For immediate release
Contact Ewen Thomson, Marine Lightning Protection Inc.
EwenT@marinelightning.com
Tel. 352-373-3485
Curriculum Vitae
Biographical
Education Ph.D., Electrical Engineering,
M.Sc.
(Honors), Physics, University of Auckland, New Zealand, 1973; Thesis:
RF Characteristics of Lightning
B.Sc., University of
Auckland, New Zealand, 1971
Employment 2001- present President & consultant, Marine
Lightning Protection Inc.
1986- 2003 Associate
Professor in Electrical Engineering, University of Florida
1985-1986 Assistant
Professor in Electrical Engineering, University of Florida
1982-1984 Provisional
Visiting Assistant Professor in Electrical Engineering, University of Florida
1981-1982 Research
Assistant in Electrical Engineering, University of Florida
1978-1980 Lecturer 1,
Physics Department, University of Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea
1974-1977 Senior tutor,
Physics Department, University of Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea
1973 High School
Teacher, Science Department, St. Peters College, Auckland, New Zealand
Professional Societies Society for Naval
Architects and Marine Engineers, Lightning Protection Institute
Courses taught at
Major Research Projects
1. Lightning protection of
boats Promoting lightning protection of boats
through IBEX, workshops, and web pages www.thomson.ece.ufl.edu/lightning/ and
www.marinelightning.com Developing
alternative theory to existing ground resistance to explain and predict sideflash formation. Earlier work was based on a resistive
model for ground resistance and resulted in a video and publication directed at
the lay person. Developing innovative products for lightning
protection in the vicinity of water.
2. Electromagnetic theory
Extension of fundamental EM theory (Thomson, 2000; Thomson, 1999; Thomson,
1985; Thomson et al.,1985) applied to lightning
modeling.
3. Models for sources of dE/dt Analyzing data obtained with the
Research Funding Summary at
University of Florida
Co-principal Investigator (with PI
M.A. Uman) on NSF, NASA, DOE, and DNA grants totaling
$M1.044, 1983-1988
Principal Investigator on AFOSR, NSF,
NASA, and Sea Grant grants totaling
$M1.475 1988 - 2000
Publications and presentations
a. Reviewed
Schueler, J. S. and E.M.Thomson,
Estimating ground conductivity and improving lightning location goodness of fit
by compensating propagation effects, submitted to Radio Science, June 2004,
under revision.
Thomson,E.M., Exact Expressions for Electric and Magnetic
Field from a Propagating Lightning Channel with Arbitrary Orientation, J. Geophys. Res, 104, no.D18, 22293-22300,
1999.
Thomson,E.M., Location of sources of radiation using a
weighted hyperbola technique, NASA Tech. Briefs, 22, 64, 1998.
Medelius, P.
J., Y. Yariv, E.M. Thomson, and S. Davis, Frequency
and phase compensation in a pulse transmission system, 21, 54, NASA Tech.
Briefs, 1997.
Thomson, E.M., P.J. Medelius, and S.Davis System for
locating the sources of wideband dE/dt from
lightning, J. Geophys. Res.,
99, No D11, 22.793-22,802, 1994.
Thomson, E.M., Lightning and sailboats,
SGEB-17, Florida Sea Grant College Program Publication, 1992..
Georgiadis,
N., M. Rubinstein, M. A. Uman, P. J. Medelius, and E. M. Thomson, Lightning-Induced Voltages at
Both Ends of a 448-m Power Distribution Line, IEEE Trans Electromag.
Comp., 34, 451-460, 1992.
Thomson, E.M., A critical assessment
of the
Rubinstein, M., A.Y. Tzeng, M.A. Uman, P.J. Medelius and E.M. Thomson, An experimental test of a theory
of lightning-induced voltages on an overhead wire, IEEE Trans. EMC, 31 (4),
376-383, 1989.
Bils, J.R.,
E.M. Thomson, M.A. Uman, D. and Mackerras,
Electric field pulses in close lightning cloud flashes, J. Geophys.
Res., 93, 15,933-15,940, 1988.
Thomson, E.M., P. Medelius,
M.A. Uman, A remote sensor for three components of
transient electric fields, IEEE Trans. Ind. Electr.,
35, 426-433, 1988a.
Thomson, E.M., P.J. Medelius, M. Rubinstein, M.A. Uman,
J. Johnson, and J.W. Stone, Horizontal electric fields from lightning return
strokes, J. Geophys. Res., 93, No.
D3, 2429-2441, 1988b.
Thomson, E.M., A theoretical study of
electrostatic field wave shapes from lightning leaders, J. Geophys.
Res., 90, 8125-8135, 1985.
Thomson, E.M., Uman,
M.A., Beasley, W.H., Speed and current for lightning stepped leaders near
ground as determined from electric field records, J. Geophys.,
90, 8136-8142, 1985.
Thomson, E.M., Galib,
M.A., Uman, M.A., Beasley, W.H., Master, M.J., Some
features of stroke occurrence in
Thomson, E.M.,
Characteristics of Port Moresby ground flashes, J. Geophys.,
Res., 85, 1027-1036, 1980a.
Thomson, E.M., The dependence of lightning return stroke characteristics on latitude, J. Geophys. Res., 85, 1050-1056, 1980b.
