Rand Decker, Ph.D.
Professor of Civil Engineering
(928)523-6083
Education
B.Sc. Geological Engineering, Department of Geology and Geophysics, College of Mines, University of Utah, 1977
Ph.D. Civil Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, Montana State University, 1986 Minor: Mechanical Engineering
Academic Service
June, 2004 - July, 2006 Professor and Assistant to the Director for Research and Graduate studies,Engineering and Professional Programs, College of Engineeeing and Natural Scicnce, NAU
July, 2002 - June, 2004 Professor, with tenure, and Chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology, NAU
June, 1996 - June, 2002 Associate Professor, with tenure, Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering and Director, Winter/Alpine Engineering Laboratory, U. of Utah
August 1989-June, 1996Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Utah
September 1989- January 1991 Research Associate, The Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR),University of Colorado at Boulder
September 1979 - April 1987:Assistant Research Engineer and Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, Montana State University
Selected Previous Experience
May, 2000 - Present Visiting Scientist, Austrian Institute for Avalanche and Torrent Research, Innsbruck, Austria.
September 1989 - March 1990 Science and Technology Agency Fellow, Nagaoka Institute for Snow and Ice Studies, National Research Center for Disaster Prevention, Nagaoka, Japan.
April 1987- September, 1989 National Academy of Science/National Research Council Resident Research Associate, Fluid:Dynamics Branch, Earth Science
September, 1989: and Applications Division, Structures and Dynamics Laboratory, National Aeronautics and Space Administration/Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama.
1979 - 1986(seasonally) Chief Guide and Operations Manager, High Mountains Helicopter Skiing, Inc.,Jackson, Wyoming.
July 1977 - August 1979 Geological Engineer and Mining Geologist, Sunshine Mining Co., Kellogg, Idaho.
Registration, Licenses and Qualifications
(FE) Examination, passed - April, 1977
Licensed pilot
Licensed winter guide/outfitter, Idaho Outfitters and Guides Board (1982-1986)
Selected Honors
Arizona Water Institute Faculty Affiliate, 2006
Northern Arizona University Honors Faculty Affiliate, 2005
University of Utah Public Service Professorship, 2002
The American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) 1999/2000 Visiting Scholar
Utah Alpha Chapter of Chi Epsilon Fraternity (the National Civil Engineering Honor Society) 1995 Excellence in Teaching Award, May 1995
Fellow: San Diego Supercomputer Computational Sciences Institute, 1992
Fellow: Science and Technology Agency (of Japan), 1989
National Academy of Science Research Associate, November, 1986
Selected Professional Service:
Sept., 2005–Present Board of Trustees and University Liaison, Verde Valley FIRST Robotics, Inc.
May, 2004 - Present Institutional (NAU) Representative, Arizona Governor’s Task Force for the Arizona Water Institute.
December, 2002 - Present Chairman, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Engineering Schools of the West Sustainability Sub-Committee.
December, 1996 - Present USA Point-of-Contact, Joint Snow and Ice Disaster Mitigation for Developing Countries Committee, (Japan) National Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED) and the US Office of Global Change Research.
June 1995 - July, 2000 Serving, Airfield and Airspace Capacity and Delay Committee, National
Academy of Science (NAS)/National Research Council (NRC) - Transportation Research Board (TRB).
March 1994–Present Serving, Winter Maintenance Committee, NAS/NRC – TRB.
January, 1994 - June, 2002 Serving, State of Utah, Division of Comprehensive Emergency Management Field Advisory Support Team.
March 1994 Touring Panel Member, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)/NAS/NRC - TRB International Winter Maintenance Technology Scanning Tour, Japan and Western Europe.
June 1993 - June, 1996 Serving, Committee on (Aircraft) Ground De-icing Systems, Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).
Sept, 1989-June, 2002 Serving, Director of Science, The Center for Snow Science at Alta.
April 1987 - June, 1996 Serving, Fluids Committee and Subcommittee on Granular and Multiphase Flow,Engineering Mechanics Division, ASCE.
Selected Recent Publications
Rice, R., R. Decker, Modeling waves, and short lived peak velocities and impact loads associated with snow avalanches, 2005, Cold Regions Science and Technology, No. 41, pg. 221-233.
Decker, R., R. Rice, S. Putnam, S. Singer, Rural Intelligent Transportation System Natural Hazard Management, 2003, Transportation Research Record, No. 1819, pg. 255-259.
Rice, R., et al (R. Decker), Avalanche Hazard Reduction for Transportation Corridors Using Real-time Detection and Alarm, 2002, Cold Regions Science and Technology, No. 34, pg. 31-42.
Decker, R., J.L. Bignel, C.M. Lambertsen, and K. Porter, Measuring the Efficiency of Winter Maintenance Practices, 2001, Transportation Research Record, No 1741, pg 167-175.
Rice, R., and R. Decker, A Rural Intelligent Transportation System for Snow Avalanche Detection and Warning, 2000, Transportation Research Record, No. 1700, pg. 17 - 23.
Abe, O., et al (R. Decker), Snow Profile Observations for Avalanche Forecasts using the New Generation Rammsonde’, 1999, J. of the Japan Society of Snow and Ice, Vol. 61, pg. 369 - 376.
Frair, F., and R. Decker, Evaluation of a Fixed Anti-Icing Spray System, 1999, Transportation Research Record, No. 1672, pg. 34 - 41.
Louge, M.Y., R. Steiner, S.C. Keast, and R. Decker, Application of Capacitance Instrumentation to the Measurement of Density and Velocity of Flowing Snow, 1998, Journal of Cold Regions Science and Technology, Vol. 25, pg. 47 - 63.
Winter Maintenance Technology and Practice - Learning from Abroad, National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Research Results Digest, January, 1995, No. 204.
Selected Book Contributions and Volumes as Editor
Decker, R., and K. Birkeland, History of Avalanche Research in the US, in: Avalanche Dynamics, Hutter, C. and S.P. Pudasaini, Springer Verlag – Heidelberg, 2006
Associate editor: Matereriali Glyaciologicheskikh Issledovanni (Data of Glaciological Studies – Russian journal, text in English), Contributions to the Theory and Practice of Avalanche Safety, 2004.
Associate Editor: Annals of Glaciology Vol. 32, Avalanches and the Impact of the Forest Cover, 2000.
Editor-in-Chief: Proceedings, 8th International Snow Science Workshop, Snowbird, Utah, 1994.
Editor-in-Chief: Proceedings, Center for Snow Science at Alta Symposium, Snow Science - Reflections on the Past/Perspectives on the Future, 1992.
