Denise Park

Mark Spong

Expertise

  • robotics
  • engineering education
  • control systems
  • motion planning and analysis
  • robot modeling
  • mechatronics
  • microprocessors
  • sensors

Contact

Lakisha Ladson
972-883-4183

Expert at a Glance

Mark Spong, Ph.D. Dean of the Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science

Lars Magnus Ericsson Chair in Electrical Engineering

Dr. Spong has made pioneering contributions to the fields of robotics and control systems. He is an internationally recognized authority on mechatronics, which is the interconnected networks of microprocessors, sensors and actuators that control dozens of processes in cars, airplanes, manufacturing plants and more.

He has written more than 200 articles and co-authored several groundbreaking books: Robot Dynamics and Control (1989), Robot Control: Dynamics, Motion Planning, and Analysis (1992), Robot Modeling and Control (2005) and The Reaction Wheel Pendulum (2007).

Dr. Spong is frequently invited to speak about robotics and control systems to audiences around the world. His contributions have been recognized with several top honors, including the 2007 IROS Fumio Harashima Award for Innovative Technologies, the Senior Scientist Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the O. Hugo Schuck and John R. Ragazzini Awards from the American Automatic Control Council, among others.  He was elected Fellow of the IEEE in 1996 for his contributions to robotic control systems.

In addition to his research, Spong, as dean of an engineering school, is eloquent on the subject of educating the next generation of engineers. He believes that for a whole educational experience, engineering and science must be part of the liberal arts curriculum. The result, he says, would be more scientific literacy and engineers who can communicate their ideas better. Spong received a doctoral degree in systems science and mathematics from Washington University in St. Louis.

 

 

 

Updated: November 29, 2011