Biography

Education:

  • B.S. (1975) Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands
  • M.S. (1978) Aerospace Engineering, University of Kansas, USA
  • M.S. (1979) Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology
  • D. Engr. (1983) Aerospace Engineering, University of Kansas

Professional Experience:

July 2016 – Present

  • Associate Dean for Facilities and Capital Planning, College of Engineering

July 2010 – June 2016

  • Warren and Leta Giedt Professor, Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

March 2002 – June 2015

  • Director, California Wind Energy Collaborative

July 1985 – Present

  • Assistant Professor (1985 – 1989), Associate Professor (1989 – 1995) and Professor (1995 – Present) in the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering of the University of California, Davis. Teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in a wide variety of subject areas including fluid-aerodynamics, aircraft design, and wind energy. Consultant for NASA, several aircraft companies, sailing yacht designers, and wind energy companies.

April – July 1992, June – December 1993, January – March 1996

  • Visiting Researcher at NASA Langley Research Center conducting research on high-lift aerodynamics in support of Subsonic Aircraft High-Lift Flight Project.

January 1984 – August 1985

  • Research Associate, Vigyan Research Associates, Inc., Hampton, Virginia. Worked on the design and optimization of advanced technology lifting systems with special emphasis on cruise drag and high-angle of-attack (stall/spin) lift characteristics. Also studied the shaping of airplane fuselages for minimum drag.

January – December 1983

  • NRC Postdoctorate at NASA Langley Research Center. Investigated the possibilities for and the potential benefits of extensive amounts of natural laminar flow on devices such as wingtip-mounted winglets.

Professional Activities and Honors:

  • Advisor of undergraduate student teams placing 1st, 2nd, and honorable mention in 2015 NASA U.S. University Design Challenge: All-Electric General Aviation Vehicle.
  • Honor Roll of Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Kansas, April 2010.
  • Elected AIAA Associate Fellow, September 2007.
  • U.S. Department of Energy award for “Outstanding Research and Development Partnership to Advance Wind Energy Technology” in partnership with Knight & Carver, and Sandia National Laboratories, May 2006.
  • Associated Editor of Wind Energy for the international journal Solar Energy, Aug 2003 – July 2004.
  • Member of Peer Review Panel to evaluate NASA research on Basic Aerodynamics, Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, January 2004.
  • Co-Director of Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics Lecture Series on CFD-Based Aircraft Drag Prediction And Reduction, Rhode Saint Genese, Belgium, February 3-7, 2003.
  • AIAA Fluids 2000 Art of Flow Control Artistic Award for Active Load Control and Lift Enhancement using MEM Translational Tabs, June 2000.
  • Member of Peer Review Panel to evaluate NASA research on High-Lift Aerodynamics, Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, November 1999.
  • NASA Certificate of Recognition for work on In-Flight Infrared Surface Flow Visualization, October 1998.
  • Member of Science Panel to review test of NREL research wind turbine in the NASA Ames 80′ x 120′ wind tunnel, Boulder, CO, October 1998.
  • NASA-ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Awards, 1993 and 1994.
  • Co-edited book titled Fluid Dynamics in Biology, Contemporary Mathematics, Vol. 141, 1993.
  • Co-organized/co-chaired the AMS/IMS/SIAM Joint Summer Research Conference on Biofluiddynamics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, July 6-12, 1991.
  • NASA Certificate of Recognition for the development of Crescent Wing Planforms, December 1989.
  • AIAA Lawrence Sperry Award for major innovative contributions in Applied Aerodynamics, 1989.
  • NASA Certificate of Recognition for the development of an Aircraft Stall-Spin Entry Deterrent System, March 1988.
  • Outstanding Advisor Award of the University of California, Davis, School of Engineering, 1985 – 1986.
  • Group Achievement Award, Aerial Applications Research Team, NASA Langley Research Center, October 1983.
  • National Research Council Postdoctoral Research Associateship Award, 1983.
  • Member of Sigma Gamma Tau (National Honor Society in Aerospace Engineering).

Patents:

  • AIRCRAFT STALL-SPIN ENTRY DETERRENT SYSTEM, U.S. Patent No. 4,776,542, C.P. van Dam, Issued October 11, 1988.
  • ACTIVE SYSTEM FOR CONTROL OF AERODYNAMIC LOADING USING MICROFABRICATED TRANSLATIONAL TABS, U.S. Patent No. 7,028,954, C.P. van Dam, D.T. Yen, R.L. Smith, S.D. Collins, Issued April 18, 2006.
  • METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY GENERATING AIRFOIL PERFORMANCE TABLES, U.S. Patent No. 7,124,038, C.P. van Dam, E.A. Mayda, R.C. Strawn, Issued October 17, 2006.
  • WIND TURBINE WITH DEPLOYABLE AIR DEFLECTORS, U.S. Patent No. 8,192,161, J.P. Baker, K.L. Jackson, E.A. Mayda, C.P. van Dam, Issued June 5, 2012.
  • WIND TURBINE WITH GUST COMPENSATING AIR DEFLECTOR, U.S. Patent No. 8,267,654, C.P. van Dam, K.L. Jackson, Issued September 18, 2012.

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