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    Russ College of Engineering and Technology
    Stocker Center
    Athens, OH 45701

    Dennis Irwin

    Dennis Irwin
    Dean Emeritus; Professor Emeritus Electrical Engineering
    Stocker Center 378
    Engineering
    Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
    Ohio Research Institute for Transportation and the Environment
    irwind@ohio.edu
    740.593.9604

    An Ohio University faculty member since 1987, Dennis Irwin was dean of the Russ College of Engineering and Technology from 2002 until 2019. During that time, he also was also Moss Professor of Engineering Education, which is held by the standing dean of the College during his or her tenure. During his tenure, he facilitated the largest charitable gift ever given to a public engineering college: a $124 million bequest from the estate of Fritz and Dolores Russ. He also developed the initial vision for the Academic & Research Center; and has led the development of a doctoral program in civil engineering, two new master’s degrees, three online master’s degrees in several disciplines, and a unique fundamentals initiative to equip engineers and technologists of the future with tailored foundational instruction. He was also instrumental in bringing the world’s premiere space education program, International Space University, to Ohio University and serving as chief host for its Summer Space Studies Program 2015.

    Prior to becoming dean, he chaired the Russ College’s School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science for five years. He was selected as the school's Outstanding Graduate Instructor and Outstanding Undergraduate Instructor three times each. From 2001 to 2002, he held the Neil D. and Bernice E. Thomas Professorship in Engineering in honor of his outstanding teaching abilities and rapport with students as well as achievements in the electrical engineering profession. Irwin previously worked for Logicon Control Dynamics Company in Huntsville, Alabama, as a program manager for projects sponsored by NASA, the United States Air Force, and the United States Army.

    A registered professional engineer in the state of Ohio, Irwin is also a faculty member of the International Space University. He has chaired the space systems engineering department three times, and has served as a lecturer or workshop leader since 1998. He is recognized in Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in America, and Who's Who in Science and Engineering. In May 2001, NASA Glenn Research Center awarded him the honor of Excellence in Project Management for his work on the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite. He currently serves on the nomination committee for the National Academy of Engineering’s Russ Prize, the world’s highest honor in bioengineering. During 2015-2016 he served as president of the Ohio Society Professional Engineers, where he has received numerous awards for engineering management, engineering leadership, and conference organizing. He is a fellow of the National Society of Professional Engineers, where he currently serves on the Board of Directors and the House of Delegates, an associate fellow of AIAA, and senior member of IEEE. He is also a public member of the Ohio General Assembly’s Ohio Aerospace and Aviation Technical Committee.

    He has received research sponsorship from agencies such as NASA, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Department of Education, for which he served as the U.S. principal investigator for a joint grant from the European Union and the United States.

    He is the author or co-author of 40 articles and 15 technical reports and has given numerous national and international presentations in the areas of flexible structure control and the use of remotely accessible laboratories for research and educational purposes.

    Research Interests:appropriate technology, energy studies, computer-aided control system design, and algorithm development and robust control design

    All Degrees Earned:Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, Mississippi State University, 1986

    Journal Article, Academic Journal (12)

    • Irwin, D., Frazier, W., Medina, E., Malas, J. (1997). Modeling and Simulation of Metalforming Equipment. 2 . Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance; 6.
    • Irwin, D., Malas, J., Frazier, W., Venugopal, S., Mederios, S., Srinivasan, R., Mullins, W., Chaudhary, A. (1997). Optimization of Microstructure Development During Hot Working Using Control Theory. 9 . Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A; 28A: 1921-1930.
    • Irwin, D., Medina, E., Venugopal, S., Frazier, W., Medeiros, S., Mullins, W., Chaudhary, A., Srinivasan, R., Malas, J. (1996). Optimization of Microstructure Development: Application to Hot Metal Extrusion. 6 . Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance; 5.
    • Irwin, D., Mullins, W., Venugopal, S., Malas, J. (1996). The Simulation of Acoustic Emission for Metal Forging. 9 . Journal of Metals; 48: 35-37.
    • Irwin, D., Glenn, R., Frazier, W., Lawrence, D., Follett, R. (1995). Analytically and Numerically Derived H Controller Designs for the Hubble Space Telescope. 2 . AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics; 18: 214-221.
    • Irwin, D., Grandhi, R., Thiagarajan, R., Malas, J. (1995). Reduced Order State-Space Models for Control of Metal Forming Processes. Journal of Optimal Control Applications and Methods; 16: 19-39.
    • Irwin, D., Medina, E., Mitchell, J., Bukley, A. (1994). MIMO System Identification Using Frequency Response Data. 1 . Journal of the Astronautical Sciences; 42: 113-129.
    • Irwin, D., Malas, J., Grandhi, R. (1993). An Innovative Strategy for Open Loop Control of Hot Deformation Processes. 5 . Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance; 2: 703-714.
    • Irwin, D., Frazier, W. (1993). Designing Reduced-Order Linear Multivariable Controllers Using Experimentally Derived Plant Data. 1 . AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics; 16: 53-58.
    • Irwin, D., Kumer, A., Grandhi, R., Chaudhary, A. (1993). Modeling and Design of Control Parameters in Metal Forming Process. Transactions of the Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineers.
    • Irwin, D., Mitchell, J., Huston, G. (1993). Practical Model Reduction for Flexible Structures. 2 . Journal of the Astronautical Sciences; 41: 227-247.
    • Irwin, D., Medina, E., Mitchell, J., Bukley, A. (1992). MIMO System Identification Using Frequency Response Data. Advances in the Astronautical Sciences: Guidance and Control, American Astronautical Society; 78.

