Brief Biographical Sketch

Robert T. Balmer is Emeritus Dean of Engineering and Computer Science at Union College in Schenectady, New York where he introduced an interdisciplinary paradigm for 21st century engineering education called “Converging Technologies.”

Before going to Union College he was Professor and Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department and Associate Dean in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

He has Bachelors degrees in Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering and a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering all from the University of Michigan. He also has a Doctor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia.

He is the author of over 60 articles on a variety of engineering and pedagogical topics, published two engineering textbooks (Thermodynamics, West, 1989 and Modern Engineering Thermodynamics, Elsevier, 2011), and is a co-author of a freshman engineering textbook (Exploring Engineering, Elsevier, 4th ed. 2015).

His current research is in the field of electrostatic generation in moving dielectric fluids. He has an abiding interest in the history of technology and its impact on culture and society.