Dr. Thurston’s background includes 13 years of product development and research experience in the automotive industry with General Motors and Delphi, and additional experience in health monitoring at the Penn State Applied Research Laboratory. He has BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from RIT, and a PhD in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Dr. Thurston’s recent research work includes: sustainable product design, smart products and systems, life-cycle engineering, and asset health management. As co-PI on a recent Department of Transportation funded program, Dr Thurston led the development and application of life-cycle economic and environmental analysis methodologies for alternative vehicle fuels and power trains. He has also worked closely with the U.S. Marine Corps to enhance the capability of the aging ground vehicle fleet: technology insertion and modernization, improved vehicle system readiness, reduced maintenance costs, and reduced fuel consumption. He recently led the development of a health monitoring system for military vehicles which has been transitioned to deployment by the U.S. Marine Corps, and as a commercial system for over the road trucks. He has been principle investigator on several projects with the Rochester Greater Regional Transportation Authority, working with them to implement new technologies to improve operational effectiveness and maintenance and overall asset management processes.