Professor Steven P. Nichols
Associate Chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Director, Mechanical Engineering Design Projects, Department of Mechanical Engineering
B.S., University of Texas at Austin
M.S., University of Texas at Austin
Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin
J.D., University of Texas at Austin
Professional Career
Dr. Nichols, professional engineer and licensed attorney, initially joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1976 as an Assistant Professor. He remained in the Department until 1978 when he formed an engineering consulting firm. From 1978 until 1985, Dr. Nichols gained broad industrial experience in consulting for industrial concerns and other organizations such as Florida Power and Light, Smith Industries, Plastics Manufacturing Company, and Iowa Power and Light, Electric Power Research Institute, and the U.S. Department of Energy. He earned his law degree in 1983 and has been involved in litigation involving product liability and intellectual property. Dr. Nichols rejoined the Department of Mechanical Engineering in September of 1985. Since that time, he has worked with NASA in research projects with the Advanced Mission Planning Group at Johnson Spacecraft Center. Dr. Nichols served as the Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Resources from 1990 to 1999 and as the Acting Director of the Center for Electromechanics from 1994-1997. Additionally, Dr. Nichols has particular interest in engineering design education both at the undergraduate and the graduate level, in professional ethics, in construction engineering, and in the engineering application of fractal geometry. In teaching the capstone mechanical engineering design course, Dr. Nichols emphasized engineering design, engineering design education, and professional responsibility.
Current Research Projects
- Vehicle and Engine Design
- Advanced Mission Design, funded by NASA
- Engineering Applications of Fractal Geometry, NSF, funded by Energy Research in Applications Program
- Internal Combustion Engines, funded by NSF/Texas Advanced Technology Program
- Design Education in Mechanical Engineering, funded by NASA/USRA
- Engineering Liability, Engineering Ethics, Safety Engineering, funded by NSF
Recent Publications
- "Energy Requirements of a Passive and An Electromechanical Active Suspension System,"
- Vehicle System Dynamics,Vol. 34, No. 6, December 2000.
- "Integration of Professional Responsibility in an Engineering Capstone Design Experience,"
- The Journal of Science and Engineering Ethics, Vol. 6, No. 3, pg. 339-412. August 2000.
- "Challenges in Controlling Active Suspensions for High-Speed Off-Road Vehicles,"
- with K. Efatpenah, J.H. Beno, and R.G. Longoria. ASME, 2000 IMECE,
- Orlando, Florida, November 2000.
- "Energy Model for End-of-Computer Disposition," IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging
- and Manufacturing Technology,
with T.A. Aanstoos. Vol. 21, No. 4, Pg 295.
- "Curriculum Innovation: Professional Responsibility," with T.A. Aanstoos, Christine Moore,
- 2000 International Conference on Engineering Education, Taipei, Taiwan, August 2000.
- "Advances in Homopolar Welding of API Linepipe for Deepwater Applications," with R.S. Hudson,
- R.W. Carnes, SPE Production and Facilities,May 1999, SPE 56086
- "Ethics for Science and Engineering Based International Industries," with R. Spear, C.M. Skoogland,
- The Journal of Science and Engineering Ethics,Vol. 4, No. 3, p. 259, 1998.
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