Nicola Bowler, Associate Professor

Materials Science and Engineering, 2220S Hoover Hall, Iowa State University

Electrical and Computer Engineering, Coover Hall, Iowa State University

Center for Nondestructive Evaluation, 279 Applied Sciences Complex II, 1915 Scholl Road, Ames, Iowa 50011-3042, USA

Phone: 515 294 5370 / 515 294 3202     Fax: 515 294 7771  E-mail: nbowler@iastate.edu

Research Interests

·         Electromagnetic properties of composite materials: Engineering new properties by theoretical analysis and design.

·         Electromagnetic non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of dielectrics and metals: Inventing new NDE techniques and improving accuracy in four-point potential drop, eddy-current, microwave and capacitive NDE.

Research Group

Electromagnetic Materials Design and Characterization Group

Publications, Review Activities and Honors

Nicola has authored over 50 publications, acts as a reviewer for IEEE Trans. Mag., IEEE Trans. Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, J. Appl. Phys., Appl. Phys. Lett., J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys., J. Nanomaterials,  Int. J. Appl. Electromagnetics and Mechanics., NDT&E International, J. Nondestr. Eval., COMPUMAG, ENDE, ISTC and NSF Phase II SBIR/STTR awards.  She was co-chair of the 10th International Workshop on Electromagnetic Nondestructive Evaluation which took place in Michigan, 1-2 June 2004, next to take place in Dayton, Ohio (ENDE 2009).  Nicola also chaired a session on Microwave Nondestructive Evaluation at the 32nd Review of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation, next to take place in Kingston, Rhode Island (QNDE 2009).

Professional Societies

·         Materials Research Society

·         Institute of Physics

·         Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

·         American Society of Nondestructive Testing

·         National Academy of Electromagnetics

Teaching

·         Fall 2011: MSE/EE 590 “Dielectric Properties of Polymers and Polymer-Based Composites”

·         Fall 2008: MatE/EE 488X, MSE/EE 588X “Eddy Current Nondestructive Evaluation”

·         Fall 2007: MSE/EE 558X “Eddy Current Nondestructive Evaluation”

·         Spring 2007, 2008: MatE 362 “Principles of Nondestructive Testing”

·         Fall 2006: MSE 519 “Magnetism and Magnetic Materials”

·         Spring 2001, 2002: EE 213, “Electromagnetics Applications in Computer Systems”

Awards

·         ASNT Faculty Grant Award 2008.

·         Outstanding Mentor – US Department of Energy, Office of Science Undergraduate Research Programs, February 2006.

·         2005 Measurement Science and Technology Outstanding Paper Award in the Sensors and Sensing Systems category: N. Bowler and Y. Huang, Electrical Conductivity Measurement of Metal Plates using Broadband Eddy-Current and Four-Point Methods, Meas. Sci. Technol., 16, 2193-2200, 2005.

Professional Experience

Nicola joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Iowa State University in 2006.  Prior to that she joined CNDE at Iowa State University in November 1999 and was appointed adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2001.  Before moving to ISU she carried out postdoctoral research at the University of Surrey, UK and worked as a senior scientist at the Defence Evaluation Research Agency (DERA), Farnborough, UK.

Education

Nicola received a BSc (Hons) in Physics (first class) from the University of Nottingham, UK in 1990.  She obtained her PhD from the University of Surrey, UK in 1994, entitled 'Analytical Methods in Eddy-Current Non-Destructive Evaluation' (NDE).  In her thesis she solved canonical problems of eddy-current NDE analytically using perturbation theory, the Wiener-Hopf method and an adapted form of the geometrical theory of diffraction.  The latter piece of work was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society.

Personal

Nicola moved to Ames, Iowa from Guildford, England, UK in November 1999.  She is married to John and they have two daughters.  Charlotte Derette (Dorrie) was born in Ames on June 22, 2001 and Eliza May (Lizzy) was born on October 2, 2005.  Nicola is devoted to mothering, running (she completed her first half-marathon in 2007), yoga, cycling, coffee and solving problems in applied electromagnetics.

 Last updated November 26, 2008.