Expert Details
Agricultural Engineering, Animal Environments, Water Quality, Livestock Structures, Animal Welfare
ID: 731159
Illinois, USA
Expert’s projects with the Illinois state energy office resulted in several solar energy demonstrations, including one at the Effingham Extension Center that was at the time the largest photovoltaic installation in Illinois.
He’s been active for many years with the group of university ag engineers that maintain MidWest Plan Service, a consortium of twelve land-grand universities in the north central region.
His real passion is livestock systems, and while stationed at a regional University of Illinois Extension office in Effingham, IL he averaged fifty farm visits a year meeting with county Extension advisers on farms to train, educate, photograph, and advise about various aspects of livestock housing. He authored many popular bulletins and fact sheets on subjects such as building ventilation, fencing, geofabrics for farm roads, innovative livestock housing layouts, manure systems management, and solar energy.
In 1992 he moved on campus to the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, the home department for most of his Extension work, in order to continue some of the educational programs left by retiring specialists. He accepted a faculty position in the Department in early 1995, where he continued until his retirement. Being housed in the Department among fellow engineers brought many opportunities for applied research, and Expert helped initiate programs in ventilation research, gas-phase biofilters for livestock housing, hydrothermal liquefaction of organic waste materials (manure to crude oil), precision equipment for land application of liquid manure, and biomass gasification. He directed or assisted several graduate student research projects in those areas of study.
Expert maintained strong ties with state agencies and farm commodity groups, evidenced by his success with regular statewide educational conferences and involvement with deliberations on livestock facility regulations. He was instrumental in codifying rules for new methods of environmentally-friendly livestock mortality disposal.
Faculty in the Department of Animal Sciences and the College of Veterinary Medicine frequently enlisted Expert for classroom instruction in livestock facilities, indoor climate control, and manure management equipment. He provided advice for facilities and management on the university research farms and off-campus research stations.
Expert served as the Extension Assistant Director to the Center for Advanced Bioenergy Research, a unit that coordinated bioenergy research, teaching, and outreach for the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences at the University.
Expert also traveled by invitation outside the country—chiefly to countries in the Caribbean and East Asia—to visit livestock facilities and lecture on Extension methods, facility construction and management.
Education
Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
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Year: 1994 | Degree: PhD | Subject: Agricultural Engineeering | Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
Year: 1988 | Degree: MS | Subject: Agricultural Engineering | Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
Year: 1974 | Degree: BS | Subject: Mechanical Engineering | Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
Work History
Years | Employer | Title | Department |
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Years: 1995 to 2012 | Employer: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Title: Extension Specialist, Agricultural Engineering and Assistant Professor | Department: Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering |
Responsibilities:Available upon request. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: | Department: |
Responsibilities:Available upon request. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: | Department: |
Responsibilities:Available upon request. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: | Department: |
Responsibilities:Available upon request. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: | Department: |
Responsibilities:Available upon request. |
International Experience
Years | Country / Region | Summary |
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Years: 2004 to 2009 | Country / Region: PR China | Summary: Lectures in various provinces on swine production systems, especially indoor environments, structures, manure management. |
Career Accomplishments
Associations / Societies |
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Expert is a 32-year member of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). |
Licenses / Certifications |
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Expert is a Professional Engineer licensed in the state of Illinois. |
Awards / Recognition |
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ASAE Educational Aids Competition, Extension Methods category. Blue Ribbon Award Livestock and Poultry Environmental Stewardship Curriculum. Environmental Education Award. National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. Professional Staff Award for Excellence – Innovation and Creativity College of ACES. Campus Award for Excellence in Public Engagement Rural Builder Hall of Fame, Rural Builder Magazine |
Publications and Patents Summary |
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Expert has many Extension publications in his field, as well as chapters in books. |
Additional Experience
Expert Witness Experience |
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Expert provided testimony and answered questions by agency and other stakeholder attorneys. He has been an expert witness and involved in depositions on swine odor litigation cases, a livestock feedlot runoff control case, and a livestock/train collision (fence law) case. |
Training / Seminars |
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As a professor and consultant he has given multiple seminars and training in the agriculture area. |
Vendor Selection |
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Through Expert's extensive experience with the livestock industry, he constructed a web-based vendors list of custom manure haulers for the state of Illinois; this was the only point of contact many livestock producers had when searching for a custom hauler. He also built and maintained vendors' lists for the various training workshops and seminars held. |
Marketing Experience |
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Expert provides unique expertise in the interface between mechanical systems and animal production, especially with regard to livestock indoor environmental control, specifying and implementation of alternative energy, and livestock waste management. His experience with regulatory agencies and various stakeholder groups should be very valuable in seeking a balance between food systems practices, animal welfare, and ethics. Expert appreciates and has experience in the increasingly important roles of these: food safety, cost, and availability; protecting water resources and water quality; quality of indoor air environment; animal welfare and production practices in livestock systems. |
Other Relevant Experience |
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Expert is a Professional Engineer licensed to practice in the state of Illinois. He considers his broad experience in midwestern US agriculture to be particularly relevant to many issues across the food production sector. He has also worked with and studied alternative energy systems in rural settings and scales. He considers himself a creative and practical engineer who participates well in design and management teams. |