Thomson, E.M., Photoelectric detector
for daytime lightning, Electronic Letters, 14, 337-339, 1978.
Clegg, R.J., and
Thomson, E.M., Some properties of EM radiation from lightning, J. Geophys. Res., 84, 719-724, 1979.
Thomson, E.M., Ground currents in
Thomson,
E.M., Daytime photography of lightning, Science in
b. Video coproduced
Thomson,E.M., Lightning
Protection of Sailboats, Sea Grant, 23 minutes, 1992.
c. Conference and trade show presentations
Thomson,
E.M. Grounding
lightning to water, Florida Region Meeting, Society for Accredited Marine
Surveyors,
Thomson,E.M. Lightning-Damage Assessment & Repair,
International Boating Exposition (IBEX) ,Miami, Florida, 2003
Thomson,
E.M., Sideflash initiation from shipboard conductors,
ULPA/LPI conference, Destin, Florida, 2003.
Thomson,E.M.
Lightning Protection, IBEX ,Miami, Florida, 2001
Davis,
S.M., and E.M. Thomson, Lightning subsequent stroke producing new terminations
to ground, 11th International Conference of Atmospheric Electricity,
Guntersville, Alabama, June 7-11, 1999.
Thomson,E.M.
Lightning Protection: Fact or Fiction? ,IBEX ,Miami, Florida, 1999
Thomson,
E.M. and S. Davis, Waveshapes in multiple
station dE/dt from lightning, AGU Fall Meeting, San
Francisco, 1995.
Davis, S.
and E.M.Thomson, Reversal effects in multiple station
dE/dt from lightning, AGU Fall Meeting, San
Francisco, 1995.
Schueler, J.R., and E.M.Thomson,
Conductivity effects in dE/dt waveshapes
from lightning, AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, 1995.
Thomson,
E.M., and P. J. Medelius, The Effect of a Propagating
Lightning Source on the Waveshapes of Narrowband VHF
Radiation, AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, 1992
Medelius, P.J., E.M. Thomson, and J. Pierce, E and dE/dt waveshapes for narrow
bipolar pulses in intracloud lightning, Proceedings,
International Conference on Lightning and Static Electricity, Cocoa Beach,
1991.
Thomson,
E.M., and P.J. Medelius, A system for mapping sources
of VHF and electric field pulses from in-cloud lightning at KSC, Proceedings,
International Conference on Lightning and Static Electricity, Cocoa Beach,
1991.
Medelius,P.J.
and E.M.Thomson, Multiple station wideband lightning
electric field measurements, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San
Francisco, 1991.
Rubinstein,M.,
M.A.Uman, E.M.Thomson, and P.J.Medelius, Voltages induced on a test distribution line
by artificially initiated lightning at close range: Measurement and theory,
20th International Conference on Lightning Protection, Interlachen,
Switzerland, 1990.
Thomson,
E.M., Inadequacies in the US code for lightning protection of boats, 1989
International Conference on Lightning and Static Electricity, Bath, UK.
Thomson, E.M., Radiation field from an
in-cloud lightning process with arbitrary orientation, American Geophysical
Union Fall Conference, San Francisco, 1987.
Thomson, E.M., P. Medelius,
M. Rubinstein, M.A. Uman, J. Johnson, and J.W. Stone,
1985. Horizontal electric fields from lightning return strokes in 10th International
Aerospace and Ground Conference on Lightning and Static Electricity, Paris,
June 1985, pp 167-173, available from Les Editions de Physique, BP112, 91944
Les Ulis Cedex, France.
Thomson, E.M., A comparison of the
electrostatic component with the full electric field change from lightning
leaders and continuing currents, Vllth international
Conference on Atmospheric Electricity, Albany, New York, June, 1984.
Uman, M.A.,
E.P. Krider, P.L. Rustan,
B.P. Kuhlman, J.P. Moreau, E.M. Thomson, J.W. Stone, and W.H. Beasley, Airborne
and ground based lightning electric and magnetic fields and VHF source location
for three nearby lightning flashes, International Aerospace and Ground
Conference on Lightning and Static Electricity, Ft. Worth, 1983.
Thomson, E.M., A. Enayatzadeh
and M.A. Uman, Horizontal electric field measurements
from lightning, Trans. Am. Geophys. Union, 64, 662,
1983.
Thomson, E.M., and D. Mackerras, A method of characterizing lightning in terms of
the impulsiveness of the charge transfer processes, in Ruhnke,
L.H., and J. Latham (eds), Proceedings in Atmospheric
Electricity, pp 360-364, Deepak Publishing, Virginia, 1983.
Thomson, F.M., W.H. Beasley and M.A. Uman, Stepped leader current and velocity near ground,
Trans. Am. Geophys. Union, 63, 891, 1982.
Thomson, E.M., J.W. Stone, M.A. Uman, and W.H. Beasley, Location of lightning sources at
VHF using cross correlation techniques, Trans. Geophys.
Union, 62, 880, 1981
c. Articles in non-reviewed trade magazines and journals
…Thomson, E.M., "Lightning protection",
Letter, Professional Boatbulder,88, 4-6, April/May 2004
Patent
Method and
apparatus for lightning protection, USPTO 6,708,638 a technique for lightning
grounding that utilizes proactive spark initiation from electrodes.
Applications also filed in Australia, Canada, Europe, and New Zealand.