Patrick J. Magari ’85, G’90, Ph.D. ’92, owner and principal engineer of Creare Inc., will present this year’s Nunan Lecture in ϲ’s . He will speak on “The Role of Small Business in Advanced Engineering Research and Development” on Friday, April 9, from 11 a.m.-noon in the Regency Room at the Sheraton ϲ Hotel & Conference Center. The presentation is free and open to the public.
Later that afternoon, graduate students in the college will offer poster presentations from 2-5 p.m. in the Regency Room as part of Nunan Research Day. An awards ceremony and reception will follow. The posters will be on display beginning Thursday, April 8, at the Sheraton as part of the 25th anniversary celebration for ϲ’s CASE Center.
In the Nunan Lecture, Magari will discuss his nearly 20 years of experience working with engineers at Creare Inc. to develop novel technology in diverse areas. Creare Inc. is a small engineering research and development firm, located in Hanover, N.H., that is well known for innovation and the commercialization of its work.
Magari will provide a brief overview of the company’s 50-year history of innovation, real-world impact and commercialization success. The company’s success has been realized in applications involving technologies from the world’s leading computational fluid mechanics software product to delivering thermal and fluid management equipment for spacecraft.
In particular, Magari will discuss in detail one of his active research areas involving the development of non-invasive ultrasonic instrumentation to detect the bubbles associated with decompression sickness (DCS) in divers, aviators and astronauts. This work spans a wide range of applied and basic research that might eventually be transitioned to commercial applications beyond DCS.
“It is particularly gratifying to have one of our own outstanding Ph.D. graduates speaking to our students, as the Nunan Lecture and Research Day is all about celebrating doctoral research within the college,” says Mark Glauser, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and associate dean for research and doctoral programs in LCS.
Magari received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering and electrical engineering and master’s and Ph.D. degrees in aerospace engineering, all from SU. After completing his Ph.D., Magari joined the Department of Engineering Science at Oxford University as an NSF/NATO Fellow. Magari has worked at NASA Glenn Research Center performing gas turbine research, the German DLR flight testing aircraft and JDR Systems developing weapon delivery systems.
Magari is an experienced project manager and has led numerous projects at Creare, ranging from small consulting efforts to large multi-million dollar, multi-year development efforts. His work has included a broad spectrum of engineering analysis, prototype development and testing. His general areas of interest include novel mechanical devices, instrumentation, bioengineering, fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, turbomachinery, materials processing and cryogenic systems.
He is the recipient of numerous awards and is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and the Society of Automotive Engineers.
The Nunan Lecture, a major research lecture held each spring, is made possible by a gift from the estate of LCS alumnus Jim Nunan ’37 and his wife, Marge. The lecture is given each year by a top researcher with expertise in the fields represented by LCS, while at the same time maintaining relevance in the other schools and colleges.
The Nunan Research Day, held in conjunction with the Nunan Lecture, gives graduate students an opportunity to display their work through poster sessions and presentations.
