Larry E. Banta

Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Approved Graduate Faculty for CEMR MS and PhD committees

Contact Information Office:  ESB 547 Phone:  (304) 293-3375 Fax:  (304) 293-6689

Larry Banta completed a Bachelors Degree in Physics in 1973 at Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He worked for Allen Testproducts in Kalamazoo, where he designed prototypes of new products for testing automobile ignition systems and exhaust gases. In 1977 he began work as a Research Scientist at the Georgia Tech Research Institute in Atlanta. He worked in a variety of jobs for GTRI, including design and testing of radar systems, robotics, and extensive field and theoretical work related to industrial energy conservation and alternative energy sources. He has performed numerous energy audits for companies worldwide and has taught training courses on industrial energy management in eight countries. Meanwhile, he completed an M.S. degree in 1981 and a PhD in 1987, both from the School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. Since beginning his academic career at West Virginia University, Dr. Banta has taught courses in Mechatronics, Automatic Controls, Instrumentation and Measurement, Robotics, Thermodynamics, and several other topics. His research is primarily in the areas of automatic control systems, Mechatronics and Industrial Energy Conservation. Dr. Banta is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of West Virginia. Curriculum Vitae
Education
	Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1987
	M.S., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1981
	B.A. Physics, Kalamazoo College, 1973
Research Focus Areas
	Controls, Automation, and Mechatronics
Research Interests
	Instrumentation and control of industrial processes and machinery
	Robotics and factory automation
	Machine Vision
Teaching Interests
	Instrumentation and measurement
	Automatic controls
	Mechatronics
	Design
Special Interests
	Educational strategies and methods
	Electronic and internet-based learning tools
	Writing to Learn; Writing Across the Curriculum
Professional Societies
	ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers)
	IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
	TMS (Minerals, Metals and Materals Society)
	ASEE (American Society of Engineering Educators)