BOOT CAMP INSTRUCTORS

General RF Measurements

Mr. Michael (Mike) Leffel is a member of the product planning team at Rohde & Schwarz, with a focus on Vector Network Analyzers. Mike works with customers and the internal Rohde & Schwarz R&D team to define future products and measurement techniques. Prior to his 15 years at R&S, he worked at Andrew for 5 years and Motorola for 12 years, designing cellular base station transceivers and amplifiers. As a Principal Staff Engineer, his research focused on feedforward and pre-distortion architectures of Doherty power amplifiers. Mike has published a number of application notes and articles, and currently holds 12 US Patents. He received the B.S degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1989, and the M.S degree in Electrical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1993.

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Material Measurements

John W. Schultz received a B.S. in Physics in 1987 from the University of Maryland, a M.A. in Physics in 1990 from the University of Texas, and a PhD in Materials engineering in 1997 from the University of Dayton. Dr. Schultz is currently the Chief Scientist at the Compass Technology Group where he leads research and development efforts in RF materials and measurement technology. Previously he was a Technical Fellow at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, where he led programs in experimental and computational research on the electromagnetic properties of materials, structures, and antennas. He has developed materials characterization methodologies via free-space, waveguide, resonant cavity, and impedance analysis instrumentation and has invented numerous new measurement probes and methodologies based on extensive use of computational electromagnetics. He has also modeled electromagnetic composite materials and developed new composite material concepts. He has applied thermal analysis, microscopy, and analytical techniques to correlate microstructure to macroscopic properties in his research for providing new insight into electromagnetic material characteristics. Dr. Schultz has also developed new techniques for microwave measurement of scatter phenomena and has applied these techniques to materials ranging from composites to camouflage nets. He has authored numerous papers, presentations, patents and a book, all on the subject of electromagnetic materials characterization.

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Antenna Measurements

Kim Hassett is currently a Senior Applications Engineer for Orbit Advanced Technologies, Inc., Microwave Vision Group Company.  Prior to joining MVG in 2018, Kim served as a Systems Engineer for NSI-MI Technologies, and a Senior Application Engineer for Near-field Systems, Inc. since 2003.  Kim received her BSEE from the University of Maryland in 1985, followed by graduate studies in Electromagnetics at The John Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering.  After graduation, she worked for Westinghouse Electric Corporation (Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems) in Baltimore, Maryland and spent the early part of her career designing phased array antennas and later became involved with phased array analysis, simulation and modeling.  This eventually led her to the antenna range where she worked for seven years specializing in phased array calibration and testing.  She joined Hewlett-Packard/Agilent technologies in 1998 as a Support Engineer for antenna measurement systems, and later as a Technical Consultant for network analysis, spectrum analysis, satellite test systems, and wideband surveillance systems.

Kim is a Senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE); a Fellow member of the Antenna Measurement Techniques Association (AMTA); and has served AMTA as a member of the Technical Committee, Web Oversight Committee, Newsletter Editor, and on the Board of Directors as President, Treasurer, AMTA 2015 Symposium Host, and AMTA 2019 Symposium Host.

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RCS Measurements

Stephen Blalock is Division Vice President, Engineering at AMETEK’s NSI-MI division.  In this role, he oversees all engineering activity for the development of sophisticated measurement systems, electrical and mechanical products.  The company’s engineering department is responsible for the design, integration, verification, and deployment of advanced microwave measurement systems used for characterizing antennas, radomes and other devices from UHF to millimeter wave frequencies.  Stephen is responsible for the electrical, mechanical, software and systems engineering activity needed to bring these systems to market.  

He has more than 20 years of experience in antenna, radar signature, and materials characterization using a variety of test systems including compact range, free space and resonant cavity materials measurement apparatus, image plane antenna range, near-field and far-field antenna ranges.  In addition to system development and operation, he lectures for short courses in Radar Cross Section Measurement methods.  Previously, he lectured for a Radar Cross Section Reduction short course and developed a hands-on compact range laboratory as part of the capstone to the short course.

Stephen is a vetted reviewer for the National Radar Cross Section Measurement Facility Certification program.  This national level program consists of national experts who review and certify the nation’s premier radar signature measurement ranges.

He holds a Master’s degree in Applied Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology as well as a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering Technology from the Southern Polytechnic State University. 

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EMC/EMI Measurements

Dr. Randy J. Jost served as an officer in the United States Air Force, 1982-2006, retiring as a Lt. Colonel and completed assignments as an instructor at the Air Force Institute of Technology Graduate School of Engineering, Signature Technology Office, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Air Intelligence Agency, Plasma Physics Laboratory (AFRL) and High Power Electromagnetics Applications Branch (AFRL) researching the applications of High Power Microwaves (HPM). He has also served as the On-Site Technical Director of the National RCS Test Facility (RATSCAT), Holloman AFB, NM. Dr. Jost later taught at Utah State University (USU) in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering and the Department of Physics as well as working at the USU Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL), where he was involved in the development and implementation of electromagnetic range and materials characterization activities in both the RF and optical area, as well as ensuring the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of SDL designed instruments and payloads. He has developed calibration and measurement procedures to accurately and verifiably measure the signatures of components, subsystems and platforms for aerospace systems. He has also been active in the development of analysis and prediction codes for the modeling and simulation of aerospace systems. Additionally, he has been active in developing codes for the modeling and simulation of the propagation of electromagnetic waves for such applications as optics, radar and wireless communications. He recently retired from Ball Aerospace as a Staff Consultant where he was the Lead EMC engineer, responsible for a staff of 6 EMI/EMC engineers and the requirements definition, analysis, design and testing of aerospace systems for EMC in the aerospace environment. He provided in-house training for all aspects of EMC. He also provided company-wide support in EMC/EMI technologies as well as providing support in a variety of electromagnetics-related technologies in other divisions of Ball Aerospace.  Dr. Jost has served on the Board of Director for the Antenna Measurement Techniques Association and the IEEE EMC Society, and is chair of the joint IEEE APS/EMC Chapter in the Utah Section. He is serving in the EMC standards making bodies of both IEEE and AIAA, having recently served on the committee revising the AIAA-S-121A EMC standard for aerospace systems.  He holds both Commercial and Amateur Extra radio operator licenses, holding the highest U.S. government-issued license classes for the construction, maintenance, operation, and RFI mitigation of both commercial and amateur radio transmitters and facilities.  Dr. Jost has been the author or co-author of multiple books and book chapters in electromagnetics, EMC and radar, and has published more than 100 technical papers and presentations in professional journals and the proceedings of national and international technical conferences.  Additionally, he is actively teaching short courses in signature technology, radar and EMC.