    Patent (1)

    • Irwin, D. Optimization and Control of Microstructure Development During Hot Metal Working. Patent Number 6,233,500.

    Conference Proceeding (46)

    • Mitchell, J., Irwin, D. (2008). System Identification for Control System Design and Demonstration by FLEXLAB. Tralee, Ireland: Proceedings of the 2008 European Space Agency Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference.
    • Irwin, D., Schilling, K., Adami, T. (2001). A Virtual Laboratory for Space Systems Engineering Experiments. Bologna, Italy: Proceedings of the 15th International Federation for Automatic Control Symposium on Automatic Control in Aerospace.
    • Adami, T., Irwin, D. (2001). State-Vector Selection and the Two Stage Algorithm. Athens, OH: Proceedings of the 2001 Southeastern Symposium on System Theory.
    • Giesey, J., Alexander, C., Irwin, D. (2000). A Curriculum To Enhance Electrical Engineering Education At Ohio University. Davos: Interdisciplinary Conference On Electrical, Electronics & Computer Engineering Education In the Third Millennium.
    • Giesey, J., Alexander, C., Irwin, D. (2000). How Do You Persuade A Faculty To Develop And Embrace A Dramatically New Curriculum?. Davos: Interdisciplinary Conference On Electrical, Electronics & Computer Engineering Education In the Third Millennium.
    • Strahler, J., Irwin, D. (2000). Modeling and Control of an Active Optical System for Flexlab. Tallahassee, FL: Proceedings of the 2000 Southeastern Symposium on System Theory.
    • Adami, T., Irwin, D. (2000). The Two Stage Algorithm and Constrained Least Squares. Tallahassee, FL: Proceedings of the 2000 Southeastern Symposium on System Theory.
    • Adami, T., Irwin, D. (1998). Current Status for Flexible Structure Control Lab. Boston, MA: Proceeedings of the 1998 AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference.
    • Adami, T., Irwin, D. (1998). Current Status for Flexible Structure Control Lab. Morgantown, WV: Proceedings of the 1998 Southeastern Symposium on System Theory.
    • Blinn, B., Irwin, D. (1997). Flexlab: A Ground Based Flexible Structures Test Platform. Cookeville, TN: Proceedings of the 1997 Southeastern Symposium on System Theory.
    • Irwin, D., Glenn, R. (1996). A Reduced Order Controller Design Method Based on the Youla Parameterization of All Stabilizing Controllers. San Francisco, CA: Proceedings of the 1996 International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) World Congress.
    • Irwin, D., Bartholomew, D. (1995). A Method of Compensator Design for Discrete Systems Which Bounds Both Closed Loop System and Compensator Eigenvalues. Mississippi State, MS: Proceedings of the 27th IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 238-242.
    • Irwin, D., Glenn, R. (1995). A Reduced Order Controller Design Method for Multi-Input, Multi-Output Plants Based on the Youla Parameterization of All Stabilizing Controllers. Mississippi State, MS: Proceedings of the 27th IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 252-256.
    • Irwin, D., Duncan, M., Medina, E., Mitchell, J. (1994). Compensator Improvement Program: Recent Developments and Future Plans. Athens, OH: Proceedings of the 26th IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 64-68.
    • Irwin, D., Glenn, R., Frazier, W., Lawrence, D., Follett, R. (1994). Controller Redesigns for the Hubble Space Telescope. Athens, OH: Proceedings of the 26th IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 347-351.
    • Irwin, D., Robe, E. (1994). SIMULINK Modules for Fixed-Point and Floating-Point Arithmetic Simulation. Athens, OH: Proceedings of the 26th IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 337-341.
    • Irwin, D., Thomas, E. (1994). The Class Library Concept: Building a System Analysis and Design Workbench. Athens, OH: Proceedings of the 26th IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 285-289.
    • Irwin, D., Allwine, D. (1993). Characterization of an Infrared Multi-Position Sensor System. Tuscaloosa, AL: Proceedings of the 25th IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 291-295.
    • Irwin, D., Bartholomew, D. (1993). The Residue Identification Algorithm and Constrained Least Squares Applied to Space Shuttle Main Engine Data. Tuscaloosa, AL: Proceedings of the 25th IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 279-284.
    • Irwin, D., Young, W. (1993). Total Least Squares and Constrained Least Squares Applied to Frequency Domain System Identification. Tuscaloosa, AL: Proceedings of the 25th IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 285-290.
    • Irwin, D., Lawrence, D., Glenn, R. (1993). H Control Design Specifications Applied to the Hubble Space Telescope. Keystone, CO: 16th Annual American Astronautical Society Guidance and Control Conference.
    • Irwin, D., Frazier, W. (1992). A Numerical Approach to Controller Design with an Application to a Space Structure Test Facility. Chicago, IL: Proceedings of the American Control Conference; 1665-1669.
