Biographical Sketch:

Welville B. Nowak
Principal Research Scientist and Professor Emeritus
359 Columbus Place, 617-373-2977
wnowak@coe.neu.edu

Professional Preparation:

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Physics S.B. 1942 Ph.D. 1949
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Physics

Research Areas:

  • Materials Science and Engineering (inorganic)
  • Thin films
  • Electronic materials
  • Energy conversion (solar, thermoelectric).

Appointments:

  • Principal Research Scientist & Professor (Emeritus) Northeastern Univ. 1994- present.
  • Donald W. Smith Prof. Mechanical Engineering, Northeastern Univ. 1980-1994.
  • Sabbatical leave at Oxford Univ. (England), Dept. of Metallurgy and Science of Materials, Jan.11, 1989 - July 31, 1989.
  • Technical Director of Electrical Discharges, Plasmas, and Materials Division in the Center for Electromagnetics Research, Northeastern Univ. 1985-1992.
  • Sabbatical Leave at the University of Sussex (England), School of Applied Sciences, Materials Science Department, 1974-75 and 1981-82 academic years.
  • George A. Snell Prof. of Engineering, Northeastern Univ. 1973-1980.
  • Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Northeastern Univ. 1963-1973.
  • Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Northeastern Univ. 1962-1963.
  • Project Manager, Director of Electronic Research and Manager of Technical Coordination, Nuclear Metals, Inc., Concord, MA 1954-1962.
  • Solid State Physicist, Microwave Associates, Inc., Boston, MA, 1952-1954.
  • Staff Member, Metallurgy Project, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1949-1952. Research Associate, Physics Dept. and Research Laboratory of Electronics, MIT. 1946­1949
  • Teaching Fellow, Physics Dept., MIT. 1945-1946.
  • Staff Member, Radiation Laboratory, MIT. 1942-1945.

Courses constructed and taught:

  • Introduction to Materials Science (undergraduate, ME and ECE versions)
  • Materials Science and Engineering (graduate)
  • Properties and Processing of Electronic Materials (graduate)
  • X-Ray Diffraction (graduate)
  • Electronic Materials (graduate)

Students Graduated:

  • Ph.D. 13
  • M.S. 17

Previous Funding Agencies:

  • AFCRL
  • AEC
  • NSF
  • NASA
  • ONR
  • US Army Materials Agency (Watertown, MA)
  • US Army Quartermaster Corp. (Natick, MA)
  • Boston Scientific Corp.
  • Bethlehem Steel Corp.

Publications: (61-refereed publications, 4 patents)

    Selected publications:
  • 1. E.X.Sun, S.Fine, W.B.Nowak, "Electrochemical behavior of nitinol alloy in Ringer's solution", J.Mater.Sci.: Mater. in Medicine, 13, 959 (2002)
  • 2. E.X.Sun, W.B.Nowak, "Electrochemical characteristics of Ti-6Al-4V alloy in 0.2N NaCI solution I: Tafel slopes in quasi-passive state", Corr. Sci., 43, 1801 (2001)
  • 3. W.B.Nowak, E.X.Sun, "Electrochemical characteristics of Ti-6Al-4V alloy in 0.2N NaCI solution II: Kinetic behaviors and electric field in passive film", Corr. Sci., 43, 1817 (2001)
  • 4. C. Fountzoulas, W.B.Nowak, "Influence of ion energy and substrate temperature on the structure of copper, germanium, and zinc films produced by ion plating", J.Vac.Sci.Technol., A9, 2128 (1991)
  • 5. W.B.Nowak, "Microcrystalline/amorphous iron alloy films for corrosion-resistant coating", Mater. Sci. and Eng., 23, 301 (1976)

Professional Activities:

  • Fellow, ASM International
  • Chairman, Boston Section of AIME (Inst. Metals Div.) 1972-1973
  • Chairman, N.E. Chapter of American Vacuum Society 1972-1973
  • Paper reviewer, Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology