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Department of Engineering

Robert Bailey

Professor
Rob Bailey

Education

  • Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, University of Florida, 1991 

Areas of Specialization

  • Engineering applications of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and heat transfer
  • Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) room air diffusion enhancement
  • Vertical axis wind turbine performance improvement
  • Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) and safety enhancement of engineered systems
  • Use of computer-based tools and technology in engineering education

Curriculum Vitae

Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Office Hours (Fall 2023):

 MW 11 - 12
 Tu 2 - 4
 Th 2 - 4 (Zoom) 

         Other times by appointment.

Faculty Positions

Loyola University Maryland, Department of Engineering, Baltimore, MD
Professor, 2019 - present
Associate Professor, 2005 – 2019
Department Chair, 2009 – 2015

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Chattanooga, TN
UC Foundation Associate Professor, 2003 – 2004
Assistant Professor, 1999 – 2003

Courses Taught

Loyola University Maryland

EG 227 3D Design in Art and Engineering
EG 301 Statics
EG 302 Dynamics
EG 320 Solid Mechanics Laboratory
EG 380 Thermodynamics
EG 420 Solid Mechanics
EG 421 Fluid Mechanics
EG 422 Heat and Mass Transfer
EG 424 Mechanical Design
EG 426 Computer-Aided Simulation and Design
EG 497 Engineering (Capstone) Design Project

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

ENGR 104 Vector Statics
ENGR 113 Freshman Engineering Laboratory
ENGR 303 Thermodynamics
ENGR 307 Fluid Mechanics
ENGR 308 Fluid Mechanics Laboratory
ENGR 405 Heat and Mass Transfer
ENME 450 Mechanical Engineering Design Project
ENGR 493 Senior Interdisciplinary Design Experience I
ENGR 494 Senior Interdisciplinary Design Experience II

Education

Ph.D.  Mechanical Engineering, University of Florida, 1991
M.S.  Mechanical Engineering, University of Florida, 1988
B.S.  Mechanical Engineering, University of Florida, 1986

Industrial Experience

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Abingdon, MD
Senior Engineer and Final Design Manager, 2004-2005
Final design manager for the Guardian Installation Protection Program, a six-year effort to design and deploy integrated chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) protection systems at 200 U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) installations.  Line management responsibility for an interdisciplinary team of over 20 engineers. 

National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, Washington, DC
Senior Program Officer and Study Director, 1997-1999
Directed 24-month, Congressionally-mandated task to evaluate novel technologies for dismantling and destroying the U.S. stockpile of chemical weapons (alternatives to incineration).

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Abingdon, MD
Senior Engineer and Branch Manager, 1993-1997
Lead engineer for all mechanistic engineering analysis and modeling tasks to support quantitative risk assessment (QRA) of U.S. Army chemical weapons disposal facilities.  Responsible for supervising five other engineers and for organizing tasks to meet contract objectives and milestones in a technically superior, timely, and cost-effective manner. 

Savannah River National Laboratory (Westinghouse), Aiken, SC
Senior Engineer, 1991-1993 
Responsible for mechanistic engineering analysis and modeling to support risk and safety assessment of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear production reactors and waste processing, vitrification, and storage facilities.

