the Phil and Jean Myers professor of mechanical engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, and director of the Engine Research Center, which has won two center of excellence competitions for engine research and has extensive facilities for research on internal combustion engines. A member of the faculty at the University of Wisconsin since he completed his Ph.D., Dr. Foster teaches and conducts research in thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, internal combustion engines, and emission formation processes. His work has focused specifically on combustion kinetics, emission formation processes, and the incorporation of simplified or phenomenological models of emission formation processes into engineering simulations. He has published extensively in this field throughout the world and for leading societies in this country. He is a recipient of the Ralph R. Teetor Award, the Forest R. McFarland Award, and the Lloyd L. Withrow Distinguished Speaker Award of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and he is an SAE Fellow. He has served on a number of NRC committees, including the Committee on Review of the Research Program of the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles. He is a registered professional engineer in the
State of Wisconsin and has won departmental, engineering society, and university awards for his classroom teaching. He received a B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Larry J. Howell is a consultant to industry and government, specializing in the management of research for business innovation, automotive technology, and vehicle structures and materials. He retired from General Motors (GM) in 2001 as Executive Director, Science, of the General Motors R&D Center’s six science labs (Thermal and Energy Systems’ Electrical and Controls Integration; Manufacturing Systems; Materials and Processes; Chemical and Environmental Sciences; and Vehicle Analysis and Dynamics). Dr. Howell had global responsibility for joint research with universities, government agencies, and GM’s alliance partners. He also served as secretary to GM’s Science Advisory Committee, which reports to GM’s Board of Directors on technology matters.
Prior to his promotion to executive director, he served as department head of the Engineering Mechanics Department at GM R&D. In this position, he had responsibility for research in vehicle structures and materials, vehicle noise and vibration, vehicle aerodynamics, and vehicle safety including vehicle crashworthiness and occupant protection. For many years, he was a member of GM’s safety subcommittee. Later, as executive director, he had responsibility for all of GM’s safety research including stability and control technology (e.g. GM’s StabiliTrak system for reducing the potential for spin-out and roll-over) and accident avoidance systems such as adaptive cruise control. He was also a member of GM’s manufacturing manager council. He received GM’s john M. Campbell Award in 2000 for outstanding contributions to: “Advancements in the Engineering Capability of General Motors and Leadership Excellence in all Phases of GM R&D Activities.” Prior to joining GM, Dr. Howell worked for General Dynamics Corporation as senior dynamics engineer and was a principal investigator on NASA contracts focused on the structural dynamics of the Space Shuttle. He has served on the College on Engineering advisory board of the University of Illinois and Western Michigan University. He represented GM as a member of the Industrial Research Institute (IRI), has served on the Board of Directors, and is an emeritus member of the IRI. Dr. Howell has served on several National Research Council panels, including: Use of Lightweight Materials in 21st Century Army Trucks; Benefits of DOE’s Light-Duty Hybrid Vehicle R&D Program; and Review of the 21st Century Truck Partnership. He has also served as a reviewer of several NRC reports. Dr. Howell received a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois. He also completed the Executive program at Dartmouth’s Amos Tuck School of Business Administration. He has published 27 journal articles and 25 internal company reports at General Motors and General Dynamics. His more recent publications are “Globalization Within the Auto Industry” and “Adapting GM Research to a New Corporate Strategy,” both published in IRI’s Research Technology Management.
John G. Kassakian (NAE) is professor of electrical engineering and former director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT’s) Laboratory for Electromagnetic and Electronic Systems. His expertise is in the use of electronics for the control and conversion of electrical energy, industrial and utility applications of power electronics, electronic manufacturing technologies, and automotive electrical and electronic systems. Before joining the MIT faculty, he served in the U.S. Navy. Dr. Kassakian is on the boards of directors of a number of companies and has held numerous positions with the IEEE, including founding president of the IEEE Power Electronics Society. He is a member of the NAE, a fellow of the IEEE, and a recipient of the IEEE’s William E. Newell Award for Outstanding Achievements in Power Electronics (1987), the IEEE Centennial Medal (1984), and the IEEE Power Electronics Society’s Distinguished Service Award (1998). He is a co-author of the textbook Principles of Power Electronics and has served on a number of NRC committees, including the Committee on Review of the Research Program of the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles and the Review of the FreedomCAR and Fuel Research Program. He has an Sc.D. in electrical engineering from MIT.
