research team

Tyler Fowler and Kim Mann

Tyler Fowler and Kim Mann began the process from the physics side. They researched hardware, built components in snowy garages, spent a lot of calories collecting initial data runs, and began the task of converting direct current to synchronized AC. We managed to fry Tyler,s inverter in the process! Tyler and Kim are undergraduates in the Physics Department.

Ryan Desmond

Ryan was the first student from the Computer Science side to participate in this collaborative project. He is a senior in computer science multimedia at Southern Oregon, and brought a wide range of skills to the table. Ryan's big-picture thinking helped bring two more top notch CS students into the mix. While the students worked together on most goals, Ryan's main roles included writing the software for individual home use of the system and programming the STAMP module. The Bionic Energy Project is Ryan's capstone project.

Jesse Firestone

Jesse is a computer security and information assurance senior at SOU, and the most recent member of the student research team. He designed the web site, handled data logic for the statistics and graphs, and pedaled feebly whenever necessary. He is considering buying a bike after the research team threatened mortal harm when they found out he didn't own one. Bionic Energy is Jesse's capstone project.

Austin Riba

Austin is a computer science major in his sophmore year at SOU. He contributed his system administration skills, handling most of the server duties. Austin wrote many of the PHP scripts that run the site, as well as several unix scripts that keep everything running smoothly under the hood. He also helped with the electronics necessary to power Bionic Energy's mini web server and sensors. He plans to continue working on the Bionic Energy project as he attends SOU.

Eric Dittmer

Eric Dittmer, Professor Emeritus and former director of the Environmental Studies Department has been the glue for this team. He has provided advice, and helped with the logistics of collaboration between different departments. (Yes, he's pulling the SUV!)

Robert Coffan

Robert is the project lead and whip-cracker. He is an adjunct instructor and the owner of Katalyst Energy. His expertise, confidence and positive attitude have been an asset from the beginning. In addition to overseeing the research and handling PR, Robert has played a large role in the prototype's creation and maintenance. Oh yes, then there's the funding.

special thanks

Research for this project was made possible by many people and organizations, including Southern Oregon University and Katalyst Energy.

Special thanks to:

Ellen Siem

Tom Marvin

Bob O Schultz

Michael Henry

Jamie Vener

Daniel DeFreez

Pete Nordquist

Dan Wilson