    • Irwin, D., Kumar, A., Grandhi, R., Chaudary, A. (1992). Process Modeling and Control in Metal Forming. Chicago, IL: Proceedings of the American Control Conference; 817-821.
    • Irwin, D., Frazier, W., Mitchell, J. (1992). Direct Numerical Design of Reduced Order Multivariable Controllers from Experimental Data. Munich, Germany: Proceedings of the 12th International Federation for Automatic Control Symposium on Automatic Control in Aerospace; 427-432.
    • Irwin, D., Frazier, W. (1992). A Numerical Approach to Controller Design for the ACES Facility. Lake Tahoe, CA: Proceedings of the 5th NASA/DoD Control/Structures Interaction Conference; 65-77.
    • Irwin, D., Brown, J. (1992). Model Identification for the Space Shuttle Main Engine High Pressure Oxidizer Turbopump. Greensboro, NC: Proceedings of the 24th IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 575-578.
    • Irwin, D., Medina, E. (1992). Multivariable System Identification for Large Space Structures. Greensboro, NC: Proceedings of the 24th IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 350-354.
    • Irwin, D., Allwine, D. (1992). Preliminary Characterization of an Infrared Multi-Position Sensor System. Greensboro, NC: Proceedings of the 24th IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 393-397.
    • Irwin, D., Frazier, W. (1992). Reduced Order Controller Design for the ACES Test Facility. Greensboro, NC: Proceedings of the 24th IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 161-165.
    • Irwin, D., Mitchell, J. (1991). Controller Design for a Large Space Structure Test Facility Using Experimental Frequency Response Data. Columbia, SC: Proceedings of the 23rd IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 54-59.
    • Irwin, D., Frazier, W. (1991). Numerical Techniques for the Simultaneous Achievement of Multiple Design Constraints for Multivariable Control Systems. Columbia, SC: Proceedings of the 23rd IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 435-439.
    • Irwin, D. (1990). A Generalized Singular Value Approach to the Localization of Closed Loop Eigenvalues for Multivariable Discrete-Time Systems. Cookeville, TN: Proceedings of the 22nd IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 401-404.
    • Irwin, D., King, J. (1990). Issues in the Application of H Control to Large Space Structures. Cookeville, TN: Proceedings of the 22nd IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 183-189.
    • Irwin, D. (1990). OUCADS - Interactive Software for Classical Controls Education. Cookeville, TN: Proceedings of the 22nd IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 410-418.
    • Irwin, D., Mitchell, J., Huston, G. (1990). Using Singular Values for Model Reduction of Flexible Structures. Cookeville, TN: Proceedings of the 22nd IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 195-203.
    • Irwin, D., Mitchell, J., Huston, G. (1990). Practical Model Reduction for Flexible Structures. Keystone, CO: 13th Annual American Astronautical Society Guidance and Control Conference.
    • Irwin, D., Mitchell, J., Maggard, W. (1989). Adaptive Control of Large Space Structures Using Self Tuning Digital Notch Filters. Boston, MA: Proceedings of the AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference; 911-920.
    • Irwin, D., Maggard, W., Mitchell, J. (1989). Laboratory Validation of Adaptive Digital Notch Filtering. Tallahassee, FL: Proceedings of the 21st IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 427-432.
    • Irwin, D. (1989). Parametrizations of Internal Stability and Performance and Sub-Optimal Controller Design. Tallahassee, FL: Proceedings of the 21st IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 289-295.
    • Irwin, D. (1988). The Application of FAMESS to a Large Space Structure Ground Test Facility. Atlanta, GA: Proceedings of the American Control Conference; 1456-1461.
    • Irwin, D., Wiseman, A. (1985). A Guidance Law with Propulsion Constraints. Redstone Arsenal, AL: 7th Meeting of the Coordinating Group on Modern Control Theory (U.S. Army).
    • Irwin, D., Mitchell, J. (1984). A Simulation of a Digital Adaptive Notch Filter. Mississippi State, MS: Proceedings of the 16th IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 165-169.
    • Irwin, D., Mitchell, J. (1983). An Adaptive Sampling Notch Filter. Orlando, FL: Proceedings of the 1983 IEEE Southeastcon; 209-211.
    • Irwin, D., Mitchell, J. (1983). A Tunable Notch Filter Using Adaptive Sampling Techniques. Huntsville, AL: Proceedings of the 15th IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 238-240.
    • Irwin, D., Mitchell, J., Gresham, L., Tollison, D. (1982). Transfer Function Modeling Using Parameter Estimation Techniques. Destin, FL: Proceedings of the 1982 IEEE Southeastcon; 426-429.
    • Irwin, D., Mitchell, J., Gresham, L., Tollison, D. (1982). Using Parameter Estimation Techniques for Transfer Function Modeling. Blacksburg, VA: Proceedings of the 14th IEEE Southeastern Symposium on System Theory; 243-247.

