Dr. Vaughn
NelsonDirector
Office: Killgore Research Center, Room 116
Phone:
E-mail: vnelson@wtamu.edu
Professional Profile
Dr. Vaughn Nelson arrived at WTAMU in 1969, and since then has had the following duties: teaching physics, doing research in renewable energy, primarily wind energy and wind turbines and administration from deptartment head to dean. He was previously the Dean of the Graduate School, Research and Information Technology, but retired on August 31, 2001.
He founded the Alternative Energy Institute in 1971 and was recently brought back as Director in 2009.
He also collaborated with other univertises and taught Mechanics and Quantum Mechanics. Much of his professional service has been in relation to energy.
- 1994-2003 -Texas Energy Coordinating Council
- 1992-93 - State of Texas Energy Policy Partnership (cochair Outlook Committee)
- 1989-95 - R&D Committee of American Wind Energy Association
- Served on Board of Directors
- Texas Solar Energy Society, President two years
- American Wind Energy Association
- Texas Renewable Industries Association
- Three companies in the wind industry
Research and Other Activity
Education
- Ph.D., 1967 University of Kansas, Physics
- Ed.M., 1962 Harvard University
- B.S.E., 1957 Kansas State Teachers College, Emporia
The CDs are available from the WTAMU bookstore.
- Vaughn Nelson, Wind Energy and Wind Turbines, Alternative Energy Institute, 2001
- Revised and now available on CD from WTAMU Bookstore.
- Revised again, 2009.
Now available at WTAMU Bookstore.
- Vaughn Nelson, R. Nolan Clark, Robert Foster y Arturo Romero Paredes, Bombeo de Agua con Energia Eolica, AEI CD 2005-1
- Vaughn Nelson, Wind Energy and Wind Turbines, AEI CD 2004-1.
- Vaughn Nelson, Solar Energy, AEI CD 2004-2
- Vaughn Nelson, R. Nolan Clark, and Robert Foster, Wind Water Pumping, AEI CD 2005-3.
- Janarden Rohatgi and
Vaughn Nelson, Wind
Characteristics,
An Analysis for the
Generation of Wind Power,
Alternative
Energy Institute, June1994.
- V. Nelson, K. Starcher, H. Ito and P. Lockwood, "Extreme Wind Events," Proceedings, Windpower 2003, Am Wind Energy Assn, on CD.
- Vaughn Nelson and Nolan Clark, Wind Water Pumping, AEI Report 01-1, March 2001, 27 pgs. Revised and now available on CD.
- Shitao Ling, Vaughn Nelson, R. Nolan Clark and Brian Vick, "Field Testing of a Smart Controller for Wind-Electric
- Water Pumping Systems," 2000 ASME Wind Energy Symposium, p 339.
- Daniel J. Suson, Lionel D. Hewett, Jim McCoy and Vaughn Nelson, "Creating a virtual physics department,"
- Am. J. Phys. 67 (6), June 1999, p. 520.
- Shitao Ling, Junyi Ling,, Vaughn Nelson, Ron Davis and Nolan Clark, "Designing and Testing a Control Systemfor an Ultra Violet Water Purifer Powered by Wind/Solar Energy," Proceedings Windpower 99, Am Wind Energy Assn,
- Vaughn Nelson, "Wind Energy and Wind Turbines," Asian Pacific Tech monitor, Vol. 15, No. 3, May-June 1988, p. 34. (invited paper)
- Vaughn Nelson, Kenneth Starcher, and Heath Gaines, "Wind/Solar Resource in Texas",
- Proceedings, Windpower 97, Am Wind Energy Assn, p. 425.
- K.L. Starcher, V.C. Nelson and J. Wei, "Test Results of NREL 10m Special-Purpose Familty of Thin Airfoils,"
- Proceedings, Windpower 96, Am Wind Energy Assn, p 261.
- Vaughn Nelson, Earl Gilmore and Kenneth Starcher, INTRODUCTION TO WIND ENERGY,
- Alternative Energy Institute, Report 94-2, September 1994, 39 pgs.
- Ling Shitao, Joe McCarty and Vaughn Nelson, Wind Resource Screening in the Texas Panhandle, AEI Report 94-1, September 1994, 30 pgs.
- J.W. McCarty, S. Ling, V. Nelson, "Monitoring Site Selection for Wind Resource Evaluation in the Texas Panhandle
- Using a Geographic Information System," Proceedings, Windpower '94, AWEA, p.735.
- Vaughn Nelson "Windpower, 80's into the 90's," International New and Renewable
- Energy Conference, Beijing, China, June 13-18, 1990, p. 367. (invited overview paper)
- F.S. Stoddard, V.C. Nelson, B.C. Andrews, and K.L. Starcher, "Atmospheric Testing of a Special Purpose HAWT
- Airfoil Family," EWEC Conference, Glasgow, Scotland, July 10-13, 1989, p. 70.
- F.S. Stoddard, and V.C. Nelson, "Steady Elastic Twist of Composite Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine Blades,"
- EWEC Conference, Herning, Denmark, June 6-10, 1988.
- 2003 Lifetime Achievement Award from American Wind Energy Association
- 1990 Academic Award from American Wind Energy Association
- 1985 Distinguished Alumni Award, Emporia State University
- 1984 Research Excellence Award, West Texas State University
- 1984 Appointed by Governor White to Science and Technology Council for the State of Texas
- 1982 Award from American Wind Energy Association, Outstanding Service in Organizing our National Conferences
- American Wind Energy Association
- Texas Solar Energy Society
- Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association
Teaching and Other Service
Vaughn is currently teaching WTAMU's Wind Energy course with Ken Starcher.
He has taught two renewable energy courses for WTAMU in the past -- Wind Energy and Wind Turbines in Fall '03, and Solar Energy in Spring '04.
Dr. Nelson has published over 50 articles, reports, etc. He has been the principal investigator on numerous grants, has generated over $6 million in grants (primarily in wind energy) and has given over 50 workshops and seminars from the local to international level.
He has presented workshops in South Africa, China, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and Puerto Rico. Most of the seminars in Latin America were presented in Spanish.