Short Biography for Dr. Velvin (Val) R. Watson

Dr. Val Watson was a Senior Staff Scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center, and he is currently working at Ames as a volunteer (Ames Associate).

Dr. Watson's first project was creating the concept and developing the theory for the "Constricted-Arc Plasma Generator" which is now called the "Arc Jet Wind Tunnel" or just the "NASA Ames Arc Jet". He received a patent with Charles Shepard and Howard Stine for this Arc Jet. This facility is still a primary facility for testing heat shields.

His next project was creating the theory and conducting a computer simulation of a "High Specific Impulse Plasma Accelerator" which produces specific impulses exceeding 100,000 seconds. This was the topic of his PhD thesis at Stanford University.

His next projects were conducting research in numerical simulations of physics and visualization of scientific data. His emphasis was on the development of visual analysis tools to aid in understanding the computer simulations of complex three-dimensional physical phenomena. He instigated the development of FAST (Flow Analysis Software Toolkit), which won the NASA Software Award in 1995.

His most recent research is aimed at providing scientists with an optimum environment for scientific research and discovery. He developed a prototype office environment with tools for:

1. more effectively simulating phenomena and analyzing data
2. collaborating more effectively with remote colleagues
3. reporting scientific results with richer media

Val has also been active in promoting the use of computer graphics in teaching and in professional society presentations. He has been using computer graphics for live illustrations in presentations and classroom lectures since his 1979 pioneering use in computational fluid dynamics courses over the Stanford Instructional Television.

Val has been chairman of the Interactive Computer Graphics Technical Committee for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Computer Graphics Association. He received a BS in Mechanical Engineering and MS in Aeronautics from UC Berkeley, and a PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University.