William Anderson

Professor Anderson taught and did research on structural dynamics and optimization during his 35 years in the Aerospace Department. Bill chaired/co-chaired 17 Ph. D. dissertations. In later years, Bill founded two companies, Automated Analysis Corporation (an engineering consulting company with 300 employees) and Online Training Corporation (a multimedia training company, with a dominant patent on desktop publishing).

Professor Anderson’s early research was on supersonic panel flutter. He then studied optimization, using nonlinear programming methods. His favorite research was on the structural envelope of high altitude research balloons, for NASA.

Bill graduated from Iowa State University with the BS in 1957 and the MS in 1958, both in Aeronautical Engineering. He then received a Ph. D. from Caltech in 1963, in Aeronautics. His advisor at Caltech was Y. C. Fung.

Bill is a member of Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Bill’s teaching interests were in structures, structural dynamics and finite element theory.

Bill chaired the Computer Aided Design Program for 8 years, until it was absorbed into several departments. He served as chairman of the Engineering College Admissions committee for 5 years. He served on the Engineering College Executive Committee for one year.

Bill received the Standard Oil Award for Teaching Excellence in 1968.

POSITIONS HELD AT U-M

• Professor Emeritus (1985-Present)
• Chairman, Computer Aided Design Program (1977-1985)
• Professor, Univ./Michigan, Aerospace Engineering Dept. (1974-2000)
• Associate Professor, Univ./Michigan, Aerospace Eng. Dept. (1968-1974)
• Assistant Professor, Univ./Michigan, Aerospace Eng. Dept. (1965-1968)