David F. Merrion is chairman of David F. Merrion LLC; and chairman of Truck Emission Control Technologies, Inc. He is the retired executive vice president of engineering for Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC). His positions at DDC included staff engineer, Emissions and Combustion; staff engineer, Research and Development; chief engineer, Applications; director, diesel engineering; general director, Engineering (Engines and Transmissions); and senior vice president, Engineering. Mr. Merrion has extensive expertise in the research, development, and manufacturing of advanced diesel engines, including alternative-fueled engines. He is a Society of Automotive Engineers fellow and a member of American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He served as president of the Engine Manufacturers Association, a member of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Mobile Sources Technical Advisory Committee, a member of the Coordinating Research Council, and a member of the U.S. Alternate Fuels Council. He has served on a number of National Research Council committees, including the Standing Committee to Review the Research Program of the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles; the Committee on Review of the 21st Century Truck Partnership, Phase 1; and the Committee to Assess Fuel Economy Technologies for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles. He has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from General Motors Institute (Kettering University) and an M.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Thomas E. Reinhart is program manager, Engine Design & Development, Engine, Emissions and Vehicle Research Division, Southwest Research Institute. His previous positions include: Cummins, Inc., Columbus, Indiana, 1980-2000 (NVH Engineer, 1980-1984, Senior Engineer, Midrange Engine NVH, 1984-1987, Manager, Noise & Vibration Technology, 1987-1994, Director, Noise & Vibration Technology, 1994-2000); Roush Industries, Inc., Livonia, Michigan (Program Manager-Powertrain NVH, 2001-2004), Visteon Corporation, Van Buren Township, Michigan (Senior Manager-Chassis Systems NVH, 2004-2005). He is leading projects in engine design, performance and emissions development, as well as in gasoline and diesel engine NVH improvement. He has led a number of programs, including several emissions reduction projects, as well as the clean sheet design and development of a new off-highway diesel engine. Mr. Reinhart has more than 25 years of experience in diesel engine and powertrain design, analysis, and development, with particular expertise in noise and vibration testing and analysis. He has published 14 technical papers on a range of diesel NVH topics. He has a wide range of experience in the NVH issues of applications ranging from trucks through agricultural equipment, construction, forestry, marine, rail, and military vehicles. Mr. Reinhart has worked with customers on a range of issues, including NVH, drivability, fuel consumption, and adaptation of engines to a wide range of applications. Mr. Reinhart holds four patents for ideas related to diesel engine NVH control. For several years, he was a member of Cummins’ patent review committee. His work experience also covers a wide range of development projects on gasoline and diesel engines, as well as on transmissions and on fuel cell vehicle powertrains. He is a member of the Institute of Noise Control Engineering (INCE), International Institute of Acoustics and Vibration (IIAV), SAE, and has been a member of the Board of Directors of INCE since April 2008. He has also been a member of the organizing committee for the SAE Noise & Vibration Conference since 2002, and chairman of the Diesel Noise session at this conference since 2003. He has an M.S. in mechanical engineering, Purdue University, and a B.S. in mechanical engineering, Purdue University.
Bernard Robertson (NAE) is the president of BIR1, LLC, an engineering consultancy specializing in transportation and energy matters that he founded in January 2004, upon his retirement from DaimlerChrysler Corporation. During the latter part of his 38-year career in the automotive industry, Mr. Robertson was elected an officer of Chrysler Corporation in February 1992. He was appointed senior vice president coincident with the merger of Chrysler Corporation and Daimler-Benz AG in November 1998, and was named senior vice president of engineering technologies and regulatory affairs in January 2001. In his last position, he led the Liberty and Technical Affairs Research Group, Advanced Technology Management and FreedomCAR activities, and hybrid electric, battery electric, fuel cell, and military vehicle development. In addition, he was responsible for regulatory analysis and compliance for safety and emissions. Mr. Robertson holds an M.B.A. degree from Michigan State University, a master’s degree in automotive engineering from the Chrysler Institute, and a master’s degree in mechanical sciences from Cambridge University, England. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (U.K.), a chartered engineer (U.K.), and a fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers.
