• 1997-Present, Giles Distinguished Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME), Mississippi State University (MSU), Mississippi State, MS
• 1995-1996, 2004, Interim Dean of Engineering, MSU
• 1990-Present, Head of ME, MSU
• 1985-Present, Professor of ME, MSU
• 1980-1985, Associate Professor of ME, MSU
• 1979-1980, Assistant Professor of ME, MSU
• 1978-1979, Supervisor, Westinghouse Electric Corp. (WEC), Bettis Atomic Power Lab (BAPL), West Mifflin, PA
• 1974-1978, Sr. Engineer, WEC, BAPL

Specialty Areas

Uncertainty Analysis, Experimental Techniques, Heat Transfer, Energy Systems

Research Summary

Uncertainty Analysis. Dr. Steele's primary area of specialization is uncertainty analysis. He and his colleagues, Dr. R. P. Taylor of the University of Alabama, Dr. B. K. Hodge of MSU, and Dr. H. W. Coleman of the University of Alabama in Huntsville, have made significant contributions to the methodology of uncertainty analysis and its application to experimental programs. This uncertainty analysis work has been incorporated into Dr. Steele's funded research projects totaling over $7 million, sponsored by NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy, and other agencies. Dr. Steele's current research in uncertainty analysis for NASA and DARPA deals with using it to validate computational design tools. 

Uncertainty analysis is also the primary focus of Dr. Steele's involvement with national and international committees on the development of new standards for experimental error analysis. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) National Board on Performance Test Codes and is vice-chair of the test code committee responsible for the ANSI/ASME standard on measurement uncertainty. Dr. Steele is also chair of the Society of Automotive Engineers Measurement Uncertainty Committee and was a member of an international ISO committee that updated the uncertainty analysis methodology in the ISO fluid flow measurement standard. In 2002, Dr. Steele was invited to spend his sabbatical leave in England where he participated in a ship design computer code validation project. He provided the uncertainty analysis expertise for the team, which included representatives from Great Britain, France, Italy, and Holland. In addition, Dr. Steele has been invited numerous times to present short courses on uncertainty analysis for government, industry, and professional agencies, including the Army Missile Command and Waterways Experiment Station, the Navy David Taylor Research Center and Coastal Systems Station, NASA Langley, Glenn, Marshall, Dryden, Stennis, Kennedy, Johnson, and Ames Research Centers, Boeing, GE Aircraft Engines, Penn. State Applied Research Lab, Sandia National Laboratory, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the National Research Council of Canada, and Embraer of Brazil. 

In recognition of his work, Dr. Steele received the Abernathy Measurement Uncertainty Paper Award in 1995 at the 41st International Instrumentation Symposium. In 1996, Dr. Steele was named an Associate Fellow by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and in 1998, he was elected to the grade of Fellow by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. 

In 2004, Dr. Steele received the MSU Bagley College of Engineering Career Achievement Award and the National AIAA Ground Testing Award for Engineering efforts in experimental uncertainty analysis.

Energy Systems. Dr. Steele's energy related research has included thermal energy storage funded by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory and desiccant system development funded by Oak Ridge, the Gas Technology Institute, and Mississippi Valley Gas.?His current energy research, sponsored by the U.S. DOE, involves CHP (Cooling, Heating, and Power) for buildings.

Selected Recent Publications

Steele, W. G. and Coleman, H. W., "Experimental Uncertainty Analysis," in Chapter 19, "Mathematics," CRC Handbook of Mechanical Engineering, Second Edition, CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, FL, 2005, pp. 19-113 - 19-128. 

Chamra, L.M., Steele, W.G., and Huynh, K., ?he Uncertainty Associated with Thermal Comfort,?ASHRAE Transactions, Vol. 109, Pt. 2, 2003, pp. 356-365. 

Hodge, B.K. and Steele, W.G., ? Survey of Computational Paradigms in Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Education,?Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 91, No. 4, Oct. 2002, pp. 415-417. 

Jalalzadeh-Azar, A. A., Steele, W. G., and Hodge, B. K., "Performance Characteristics of a Commercially Available Gas-Fired Desiccant System," ASHRAE Transactions, Vol. 106, Pt. 1, 2000, pp. 95-104. 

Ames, W. F., Cain, G., Tong, Y. L., Steele, W. G., Coleman, H. W., Kautz, R. L., Frangopol, D. M., and Norton, P., Mathematics for Mechanical Engineers, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2000. 

Coleman, H. W. and Steele, W. G., Experimentation and Uncertainty Analysis for Engineers, Second Edition, John Wiley & Sons., Inc., New York, NY,  1999. 

Coleman, H. W. and Steele, W. G., "Uncertainty Analysis," Chapter 39, CRC Handbook of Fluid Dynamics, CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, FL, 1998. 

Brown, K. K., Coleman, H. W., and Steele, W. G., "A Methodology for Determining Experimental Uncertainties in Regressions," Journal of Fluids Engineering, Vol. 120, No. 3, Sept. 1998, pp. 445-456. 

Jalalzadeh-Azar, A. A., Hodge, B. K., and Steele, W. G., "Thermodynamic Assessment of Desiccant Systems With Targeted and Relaxed Humidity Control Schemes," ASHRAE Transactions, Vol. 104, Pt. 2, 1998, pp. 313-319. 

Adebiyi, G. A., Nsofor, E. C., Steele, W. G., and Jalalzadeh-Azar, A. A., "Parametric Study on the Operating Efficiencies of a Packed Bed for High-Temperature Sensible Heat Storage," Journal of Solar Energy Engineering, Vol. 120, No. 1, Feb. 1998, pp. 2-13.