Richard W. Deller, Ph. D.
Associate Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering

Education:

BSME - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1964
MSME - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1965
Ph.D. - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1974

Number of Years of Service and Rank:

Original appointment: August 1978, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering; Tenure 1982; 24 years total service at Bradley

Other Related experience:

  • Visiting Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 1997-98
  • Assistant Professor - Mechanical Engineering Department, The University of Texas at Austin, September 1974 - August 1978
  • Assistant Director for Geothermal Studies and Coordinator for Geothermal Surface Technology. The Center for Energy Studies, The University of Texas at Austin 1975 to 1978
  • Instructor - Mechanical Engineering Department, The University of Texas at Austin January 1974 - September 1974
  • Teaching Assistant - Mechanical Engineering Department, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 1966-1973
  • Test Engineering - Experimental stress analysis laboratory, International Harvester Company, Motor Truck Division, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Summer 1964
  • Engineer - Proctor and Gamble Company, Miami Valley Laboratory, Cincinnati, Ohio, Summer 1963

Consulting, etc.:

  • Consultant - Caterpillar Inc., September 1986 to August 1987, Full time consultant for Engine Research - on Leave of Absence from Bradley University
  • Caterpillar Tractor Company, Research Division, Peoria, Illinois, “The Effect of Heat Plug Design on Precombustion Chamber Jet Wall Impingement”, Contract executed 1982
  • Consultant - Office of Technology Assessment, United States Congress, for Assessment of ERDA’s long Range Plans for Development of Alternative Energy Sources, July 1975
  • Consultant - Caterpillar Tractor Company, Peoria, Illinois, Summer 1969
  • Test Engineering - International Harvester Company, Motor Truck Division, Fort Wayne, Indiana Summer 1964
  • Engineer - Proctor and Gamble Company, Miami Valley Laboratory, Cincinnati, Ohio Summer 1963

Courses Taught:

ME 101 Foundations of Mechanical Engineering
ME 102 Engineering Design Graphics
ME 301 Thermodynamics I
ME 302 Thermodynamics II
ME 410-411 (Project advisor for) Mechanical Engineering Senior Project I and II
ME 415 Heat Transfer
ME 501 Advanced Thermodynamics
ME 503 Internal Combustion Engines 
ME 604 Design of Internal Combustion Engines 
ME 637 Internal combustion Emissions

Honors and Awards:

  • Faculty advisor award for best project of the exhibit, ”The Director of Research Development Presents this award to Dr. Richard Deller in recognition of your Dedication to Student Learning and Significant Contributions to Bradley University’s Tenth Annual Student Research & Creative Achievement Exhibition, April 12, 2002.”
  • Recipient of the inaugural Pi Beta Phi Excellence In Teaching Award for 1999-2000 that is “Awarded Annually to Professors Who Go Above and Beyond”, February, 2000
  • SAE - Ralph R. Teetor Educational Excellence Award for Faculty - SAE 1979 International Congress and Exposition
  • The University of Texas, Austin Students’ Association Teaching Excellence Award for Untenured Faculty Member, 1978
  • SAE - Arch T. Colwell Award for an outstanding contribution to SAE literature for the paper “Effects of Mixture Distribution on Exhaust Emissions as Indicated by Engine Data and the Hydraulic Analogy,” With D. R. Liimatta, R. F. Hurt, and W. L. Hill, 1973

Undergraduate Student and University Service:

Current:

ME Freshman Academic Advisor 
Academic Advisor for some ME Upper Class Student 
ME Transfer Student Academic Advisor and ME Transfer Coordinator 
Advisor - Summer New Student Orientation Program
Academic Advising Resource for department
Student Recruiting – New and Transfer Student Visit Days
EGT College Marshal at Bradley graduation ceremonies, 24 years 
ABET Accreditation Coordination “How Outcomes will be Assessed”
Bradley University Academic Review Board member

Recent:

EGT Sabbatical Leave Committee
Faculty Search Committee Chair
ME Curriculum Prerequisites Committee Chair
ASME Student Chapter Faculty Advisor
SAE Student Branch Faculty Advisor
Engineering representative to Academic Exploration Program

Principal Publications:

Study of the Methodologies and Curricular Topics for a Three Semester Introductory Design Course Sequence for a Mechanical or Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Curriculum, March 2001, Final report on a study of the introductory Mechanical Engineering course began during 1997-1998 Sabbatical leave to work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The Use of Isothermal Plug Flow Reactors for Exhaust Hydrocarbon Reaction Studies, with S. C. Sorenson, Paper No. 770638 presented at SAE Fuels and Lubricants meeting, Tulsa, Oklahoma, June, 1977. 

