Research Directions in Distributed Parameter Systems

Research Directions in Distributed Parameter Systems is composed of eleven chapters, written by experts in their respective fields, on topics ranging from control of the Navier-Stokes equations to nondestructive evaluation – all of which are modeled by distributed parameters systems. Written by the plenary speakers for the Conference on Future Directions in Distributed Parameter Systems (October 2000), the volume addresses the state of the art, open questions, and important research directions in applications modeled by partial differential equations and delay systems, with the ultimate goal of passing along these perspectives to researchers in the field.

Ralph C. Smith received the A.B. degree in applied mathematics from Harvard University, Cambridge, in 1983 and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in mathematics from Montana State University, Bozeman, in 1987 and 1990, respectively. A former staff scientist at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering (ICASE) at NASA Langley Research Center, Smith has served on the mathematics faculty of Iowa State University and North Carolina State University. He presently holds the positions of Professor of Mathematics, Associate Director of the Center for Research in Scientific Computation, and co-Director of the Operations Research Program at North Carolina State University.

Michael A. Demetriou received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering (Magna Cum Laude) in 1987, his M.S. degree in Applied Mathematics in 1989, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering in 1990 and 1993, respectively, from the University of Southern California. He is an associate professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a senior member of IEEE.