Personnel
Dr. Kurt Barnhart – AARC Director
Dr. Barnhart is Professor and Head of the Aviation Department at Kansas State University
in addition to serving as the executive director of the Applied Aviation Research
Center which oversees the newly established Unmanned Aerial Systems program office.
Dr. Barnhart is a member of the graduate faculty at K-State and holds a commercial
pilot certificate with instrument, multi-engine, seaplane and glider ratings. He
also is a certified flight instructor with instrument and multi-engine ratings. Dr.
Barnhart also holds an airframe and powerplant certificate with inspection authorization.
Dr. Barnhart holds an A.S. in Aviation Maintenance Technology from Vincennes University,
a B.S. in aviation administration from Purdue University, an MBAA from Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University, and a Ph.D. in educational administration from Indiana State
University. Dr Barnhart’s Research agenda is focused in aviation psychology and Human
Factors. His industry experience includes work as a R&D inspector with Rolls Royce
Engine Company, and systems instructor for American Trans-Air airlines. Most Recently
Dr. Barnhart was an Associate Professor and Acting Department Chair of the Aerospace
Technology at Indiana State University where he was responsible for teaching flight
and upper division administrative classes. Dr. Barnhart is an invited speaker at Bombardier’s
international Safety Standdown in Kansas.
Dr. Saeed Khan – AARC Technology Research
Dr. Saeed M. Khan joined Kansas State University in 1997 and was made Engineering
Technology Department Head in 2008. He chaired the task force for establishing the
Professional Master of Technology degree at Kansas State University at Salina.
Khan has been awarded grants and contracts in excess of $3 million from several sources
including the National Science Foundation and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
He has received a first place and a second place award for papers in the Midwest-Section
of the American Association of Engineering Education.
He has served as the chair of the College Diversity Committee and the college representative on the President’s Council of Multicultural Affairs. Khan has also served as co-chair for the technical session on “Mobile Antennas, RF and Wireless Communication” at the 2008 Progress in Electromagnetic Research Symposium held in Cambridge, MA.
Josh Brungardt – UAS Director
Josh Brungardt has served as the Chief Pilot for High Performance Aircraft Training,
EFIS Training, and Lancair Aircraft. He currently is serving as the Unmanned Aircraft
System (UAS) Director for Kansas State University’s Aviation department. In 2010 Josh
attended Senior Officer training on the Predator UAS at Creech AFB with the 11th Reconnaissance
SQ. In addition to completing over 50 first flights on experimental aircraft he has
served as a test pilot and instructor pilot to the U.S. Air Force. He also specializes
in Electronic Flight Information Systems (EFIS) and avionics integration. In 2006
Brungardt started a pilot training company called EFIS Training, which focused on
pilots transitioning to glass cockpits. He holds ATP & CFII ratings with over 4000
hours, as well as having raced at the Reno National Air Races. Brungardt received
a bachelor’s degree in airway science and an associate’s degree in professional pilot
from Kansas State at Salina.
Eric Shappee – UAS Lead Professor
Eric Shappee serves as an associate professor of aviation at Kansas State University
at Salina in the professional pilot program. Professor Shappee teaches numerous aviation
course to include: Introduction to Aviation, System Safety, Safety Management, and
Introduction to Unmanned Aerial Systems. He holds a commercial pilot certificate with
instrument, multi-engine, and glider ratings. He is also a certified flight instructor
with gold seal. Professor Eric Shappee holds two Associate Degrees from Antelope Valley
College, a Bachelors in Aeronautical Science and a Master in Aeronautical Science
and Safety from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Professor Shappee’s main area
of focus in aviation is safety. He has developed several risk assessment tools for
the University and other aviation organizations. Further, he was named as a member
of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators, a membership earned through
professional service and experience. Professor Shappee has been active in the field
of aviation since 1986 and teaching since 1995. During his career in aviation, professor
Shappee has also spent time working with unmanned aerial systems including the Predator,
and Aerosonde.