    Research Report (12)

    • Irwin, D., Bauer, R., Krawcyzk, R., Kruse, H. (2001). Extending ACTS Operations Through a University-Based Consortium. NASA TM 2001-211148 . NASA Glenn Research Center.
    • Irwin, D. (1995). Enhancements and Modifications to the SSME Transfer Function Modeling Code. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
    • Irwin, D. (1994). Software Approaches for Calculating Optimal Microstructural Evolution Profiles. Final Report to Systran Corp., prepared for Wright Laboratory Materials Directorate.
    • Irwin, D. (1993). A General Method for Numerically Determining Optimal Strain, Strain-Rate, and Temperature Profiles for Microstructural Evolution. Final Report to Systran Corp., prepared for Wright Laboratory Materials Directorate.
    • Irwin, D. (1992). Advances and Applications of Transfer Function Modeling Techniques to the Space Shuttle Main Engine. Final Report NAG8-167 . NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
    • Irwin, D. (1991). An Optimal Strategy for Strain, Strain-Rate, and Temperature Trajectories for Dynamic Recrystallization. Contract F33615-90-C-5944 . Final Report to Systran Corp., prepared for Wright Laboratory Materials Directorate.
    • Irwin, D. (1990). System Identification and Controller Design Using Experimental Frequency Response Data. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
    • Irwin, D. (1989). Investigations into a New Algorithm for Calculating H Optimal Controllers. NASA CR-183837 . NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
    • Irwin, D. (1988). Active Control Technique Evaluation for Spacecraft. AFWAL TR-88-3038 . Dayton, OH: Wright Aeronautical Laboratories, Wright-Patterson AFB.
    • Irwin, D. (1988). Investigations of Practical Applications of H Control Theory to the Design of Control Systems for Large Space Structures. NASA CR-183553 . NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
    • Irwin, D. (1984). Advanced Structural Control Techniques. Contract F30602-84-C-0012 . Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
    • Irwin, D. (1984). Critical Issues in the Development of Future Interceptor Missiles. Contract DAAH01-84-DA005 . Huntsville, AL: U.S. Army Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal.

    Software (1)

    • Irwin, D. (1993). OUCADS. Athen, OH: Ohio University.
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