Selected Publications and Presentations

  1. Y. Kranov, R. T. Bailey, and S. Keilson, "Design of a Junior Level Design Class: Work-in-Progress," in Proceedings of the 2023 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Baltimore, MD, June 25-29, 2023.
  2. R. T. Bailey and W. Friebele, "3D Design in Art and Engineering: An Interdisciplinary Experiment," in Proceedings of the 2020 ASEE Virtual Conference, June 22-26, 2020. (Finalist for Best Paper in the Design in Engineering Education Division)
  3. R. T. Bailey, M. Kalensky, and C. Wilson, “Improving Thermal Comfort via Spatially Adaptive HVAC,” Paper LB-17-C059, ASHRAE 2017 Annual Conference, Long Beach, CA, June 24 - 28, 2017.
  4. R. T. Bailey, “Managing False Diffusion during Second-Order Upwind Simulations of Liquid Micromixing,” International Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids, Volume 83, Issue 12, pp. 940-959, 2017.
  5. R. T. Bailey, “Using 3D Printing and Physical Testing to Make Finite-Element Analysis More Real in a Computer-Aided Simulation and Design Course,” in Proceedings of the 2015 ASEE Annual Conference, Seattle, WA, June 14 - 17, 2015.
  6. R. T. Bailey and C. Morrell, “Quantitative Impact of Textbook Companion PowerPoint® Slides and Related Instructional Approach on Student Learning in Statics,” in Proceedings of the 2013 ASEE Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA, June 23 - 26, 2013.
  7. T. Thomas, F. Jones, E. Snider, S. Torgeson, B. Kegley, and R. T. Bailey, “The Effect of Phase, Feed Composition, and Temperature on Biodiesel Production and Microreactor Design,” in Proceedings of the 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA, October 28 - November 2, 2012.
  8. R. T. Bailey, “Impact of Publisher-Provided Course Materials and Related Pedagogy on Student Learning in a Sophomore Statics Course,” in Proceedings of the Spring 2012 ASEE Mid-Atlantic Section Conference, Newark, DE, April 20-21, 2012.
  9. T. Thomas, R. Dacus, J. Lewis, R. Mebane, J.  Hiestand, R. T. Bailey, M. Lowe, and F. Jones, “Micro Chemical Processing Technology for Production of Biodiesel Fuel,” in Proceedings of the  AIChE Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT, November 7-12, 2010.
  10. L. Borowski, M. Lowe, and R. T. Bailey, “A Soap Film Apparatus to Study Two-Dimensional Hydrodynamic Phenomena,” in Proceedings of the Fall 2009 ASEE Mid-Atlantic Section Conference, King of Prussia, PA, October 23-24, 2009.
  11. R. T. Bailey and W. L. Elban, “Thermal Performance of Aluminum and Glass Beer Bottles,” Heat Transfer Engineering, Volume 29, Issue 7, pp. 643-650, 2008.
  12. R. T. Bailey, S. Ryan, F. Jones, S. Wilson, and J. Hiestand, “Effects of Packing and Aspect Ratio on Mixing and Heterogeneous Catalysis in Microchannels,”  in Proceedings of the 5th Joint ASME/JSME Fluids Engineering Conference, San Diego, CA, July 29 - August 2, 2007.
  13. F. Jones, R. T. Bailey, S. Wilson, and J. Hiestand, “The Effects of Engineering Design on Heterogeneous Biocatalysis in Microchannels,” Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Volume 137, Issue 1, pp. 859-873, 2007.
  14. N. Alp, F. Jones, J. Hiestand, and R. T. Bailey, “Use of Taguchi Methods to Optimize the Design of Biomicroreactors,” in Proceedings of the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) 2006 Annual Conference, Orlando, FL, May 20-24, 2006.
  15. R. T. Bailey F. Jones, B. Fisher, and B. Elmore, “Enhancing Design of Immobilized Enzymatic Microbioreactors Using Computational Simulation,” Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Volume 122, Number 2, pp. 639-652, 2005.
  16. J. Palmer, B. Elmore, R. T. Bailey, and F. Jones, “The Effect of Enzyme Attachment Method on Biomicroreactor Design and Operation,” presented at the 26th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, Chattanooga, TN, May 9-12, 2004.
  17. R. T. Bailey, F. Jones, and B. Fisher, “Optimization of an Immobilized Enzymatic Microbioreactor via Numerical Simulation,” presented at the 25th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, Breckenridge, CO, May 4-7, 2003.
  18. F. Jones and R. T. Bailey, “Simulation and Experimentation in Microbioreactor Design: Incorporation into Engineering Education,” in Proceedings of the 2003 ASEE Southeastern Section Annual Meeting, Macon, GA, April 6-8, 2003.
  19. P. R. Damshala and R. T. Bailey, “A Multi-Purpose Thermal Design Project that Works,” International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, Volume 30, Number 2, pp. 95-115, 2002.
  20. D. R. Bradley, R. T. Bailey, and A. Mohammad, “Probabilistic Assessment of Munition Failure in a Fire at a Chemical Weapons Disposal Facility” in Proceedings of the 2002 Probabilistic Safety Assessment and Management Conference, San Juan, Puerto Rico, June 23-28, 2002.
  21. R. T. Bailey, P. R. Damshala, B. Elmore, and F. Jones, “Numerical Simulation of an Immobilized Enzymatic Bioreactor,” presented at the 24th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, Gatlinburg, TN, April 28-May 1, 2002.
  22. R. T. Bailey, “Shouldn’t I get an A?,” in Proceedings of the 2002 ASEE Southeastern Section Annual Meeting, Gainesville, FL, April 4-5, 2002. 
  23. R. T. Bailey, C. M. Wigal, and R. U. Goulet, “Peer Evaluation in Senior Engineering Design,” in Proceedings of the 2001 ASEE Southeastern Section Annual Meeting, Charleston, SC, April 1-3, 2001. 
  24. C. M. Wigal, R. T. Bailey, and R. U. Goulet, “Capstone Design Course with Industry Collaboration,”  in Proceedings of the 2001 ASEE Southeastern Section Annual Meeting, Charleston, SC, April 1-3, 2001. 
  25. P. R. Damshala and R. T. Bailey, “Numerical Analysis of a Solar Storage (Trombe) Wall to Identify Optimal Energy Recovery Conditions,” presented at the 2000 ASEE Southeastern Section Annual Meeting, Roanoke, VA, April 2-4, 2000.
  26. R. A. Beaudet, R. T. Bailey, et al., Review and Evaluation of Alternative Technologies for Demilitarization of Assembled Chemical Weapons, National Research Council, National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1999.R. T. Bailey, “Estimation from Zero-Failure Data,” Risk Analysis: An International Journal, Volume 17, No. 3, pp. 375-380, 1997.
  27. R. T. Bailey, C. K. Hsieh, and H. Li, “Grid Generation in Two Dimensions Using the Complex Variable Boundary Element Method,” Applied Mathematical Modelling, Volume 19, June, pp. 322-332, 1995.
  28. R. T. Bailey and C. K. Hsieh, “A Quadratic Element Formulation of the Complex Variable Boundary Element Method,” International Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids, Volume 15, pp. 841 863, 1992.
  29. T. I P. Shih, R. T. Bailey, H. L. Nguyen, and R. J. Roelke, “Algebraic Grid Generation for Complex Geometries,” International Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids, Volume 13, pp. 1 31, 1991.

