ROBERT D. ENGELKEN Ph.D., P.E. Director of Electrical Engineering Professor of Electrical Engineering Director – ASU Optoelectronic Materials Research Laboratory Charter Faculty – ASU Ph.D. in Environmental Science Program College of Engineering LSW 130 D Tel.: 870-972-2088 Resume (pdf) | Class Schedule| HomePage

Recently Taught Classes:

Continuous and Analog Systems,
Electric Circuits I,
Electric Circuits II,
Semiconductor Materials and Devices I,
Laboratory for Semiconductor/Optoelectronic Materials and Devices I,
Communications Theory,
Control Systems,
Senior Design Practicum (team advisor),
Engineering Internship,
Honors Senior Thesis,
Special Problems in Engineering,
Environmental Science Dissertation, and
Independent Research in Environmental Science

Research Interests:

Semiconductor/optoelectronic materials and devices,
Thin film deposition, characterization, and applications,
Composite materials and films including ferromagnetic powder/polymer films,
Electrochemical and electroplating engineering,
Environmental science and engineering including land use and agricultural issues,
Engineering education

Teaching Interests:

• Electrical engineering, particularly, semiconductor/optoelectronic materials and devices and systems engineering (controls, communications, etc.)
• Research methods

Recent Consulting Work:

• Development of large area thin film photoconductor arrays for use in environmental control and communication devices for people with disabilities in consultation with InvoTek, Inc. of Alma, Arkansas,
• Various reviews and editing of draft engineering textbooks and software for publishing companies.

Recent Funding:

 A. Research Funding

1. “Liquid Solution Deposition of Molybdenum, Tungsten, and/or Trivalent Chromium-Based Coatings/Processes as Lower Hazard Alternatives to Those Based on Hexavalent Chromium” as ASU's portion of the joint project “Pollution Prevention and Waste Minimization in Metal Finishing” with Dr. Malay Mazumder of the University of Arkansas - Little Rock and others, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/Arkansas EPSCoR Program, $172,954 total ASU budget, 1999-2002.
2. “Safety - Laser Access System for People with Disabilities” National Institutes of Health Phase II STTR project with InvoTek, Inc. of Alma, AR, 2000-2002. ASU portion » $148,000.
3. “Vacuum System for Depositing Thin Film Materials on Laser Sensing Surface”, Arkansas Science and Technology Authority Applied Research/Equipment Grant to assist in purchase of a $120,000 vacuum evaporation system. In conjunction with InvoTek, Inc. of Alma , AR , 2000, $67,415.
4. “Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Ferromagnetic Water-borne Conducting Polymers for Aerospace Applications,” Arkansas/NASA CORE 2000 EPSCoR Program, with Dr. Tito Viswanathan of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, $15,000 annually, 2001-2006.

B. Student Funding

1. “Environmentally Friendly Trivalent Chromium Electrodeposition: Study of Both Chemistries and Environmental Hazards and Policies,” Graduate Student Research Grant with Anil Baral-candidate for Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences, Institute of Hazardous Materials Management ( Rockville , MD ), Student Research Competition, $10,000, 2003/04.
2. “Reproducible Synthesis of the Pyrrhotite Phase of Iron Sulfide for Semiconductor and Ferromagnetic Applications,” with undergraduate research assistant Brandon Passmore, Arkansas Scholars' Undergraduate Research Fellowship, $3800.00, 2003.
3. “Synthesis, Modeling, Simulation, Characterization, and Applications of Composite Films of Insulators with Semiconductors or Ferromagnetic Materials,” NASA Student Workforce Development Grant, with undergraduate research assistant Emily Meeker, $6500, 2003/2004.
4. “Optimization of Photoconductive/Photovoltaic Properties of Thermally Vacuum-Evaporated Indium (III) Sulfide Films", NASA Student Workforce Development Grant, with undergraduate research assistant Randy Stidham, $6500, 2003/2004.
5. “Formation and Modeling of Photoconductive and Photovoltaic Cells from Semiconductor/Insulator Composites”, with undergraduate research assistant David Harlan, Arkansas Scholars' Undergraduate Research Fellowship, $3900.00, 2005.

Representative Recent Publications (* = student research assistants):

1. C. Barber*, R. Engelken, B. Kemp*, W. Aleem*, I. Khan*, C. Edrington*, M. Buck*, C. Workman*, and A. Thapa*, “Preparation of Powder Precursors and Evaporation of Photoconductive Indium Sulfide Films,” Journal of the. Arkansas Academy of. Science, 51, 18-25 (1997).
2. R. Engelken, “Long Term Optimum Strategies for New Engineering Faculty: A View from a Decade Down the Road,” 1997 Annual Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education-Milwaukee, June 18, 1997, Conference. Proceedings on CD, 13 pages.
3. R. Engelken, “Engineering Research at Predominately Undergraduate Institutions: Strategies and Pitfalls for the New Engineering Educator,” 1999 Annual Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education-Charlotte , NC , June 20, 1999, Conference. Proceedings on CD, 15 pages.
4. J. Bruce Johnson, R. Engelken, H. Jones*, B. Latham*, J. Parker*, and C. Barber*, “Optimization of Photoconductivity in Vacuum-Evaporated Tin Sulfide Thin Films,” Semiconductor Science and Technology, 14, 501-507 (1999).
5. A. Baral* and R. Engelken, “Chromium-based Regulations and Greening in Metal Finishing Industries in the USA ”, Environmental Science and Policy, 5, 121-133 (2002).
6. G. Rehder*, R. Engelken, R. Stidham*, R. Tanner*, L. Ketchum*, and A. Baral*, “Stability and Optimization of Photoconductivity in Thermally Vacuum Evaporated Indium (III) Sulfide Thin Films”, Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, 56, 133-144 (2002).
7. R. D. Engelken, P. Mixon, and D. Gillanders, “Electrical and Other Engineering Programs at Arkansas State University : Two Decades of Growth with Opportunities and Challenges for the Future”, Proceedings of the 38 th American Society for Engineering Education Midwest Meeting, Rolla , MO , September 10-12, 2003. Full-length paper, 11 pages on CD.
8. R. D. Engelken, “Balancing Rigor and Rapport in the Engineering Classroom: Where Should the Line be Drawn by the New Engineering Educators?”, Proceedings of the 2003 Annual Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education, Nashville, TN, June 22-25, 2003, Session 2375/Paper 1324. Full-length paper, 14 pages on CD.
9. A. Baral* and R. Engelken, ““Modeling, Optimization, and Comparative Analysis of Trivalent Chromium Electrodeposition from Aqueous Glycine and Formic Acid Baths”, Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 152, C504-C512 (2005).