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VideoRobert C. Dean Jr.
Adjunct Professor of Engineering, Emeritus
rcd@synnovations.com
Overview
Bob Dean served as an associate and later a full professor of engineering at Dartmouth from 1961 to 1984. He then joined Thayer School's adjunct faculty. Dean came to Dartmouth after being an assistant professor at MIT and head of advanced engineering at Ingersoll-Rand Company. The founder or co-founder of eight companies (see below), Dean holds 18 US patents and received one of the first "Tibbett's Pioneer Awards" in recognition of his contributions to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. As President of Synergy Innovations, Dean is developing products, processes, and materials for: aids to the handicapped; biomedical, biotechnological, and diagnostic applications; machining difficult materials; and advanced materials fabrication.
In addition to being a successful fluids engineer and entrepreneur, Dean has a personal interest in prosthetics as a transfemoral amputee for 60 years. He has devoted much of his time and attention to solving the every-day challenges of lower-limb amputees.
Expertise
Fluid mechanics; plasma-arcs; medical, bioprocess, and biomechanics engineering; injury prevention/rehabilitation; materials processing; energy; venture creation; product innovation.
Education
- S.B., Mechanical Engineering, M.I.T. 1949
- S.M., Mechanical Engineering, M.I.T. 1949
- Sc.D., Mechanical Engineering, M.I.T. 1954
Awards
- Member, National Academy of Engineering (1977)
- Fellow, ASME
- Gold Medal, ASME (1996)
- Entrepreneur of the Year Award, New Hampshire Technology Council (1998)
Selected Patents
- U.S. Patent No. 5,833,861; Perfusive Chromatography; Afeyan, N.B., Regnier, F.E. and Dean, R.C., Jr., November 10, 1998.
- U.S. Patent No. 6,152,855; In-Bed Exercise Machine and Method of Use; Dean, R.C., Jr., Diamond, S., O'Neil, G.B., Smith D.S., Heermans, A.G. and Deneen, E,K.; November 28, 2000.
- U.S. Patent No. 6,585,774; Dynamic Variable Geometry Fitting Systems for Use with a Body Appliance; Dean, Jr., R.C., Mayor, M.M., Nelson, D.F., Braley, C.S. and Blanchard, M.W.; July 1, 2003.
- U.S. Patent No. 6,667,459; Configurable Nozzle Baffle Apparatus and Method; Woods, K.J., Hackett, C.M.; Dean, Jr., R.C. and Garg, S.; December 23, 2003.
- U.S. Patent No. 6,720,518; Process and Apparatus for Cutting or Welding a Workpiece; Sanders, N.A., Couch, R.W., Yang, Y., Dean, Jr., R.C., Woods, K.J., Hackett, C.M., Sobr, J. and Connally, W.J.; April 13, 2004.
Entrepreneurship
- Creare, Inc.
- Hypertherm (metal cutting technology)
- Creare Innovations Inc. (xerography and motion control), later called Spectra Inc. and now called FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc. (four color, hot wax, drop-on-demand printers)
- Verax (production mammalian-cell culture systems)
- Synosys, now PerSeptive Biosystems, a division of Perkin-Elmer (biotechnology instruments and process equipment)
- Synergy Research Corporation (motion-control and reprographics engineering)
- Synergy Innovations (nanotechnology, materials processing, thermal sciences, energy sources)
- Simbex (technology for sports safety and healthcare)
News
Researcher studies high school athletes, hoping to make the sport safer
STLtoday.com (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
October 28, 2007
In Dartmouth Engineer Magazine
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Perspective: Inventiveness on Display
Winter 2012 -
Random Walk
Winter 2012 -
A Few of Our Favorite Things: A professorial pick of outstanding ENGS 21 projects
Winter 2011 -
Just One Question: What Was Your Most Memorable Project at Thayer?
Winter 2011 -
Thayer Notes
Winter 2010 -
Just One Question: What Invention or Feat of Engineering, From Any Time Period, Impresses You the Most?
Winter 2009 -
Just One Question: Your Favorite Classes
Fall 2006 -
Inventions: Plasma Torch
Spring 2006 -
Kudos
Fall 2005 -
Minding Their Business: Professors Venture into New Markets
Spring 2005