Awards and Honors

  • UTC Outstanding Faculty Award for 2000 and 2004, College of Engineering and Computer Science (awarded by students)
  • UTC Cole Outstanding Engineering Teacher Award, College of Engineering and Computer Science, December 2000
  • UC Foundation Professorship, 2002 - 2004
  • Member of Pi Tau Sigma
  • Member of Tau Beta Pi

Professional Associations

  • Registered Professional Engineer – State of Maryland (#31381)
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Member
  • American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Member
  • American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Member

Research Interests

  • Engineering applications of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and heat transfer
  • Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) room air diffusion enhancement
  • Vertical axis wind turbine performance improvement
  • Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) and safety enhancement of engineered systems
  • Use of computer-based tools and technology in engineering education

Current Research Projects

  • Identification of optimal spacing for modified Savonius wind turbines in a paired configuration

Teaching/Learning Philosophy

I believe that learning is a partnership between teachers and students. Thus, both parties have responsibilities toward making the outcome successful.

Responsibilities of the Teacher

Be prepared. Know the material, and give real thought to how it should be presented and explored. Plan ahead, but allow some flexibility to pursue relevant items as they come up.
Be enthusiastic. Demonstrate genuine excitement about the subject matter. Enjoy your work, and it will show. Laugh a little.
Be patient. Don’t forget that this may be the first time that a student has seen this topic, even if it’s the twentieth time you’ve taught the course. Remember that each student learns differently and at a different pace. Listen to what your students say to you.
Have high expectations. Expect your students to work hard and to do well. Students will often rise to (or exceed) the levels that you set.  Encourage critical thinking.
Be innovative. Don’t be afraid to try new ideas and approaches. Try to include a diversity of learning opportunities in each course (e.g., traditional lectures, group learning exercises, physical demonstrations, illustrative audiovisual aids, design projects, computer-based projects, case studies, personal experience, etc.).  Use techniques that encourage students to explore on their own.
Be accessible. Make yourself available to your students. Keep generous office hours.
Be ethical and fair. Show empathy and compassion for your students, but let them know what is expected, and stick to it. Set high ethical standards for yourself.  Be a positive example.
Reflect and grow.  Objectively assess the effectiveness of your instructional efforts, and make changes to enhance student learning.  Be dedicated to continuous improvement.

Responsibilities of the Student

Be prepared and engaged. Come to class ready to learn. Read or view assigned material before class.  Ask questions.  Actively participate in classroom activities. Own and embrace the subject matter.
Work hard. Often, learning is not easy. Put in the time to study the material and complete the assignments.  Think critically about your ork and what it means.
Plan ahead. Take advantage of class time and the teacher’s office hours.  Start assignments sooner rather than later.  Manage your time effectively. 
Have high expectations. Expect a lot from yourself. Also, expect a lot from your teacher, but don’t expect him or her to do the learning (or the work) for you.
Maintain high ethics. Be true to yourself and your conscience. Take the honor code seriously.
Learn for life.  Recognize that you will need to learn and adapt continuously throughout your career.  Cultivate a philosophy and behaviors that will enable you to be successful.

Goals

  • To guide students to a well-developed understanding of the fundamental body of knowledge and the processes that define engineering, and to have them demonstrate how to use this knowledge and these processes to analyze and design systems that improve life
  • To inspire in students an enthusiasm for the engineering profession, an appreciation for the ways in which engineers can benefit humankind, and an awareness of the challenges and potential harm that can that also accompany new (and current) technologies
  • To instill in students the desire to learn and to continue learning throughout their lives
  • To continuously grow in my depth of knowledge of engineering subjects
  • To continuously improve in all aspects of teaching