Vector Mechanics for Engineers: Dynamics

Born in France and educated in France and Switzerland, Ferdinand Beer held an M.S. degree from the Sorbonne and an Sc.D. degree in theoretical mechanics from the University of Geneva. He came to the United States after serving in the French army during the early part of World War II and taught for four years at Williams College in the Williams-MIT joint arts and engineering program. Following his service at Williams College, Beer joined the faculty of Lehigh University, where he taught for thirty-seven years. He held several positions, including the University Distinguished Professors Chair and Chairman of the Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics Department. In 1995, Beer was awarded an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree by Lehigh University.

Born in Philadelphia, Russ holds a B.S. degree in civil engineering from the University of Delaware and an Sc.D. degree in the field of structural engineering from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He taught at Lehigh University and Worchester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) before joining the faculty of the University of Connecticut where he held the position of Chairman of the Civil Engineering Department and taught for twenty-six years. In 1991 Russ received the Outstanding Civil Engineer Award from the Connecticut Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Elliot holds a B.S. degree in engineering and an M.E. degree, both from Cornell University. He has focused his scholarly activities on professional service and teaching, and he was recognized for this work in 1992 when the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) awarded him the Ben C. Sparks Medal for his contributions to mechanical engineering and mechanical engineering technology education and for service to the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). Elliot taught for thirty-two years, including twenty-nine years at Penn State where he was recognized with awards for both teaching and advising.

Phillip J. Cornwell holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Texas Tech University and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton University. He is currently a professor of mechanical engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, where he has taught since 1989. His present interests include structural dynamics, structural health monitoring, and undergraduate engineering education. Cornwell spends his summers working at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he is a mentor in the Los Alamos Dynamics Summer School and does research in the area of structural health monitoring. He received an SAE Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award in 1992, the Dean's Outstanding Scholar Award at Rose-Hulman in 2000, and the Board of Trustees Outstanding Scholar Award at Rose-Hulman in 2001.