The Geopressured Geothermal Energy Resource with M. H. Dorfman, American Nuclear Societies’ Energy and Mineral Recovery Conference, Golden, Colorado, April, 1977.

Summary and Future Projects for the U.S. Gulf Coast Geopressured Geothermal Energy Resource, Volume I of the Proceedings of the Second Geopressured Geothermal Energy Conference, February 1976.

Proceedings of the First Geopressured Geothermal Energy Conference, Edited with M. H. Dorfman, June 1975.

Ph. D. Thesis: The Oxidation of Ethylene in Automotive Exhaust Gas - An Experimental Investigation, 1974.

Effects of Mixture Distribution on Exhaust Emissions as Indicated by Engine Data and the Hydraulic Analogy, D. R. Liimatta, R. F. Hurt, R. W. Deller, and W. L. Hull (Paper No. 710618, SAE TRANSACTIONS, Vol. 80, 1971). Recipient of SAE - Arch T. Colwell Award, 1972.

Reports:

The Effect of Heat Plug Geometry on Precombustion Chamber Jet Wall Impingement, prepared for Caterpillar Tractor Company, 1981.

Invited Lectures:

Potential Impact of Texas Geopressured Geothermal Energy Resources, at First Annual Texas Energy Forecast Conference, University of Houston, March, 1976.

Geopressured Geothermal Resources in Texas, at 23rd Annual Technical Meeting AICHE-ACS, Beaumont, Texas, March, 1976.

The Use of the Geopressured Geothermal Resources for Electric Generation, Corpus Christi Section IEEE, January, 1977.

Natural Gas Resources in the Geopressured Geothermal Zones, at American Gas Association Energy Management Seminar, St. Louis, Missouri, November, 1977.

Scientific and Professional Societies:

Society of Automotive Engineers
American Society for Mechanical Engineers
American Society for Engineering Education
Society of Photographic Scientists and Engineers

Recent Professional Development Activities:

  1. Sabbatical leave during 1997-1998 academic year that had two objectives: first, to study the pedagogical methodologies and curricular topics for a freshman and sophomore mechanical or mechanical and industrial engineering introductory design course sequence, and, second, to serve as a resident faculty member at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Mechanical Engineering, to teach a course titled Mechanical Design of Internal Combustion Engines
  2. Freshman Engineering Education Study Continued the research begun during sabbatical leave (See above)
  • The overall objective of this study was to determine the modifications in teaching methodology, course sequence, and course content that will produce four effects: 1) improve teaching effectiveness in the introductory design courses; 2) improve the attractiveness of the mechanical or mechanical and industrial engineering curriculum; 3) improve the students’ preparation for success in the mechanical or mechanical and industrial engineering curriculum; and 4) increase the retention rate of mechanical or mechanical and industrial engineering students.
  • The specific objective of the research is to identify material that 1) beginning engineering students would need to learn in order to better prepare them for engineering courses; 2) beginning engineering students would find interesting and which would serve to encourage them to remain in engineering; 3) would provide beginning engineering students a significant experimental laboratory experience; and 4) could be taught in a three semester introductory engineering design course sequence. The hands-on, experimental, laboratory experience is an essential component of these courses because of the changing background of the students. Many engineering students have very little hands-on experience with models, repair of mechanical devices, or hobbies. Incoming students are often video-oriented and are more at home with video games than mechanical devices. Laboratory exercises must be designed to encourage the students to remain in engineering and to build their confidence level in essential engineering skills.
  • The research was extended beyond the actual sabbatical leave in order to provide an opportunity to implement some of the study recommendations, to expand the scope of the study, to test some new ideas, and to comment on the results obtained. As part of this research, the Bradley University course Introduction to Mechanical Engineering (ME 101) has been extensively modified during the past three fall semesters. The majority of the course material has been rewritten in accordance with the study model. This new, revised material is incorporated into the final report (See above). The observed improvement in student performance in tests, reports, interest, and retention are an indication of the positive impact of the methodology.