Department of Physics and Engineering
Michael S. McDermott
Education:
B. S. Electronic Physics, University of San Francisco; 1959-1963
M. S. Electrical Engineering, University of Santa Clara; 1964-1973
Experience:
2001-Present Southern Oregon University Ashland, OR
Assistant Professor – Physics/Engineering
1998-2000 Mission Community College Santa Clara, CA
Adjunct Professor – Physics/Engineering
Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space Sunnyvale, CA
1996-1998 Senior Staff Engineer, Ordnance Engineering. Consulted on high voltage exploding bridgewire technology and Laser Initiated Ordnance applications.
1993-1996 Supervisor of Missile System Ordnance Engineering Group
1987-1993 Program Engineer, U. S. Navy Trident Missile Program. Coordinating technical issues for electronic and ordnance hardware for missile programs.
1968-1983 Design Engineer. Provided design direction for electromagnetic pulse (EMP)
testing and requisite shielding approaches for electonic devices; design direction for high voltage electro-explosive ordnance devices; and engineering direction for laser initiated ordnance system studies.
EG&G Electro-Optics Salem, MA
1967-1968 Project Engineer. Provided design and manufacturing directionfor various high voltage spark gap products
Lockheed Missiles & Space Company Sunnyvale, CA
1963-1967 Engineer. Coordinated electro-explosive ordinance design and test programs.
Patents:
Electro-mechanical Piezoelectric Firing Unit (1966) A Belleville spring loaded unit with high impact on a piezoelectric stack to generate a 2000 volt-0.5 uF energy source for electro-explosive ordnance initiation.
Simultaneous Triggered High Voltage Spark Gap System (1973) A 400 kilovolt switching system for simultaneous switching (within seven nano seconds) of slave gaps in an EMP simulator.