Biographical Sketch
John W. Daily
Dr. Daily is currently
Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Center for
Combustion and Environmental Research at the University of Colorado at
Boulder. He studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of
Michigan (B.S. 1968, M.S. 1969) and at Stanford University (Ph.D.
1975.) Prior to starting college he worked on sports and racing
cars, owning his own business. Between the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees
he worked as a Heat Transfer Analyst at Aerojet Liquid Rocket
Company. After receiving the Ph.D. he was a faculty member at the
University of California at Berkeley until 1988, attaining the rank of
Full Professor of Mechanical Engineering. From 1988 until 1990 he
was Director of the Center for Combustion Research at the University of
Colorado. He served as Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department
from 1990 to 1995, then reassumed his position as Director of the
Center for Combustion and Environmental Research. He served as Interim
Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department for the 1999/2000
academic year.
Most of his academic career has been devoted
to the field of combustion and environmental studies. He has worked on
combustion and heat transfer aspects of propulsion and power generation
devices, studying such topics as fluid mechanics of mixing, chemical
kinetics, combustion stability, and air pollution. He also works
on the development of advanced diagnostic instrumentation (including
laser based) for studying reacting flows and environmental
monitoring. Most recently he has been working in the areas of
biomass thermochemical processing and source characterization, wildfire
behavior, the environmental consequences of combustion, optical biopsy,
and MEMS applications in combustion and instrumentation. He has
over two-hundred scientific and technical journal and conference
publications. He has consulted in the areas of engine combustion,
product safety, accident reconstruction, fire safety, toxic air
contamination and air quality. Dr. Daily teaches both
undergraduate and graduate courses in the thermal-sciences, including
thermodynamics, heat transfer, energy and power, combustion, direct
energy conversion, experimentation and measurement, optical diagnostics
and design. He recently has taught courses in chemical kinetics and
molecular modeling.
He is interested in issues facing both engineering
education and higher education in general. He has worked on
alternative educational delivery techniques and methods of enhancing
teaching effectiveness. In 1993 he chaired the Pursuit of Excellence
Task Force, a group studying long-range strategic issues for the
University of Colorado at Boulder. This task force led to the Buffaloes
Futures (1995) and the Academic Affairs Strategic Plan planning (1996)
efforts, in which he participated. He served as Chair of the
Boulder Faculty Assembly (BFA) Budget Committee from 1995-1997 and as
Chair of the BFA from 1997-1999. He also served on the Campus Budget
Planning Committee and the Academic Affairs Budget Advisory Committee.
As Chair of the BFA he sat on the Campus Executive Committee, both
budget committees and on the Council of Deans.
Dr. Daily is a Member of Pi Tau Sigma, Sigma
Xi (past), The Combustion Institute, The Optical Society of America,
the American Chemical Society, the American Associationof Aerosol
Research and an Associate Fellow of The American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics. He was a 1987 recipient of the
Society of Automotive Engineers' Ralph A. Teetor Award for Engineering
Educators. For ten years he was a member of the San Francisco Bay
Area Air Quality Management District Advisory Council, and was Chair
for 1985-1986. He has chaired both the AIAA Propellants and
Combustion Technical Committee the Professional Member Education
Committee. He is presently a member of the AIAA Publications Committee.
He served on and chaired the State of Colorado Hazardous Waste
Commission for over ten years and was on the Air Quality Control
Commission. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of
California.