Charles K. Salter is retired after working 39 years with Mack Trucks, Inc./Volvo PowerTrain NA (3.5 years). His experience covers a wide range of heavy-duty diesel engine engineering and development. His most recent position was as executive director of engine development, where he was responsible for all engine/system functions (design and analysis; emissions control/fuel economy optimization; electronics system development; performance durability testing; manufacturing, supplier, sales and service liaison). This responsibility included design and production introduction of the world’s first fully electronically controlled diesel unit pumps for 12-liter, six-cylinder engines in 1990. He jointly initiated (with Detroit Diesel) and developed, with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and various industry participants, a urea infrastructure for targeted 2007 calendar year engine production (then delayed to 2010). He participated in industry collaborative research through the U.S. Department of Energy Diesel Crosscut Committee, which was part of the 21st Century Truck Partnership. He was a consultant to Volvo PowerTrain NA from 2005 to 2007 on an advanced large truck diesel exhaust gas recirculation cooler vibration study/amelioration and on heavy-duty truck hybrid powertrain duty cycle test procedure development for comparative fuel consumption (EPA/industry/Hybrid Truck Users Forum). He has been a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers for 43 years; an organizer for World Congress technical sessions on heavy-duty diesel fuel injection systems for several years; and company representative to the Engine Manufacturers Association for 25 years, including 13 years on its board of directors, where he has been treasurer, vice president, and president. He holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Pennsylvania State University and an M.S. in engineering, solid mechanics, from the University of Maryland.
Kathleen C. Taylor (NAE) is retired director of the Materials and Processes Laboratory at General Motors Research and Development and Planning Center in Warren, Michigan. Dr. Taylor was simultaneously chief scientist for General Motors of Canada, Ltd. in Oshawa, Ontario. Earlier Dr. Taylor was department head for physics and physical chemistry and department head for environmental sciences. Currently, Dr. Taylor serves on the DOE Hydrogen Technology
Advisory Committee, the Transportation Research Board Committee for a Study of Potential Energy Savings and Greenhouse Gas Reduction from Transportation, the board of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and the Advisory Committee for Columbia University Center for Electron Transport in Molecular Nanostructures. Dr. Taylor was awarded the Garvan Medal from the American Chemical Society. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Indian National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of SAE International and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She was the president of the Materials Research Society and chair of the board of directors of the Gordon Research Conferences. She has expertise in R&D management, fuel cells, batteries, catalysis, exhaust emission control, and automotive materials. She received an A.B. in chemistry from Douglass College and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Northwestern University.
Wallace R. Wade (NAE) was chief engineer and technical fellow, Powertrain Systems Technology and Processes, Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan, where he served for 32 years prior to his retirement. He was responsible for the development, application, and certification of emission and powertrain control system technologies for all Ford Motor Company’s North American vehicles. His technical responsibilities have included low emission technologies for internal combustion engines; analytical and laboratory based powertrain calibration with objective measures of driveability, the first domestic production OBD II (On-Board Diagnostic) system; technology for diesel particulate filters (DPF) with active regeneration; electronic control systems for gasoline and diesel engines; low heat rejection and low friction, direct injection diesel engines; and an ultra low emission, gas turbine combustion system. Today he is a consultant to industry and government. Mr. Wade was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2011 for implementation of low-emission technologies in the automotive industry. He is a fellow member of the Society of Automotive Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He received the Henry Ford Technology Award and has been recognized as a Distinguished Corporate Inventor by the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He has received five SAE Arch T. Colwell Awards and the SAE Vincent Bendix Automotive Electronics Engineering Award. He has received 26 patents related to improvements in powertains and has written 25 published technical papers on powertrain research and development. He has an M.S.M.E. degree from the University of Michigan, and a B.M.E. degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, both in mechanical engineering.