Kirk Demuth – UAS Chief Pilot
K irk Demuth is a 2007 graduate of Kansas State University Salina with degrees in
professional pilot and technology management. Demuth returns to K-State after spending
time in the industry, gaining invaluable knowledge and experience. After graduation,
Demuth served as chief pilot and maintenance director for Chalk 2 Aviation in Victorville,
Cal., where he accumulated more than 1,000 hours of unmanned aircraft vehicle formation
flying as a chase plane observer for the Predator and Reaper -- military unmanned
aircraft vehicles. He spent the last two years involved in intensive research and
development and flight testing of unmanned helicopter systems for a UAS manufacturer.
Richard Brown – UAS Chief Mechanic
Dr. Ed Plett – UAS Sense and Avoid Research
Dr. Raju Dandu – UAS Sense and Avoid Research
Dr. Raju Dandu is a member of the American Society for Engineering Education, the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Society of Automotive Engineers, and
the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. He has received the Award of Merit from the
Society of Manufacturing Engineers and the ASEE Outstanding Zone Campus Representative
Award for Zone III. He was named K-State Salina Professor of the Year and was an Outstanding
Faculty Advisor nominee. He received the Marchbanks Teaching Excellence Award and
was nominated for the Macarthur Family Faculty Fellowship Award.
He is the principal investigator of a National Science Foundation-funded $500,000 S-STEM ELITE Scholarship grant. He was an invited panelist to review graduate fellowship applications for NASA, National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Department of Defense, and American Society for Engineering Education. He received a mini grant for a K-State Faculty Orientation Trip for Curriculum and Faculty Development in South Asian Studies. He has also served as Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Program Evaluator on International visits to Saudi Arabia and Peru. He is fluent in English, Slovak, Czech, Russian, and Telugu; he understands Spanish, Arabic and Hindi; and is familiar with German and Italian.
He has been a program evaluator for Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology,
chair of American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ Mechanical Engineering Technology
Department Heads Committee, Secretary for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Committee on Engineering Technology Accreditation, chair of Society of Mechanical
Engineers Student Relations Committee and of SME Senior Chapter 230, and the American
Society for Engineering Education Midwest Campus Representative.
Dandu previously worked as a senior engineer at the Tajoura Nuclear Research Center
in Libya, and has had summer fellowships at Oak Ridge and Sandia National Laboratories
and summer work at KASA Industrial Controls. He continues to be a consultant in CE
Certification and product design, development, and testing for multiple companies
and has received work force training in equipment maintenance for food industries.
Dandu holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from North Dakota State University, an M.S. and a B.S. in mechanical, thermal, and nuclear power engineering, both from Slovak Technical University in Czechoslovakia, and an LAE in Automobile Engineering from Andhra Polytechnic.
Dr. Dale Schinstock – UAS SLAM Research
Nathan Maresch – Wireless RF Power
Nathan Maresch is a Lab Technologist at Kansas State University at Salina. He graduated
summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree from Kansas State University in
Electronic and Computer Engineering Technology. He served as a lab instructor for
various Engineering Technology labs in the program. After graduating in 2009, he
joined the UAS initiative to research the miniaturization of electronic circuits.
He designed a two-dimensional obstacle avoidance system utilizing Fuzzy Logic, and
is currently participating in a project involving wireless power charging. He holds
a private pilot certificate and has some industry experience in industrial controls
and automation. He is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
and the Phi Kappa Phi honor society.
Aaron Westerman – UAS Sense and Avoid Research
Aaron Westerman has been at Kansas State University Salina since 2004. He holds a
B.S. in electronics engineering technology from Kansas State University. He is a member
of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Society
for Engineering Education. He sits on the Faculty Student Affairs Committee and the
Career Committee, and has been a faculty advisor for the K-State Gamers’ Board since
2004. Previously, he worked as a Senior Controls Engineer for KASA Industrial Controls.
Matthew Williamson – UAS Sense and Avoid Research
Matthew J. Williamson, PE joined Kansas State University in 2006. He has served as
Construction Engineering Technology Program Coordinator from this time to the present.
Matthew teaches several courses in Engineering Technology, some in Mechanical and
Electronics program areas.
Through grant-funded research, Williamson has been studying the modeling of thermal management for wireless power systems. His work was published at the annual COMSOL Multiphysics Conference in Boston, MA in October, 2011.