Erik B.

About Erik B.

I routinely take and offer guidance from three questions: 1. What do we think?2. What do we mean?3. How do we know?Commercial products and IP have come out of my work in electrophotography, consumer electronics, X-ray analytical instruments (X-ray sources, detectors and other components) and the development of archival optical data storage (the \"M-disc\"). I have adapted, designed, constructed and/or coded various tools in service to my work, including optical instruments, interferometric devices, manufacturing equipment, multi-physics data-logging devices and laboratory test automation systems. I am currently a partner in a scientific instruments components development company.Since early 2016, I have been engaged as the principal scientific investigator at the infamous \"Skinwalker Ranch\" site in the Utah Uinta Basin and have conducted a low-profile observational science program there. Owing to my appearance on the A&E HISTORY program,\"Secret of Skinwalker Ranch,\" I have seen a lot of \"link\" requests and notes from well-meaning and credentialed individuals on LinkedIn. Thank you for reaching out. I don\'t mean to seem unperceptive. I am acutely bandwidth-limited and haven\'t been as responsive as I might like to be. I am working with Brandon Fugal and our team to create the right channel, the right \"portal,\" for constructive communication on that topic. Please bear with us.Some of the activities that have accelerated progress in my work are computational modeling (FEA electromagnetic, thermal and mechanical, RBD, Ion-transport), coding and scripting (Python, VB, C++, others), automation of laboratory test and data-acquisition assets and the development of means and methods for thin-film deposition and metrology. I have never regretted allocating time and resources to the development of hardware and software tools that can be repeatedly pressed into service.I welcome contact from any LinkedIn account for the purpose of introduction, though I generally limit permanent contacts to those with whom I have had a collegial or other working relationship. I *do not* maintain other social media (e.g. FB, Twitter) accounts.

Experience

1. Director, Co-founder

   Ml3 Scientific

   May 2012 — Present

   This is my company and my sandbox. The primary focus has been on development of advantageously novel components for use in X-ray analytic systems. That effort has had mainly to do with the development of ultra-thin film-based X-ray transmission windows.1. Scientific instrumentation and methods development.2. Computational modeling.3. Software development.4. Product manufacture and test in clean room environment.5. Collaborative technical writing (grants, patent docs).

Education

• Transylvania University

  Physics

  1987 — 1989

• Brigham Young University

  MS, Plasma Physics

  1997 — 2002

• University of Kentucky

  BS, Physics, Mathematics

  1989 — 1992

Skills

• R&D
• Finite Element Analysis: Ion Transport (Vector Fields)
• Experimentation
• Design of Experiments
• Manufacturing
• Finite Element Analysis: Structural, Harmonic, Rigid-Body Dynamics (Ansys)
• Materials Science
• Failure Analysis
• Engineering
• Optics
• Process Improvement
• Clean Rooms
• Finite Element Analysis: Electrodynamics (Vector Fields)
• Characterization
• Spectroscopy
• Product Development
• Analysis
• Physics
• Maple
• Mathematica
• Photolithographic Methods
• Machine Tools
• Thermal Evaporation
• Thin Films
• Strategy
• Thermal Evaporation of Metals
• Nanotechnology
• Technical Writing
• Programming: C++
• Matlab
• Patent Portfolio Development
• Semiconductors
• Clean Room Work
• Visual Basic
• Vacuum Systems
• Simulations
• Public Speaking
• Vacuum
• Programming: Visual Basic