Reducing the Risk of Aviation Catastrophe

FALL 2005 PRESIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY LECTURE - R. Bruce Thompson is one of the nation's leading authorities on nondestructive evaluation - the practice of testing a material's ability to perform its intended function and prevent failure without destroying the sample. Thompson uses ultrasound and other technologies to determine stress, texture and other properties of materials. His centers have been involved in testing materials from numerous high-profile crashes and material failures. He holds 24 U.S. patents, leads Iowa State's Center for Nondestructive Evaluation and Ames Laboratory's Nondestructive Evaluation Program, and is editor-in-chief of the [I]Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation[/I]. In 2003, Thompson was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest professional distinctions accorded an engineer. A reception and poster display in the Oak Room will precede the lecture 7-8 p.m.