Christopher D. Rahn

Biography

In 1985, Dr. Rahn graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering.  He then obtained a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 1986.  After three years designing control systems and analyzing the dynamics of spacecraft at Space Systems/LORAL in Palo Alto, CA, Dr. Rahn returned to Berkeley to pursue a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. As a faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University from 1992 to 2000, Dr. Rahn developed and experimentally validated control systems for distributed vibration and noise and nonlinear models of high-speed textile manufacturing processes.  He is currently a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University.  He has published over sixty papers and one book, obtained several patents, and garnered the prestigious Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, Board of Trustees Award for Faculty Excellence, and the McQueen Quattlebaum Faculty Achievement Award.  He is currently an Associate Editor for the ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control and a member of the ASME Technical Committee on Vibration and Sound.  Dr. Rahn has been a technical consultant and expert witness on several patent cases.

Teaching

At Penn State, Dr. Rahn has taught ME 440, Modeling of Dynamic Systems, ME 455 Automatic Control Systems,  ME 462, Microelectronic Interfacing for Mechanical Engineers (Mechatronics), and ME 560, Digital Process Control. 

Research

Dr. Rahn leads the Mechatronics Research Laboratory.  His current research interests include biologically inspired robotics, RF MEMS switches, web handling vibration and control, automotive tire dynamics, and video sensing for vibration control.

For further information:  cdrahn@psu.edu. 

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