Howard I. Dwyer
Academic Biography:
I started out with the idea that I wanted to design artificial limbs; it seemed to me that it must be possible to replace a lost hand with something better than a stainless steel hook which opens with a cable and is held closed by a rubber band. I completed a 5-year dual-degree program at UIUC in Mechanical Engineering and Liberal Arts, and went in search of that perfect job. It didn't exist, and I found myself working with robotics in aerospace, as a design engineer. I needed to know much more about computer science and mathematics, so I went to graduate school. I alternated graduate study with engineering and software positions until I completed a Ph.D. in applied mathematics at NIU.
By this time I had decided that I wanted to teach, and I eventually found a position with the Mathematics and Computer Science Department here at Monmouth College. I teach a variety of mathematics courses and occasionally cross-over into computer science.
Research Interests:
My research interests involve applied and numerical mathematics. I enjoy building software, and have worked with several colleagues on joint projects. Most recently, I have been working with Dr. Sturgeon of the Chemistry Department on algorithms to analyze electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra. I am also interested in artificial intelligence topics, and have experimented with artificial neural networks - with mixed results.
Education: B.A. Liberal Arts & Sciences Univ. of Illinois, Urbana 1978
B.S. Mechanical Eng. Univ. of Illinois, Urbana 1978
M.S. Mathematics Univ. of California, Davis 1985
Ph.D. Mathematics Northern Illinois University 1993
Contact Info:
Office: Rm 200D Haldeman-Thiessen
Email: hdwyer@monmouthcollege.edu