Judges for the 2001 Tennessee State Tournament

Dr. Steve Brooks

Dr. Steve Brooks received his Ph.D. from Catholic University of America in 1995. He is an Atmospheric Scientist with the Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) where he specializes in Arctic studies. He has been a principle investigator for several National Science Foundation arctic system science studies and the NOAA Arctic Research Office studies. He is a designated expert and report author to the United Nations Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program and, in addition to his tundra and sea-ice studies in Arctic Alaska and Scandinavia, he has established and manages the only US air pollution monitoring station within the Russian Arctic.

Mr. Ed Dumas

Mr. Ed Dumas began his university education at Tennessee Tech University in 1986. While studying mechanical engineering, he participated in the cooperative education program and worked for NASA at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Ed gained experience in computer programming and automated data acquisition system while performing tests for Space Shuttle hardware and systems. After finishing his co-op work with NASA, Ed transferred to the University of Tennessee where he completed his B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering in 1993. Ed has since been with NOAA's Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division in Oak Ridge where he is employed as a computer programmer and a research pilot. To date, Ed has participated in over twenty field studies utilizing a specially modified Long-EZ aircraft to measure carbon dioxide & water vapor exchange over various ecosystems in the lower boundary layer of the atmosphere.

Dr. Stephen Canfield

Dr. Stephen Canfield received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech, in 1997. Currently, Dr. Canfield is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Tennessee Technological University. He teaches courses in kinematics and dynamics of machinery, robotics, mechatronics and intelligent machines. He and his students are involved in research for compliant spatial manipulators, mobile climbing robots, assistive mechanisms for children with disabilities, and genetic algorithms for synthesis of compliant mechanisms.

Dr. John Draper

Dr. John Draper received his Ph.D. degree in industrial psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1987. Dr. Draper is responsible for human factors research and development in the Robotics and Process Systems Division at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He has been active in synthetic environment and telerobotic technology development since 1981. His research interests include human-robot interaction and the application of human biomechanics to robot design.

Kaye Johnson

Kaye Johnson completed her undergraduate studies at Mississippi State University and completed graduate work at the University of Tennessee. Kaye has more than twenty-five years' experience at the Oak Ridge National laboratory in areas of finance, subcontract coordination, capital accounting, and program management. In 1994-95, she served on an off-site assignment to DOE Headquarters assisting the Director of the Advanced Automotive Technologies Office in a program spanning seven Federal agencies. Prior to becoming the ORNL Program Manager for the American Museum of Science and Energy 3 years ago, she was Deputy Director of the ORNL Transportation Technologies Program.

Dr. Reid Kress

Dr. Reid Kress received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering in 1988 from the University of Arizona in Tucson. Currently, Dr. Kress is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Previously, he was the Telerobotic Systems group leader for the Robotics and Process Systems Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Dr. Kress has interests in the design, simulation, and control of robotic and teleoperated manipulators in hazardous environment applications.

Dr. Raj Madhavan

Dr. Raj Madhavan received his bachelors degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the College of Engineering, Anna University, Madras, India in 1995, his Masters degree from the Australian National University, Canberra in 1997 and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Sydney in 2001. Currently he is a research fellow with the Center for Engineering Science and Advanced Research (CESAR) within the Computer Science and Mathematics Division at the Oak Ridge National Lab. His research at CESAR primarily concentrates on cooperative multi-robot navigation and distributed sensing issues on unstructured and uneven rugged terrain.

Dr. Stephen Stow

Dr. Stephen Stow holds a Ph.D. in geochemistry from Rice University and previously taught geology at the University of Alabama. Since 1980, Dr. Stow has been employed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He has performed considerable geochemical and petrologic research and published papers on volcanic systems.

Mrs. Katie Vandergriff

Mrs. Vandergriff received her B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Tennessee Technological University in 1987. Currently, she is president of Machine Kinetics Technologies Corporation, a service firm specializing in mechanical engineering and machine design. Prior to joining MK Technologies, she spent fourteen years at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory as a project manager in the Robotics and Process Systems Division and was named one of ORNL's "Pioneering Women." She has been active in numerous technical and professional societies. She is currently serving the American Society of Mechanical Engineers on the National Board for Pre-College Education. She is a member of the National Association of Female Executives, and received the "Outstanding Leader and Advocate Award" from the Association of Women in Science. In 1993 she was selected as the "Outstanding Young Engineer of the Year" for the State of Tennessee.

Dr. Venu Varma

Dr. Venu Varma received his Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1993. Since 1993, he has been with the Robotics and Process Systems Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the past 7 years and works in the kinematics, mechanical design, dynamics and control aspects of robot development. His current interests are in the area of piezoelectric and shape memory alloy actuator development.

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The FIRST LEGO League Tennessee State Tournaments are co-sponsored by UT-Battelle and the Tennessee Technological University.