CURRICULUM VITAE - Stephen Alan Boon
Stephen Alan Boon
‘Veronica’
Grosvenor Road,
Chobham,
Woking, Surrey. GU24 8DZ
Tel:- 01276 856524
D.O.B:- 22nd August 1954
Married, 2 Children
Interests: Family, Football, Sailing
SUMMARY
Undergraduate Degree Course Organiser and Lecturer. Research Engineer / Engineering
Systems Manager qualified as Avionic's/Electro-mechanical Engineer with 25 years
experience in the specification ,design and manufacture of specialised test equipment which
incorporates 'closed loop control mechanisms'. Experienced Project Leader and Production
Controller. Excellent background in the setting up and use of PC Based CAD Systems
(Mechanical and Electronic design), PC based systems used for Data Acquisition and Control
and general PC based software.
Employment History and Responsibilities
January 1993 - Present . Department of Geological Sciences, University College London - Member
of Rock & Ice Physics Research Laboratory
Senior Experimental Officer
Prime functions:
i). Research Engineer - Design & development of unique research equipment.
ii). Co-ordinator of engineering support of UCL Geological Science Research
Groups.
iii). Design, development, evaluation and requisition of equipment for teaching and
practical's.
iv). Course Organiser /Lecturer C12 – Research Techniques - M.Sci Geophysics
and E&SS Undergraduates.
v). Departmental Computing advisor.
vi). Director of UCLi sponsored Company - Rock Physics Systems Limited.
July 1991 - Dec. 1992. Rock & Ice Physics Research Group - Dept. of Geo. Sciences,U.C.L.
Experimental Officer
Responsible for overseeing the commissioning and technical development of novel rock deformation
and physical property measurement ensemble. Co-ordinator of engineering support for Departmental
Research groups.
1 SABCV1 – 1/2001
Employment History and Responsibilities (conti.)
November 1990 - July 1991 Servo Hydraulic Engineering
Consultant Engineer
Provision of design and consultancy services to companies needing expertise in the application,
design, development, and maintenance of Servo Hydraulic Test and Manufacturing Machines.
October 1982 - November 1990 Servo Technique Ltd. Hayes Middx.
Systems Manager 1988-90, Senior Engineer 1982-88
Responsible for the design, development, installation and commissioning of specialised servo
hydraulic test equipment and machines. Project Manager for various new developments.
Prime functions:1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
To follow enquiries and raise quotations and specifications for unique testing
apparatus to customer requirements.
The design and development of specialised microprocessor based Servo Controllers
and a range of control and signal conditioning modules for all transducer types.
The design and manufacture of customer specified equipment with the aid of CAD
techniques. Project management of the associated apparatus.
Supervision and instruction of staff during design, manufacture, installation and
commissioning of equipment.
Provision of customer training and support by telephone, as service backup.
Background tasks were the installation of various Computer systems and compatible software
packages after evaluation. Development of sales literature and system manuals.
December 1979 - October 1982 Derritron Environmental Systems Ltd
Test and Commissioning Engineer
Responsible for the test and commissioning of servo hydraulic test machines. Work involved
commissioning of equipment throughout Europe and several installation in the USSR. Also carried out
servicing and calibration of the equipment after installation.
May 1976 - December 1979 British Airways, Heathrow
Airline Engineer
Production Planning Engineer, dealing with the planning and control of the Avionic Instrument
Workshops, ensuring efficient maintenance, servicing and repair of aircraft instrumentation.
Responsible for the justification, acquisition, design, and evaluation of new test equipment to enable
the servicing and repair of new Aircraft Instrumentation and Control Systems.
2 SABCV1 – 1/2001
Present Studies
Post Graduate - M. Phil. (Part time) - University College London - (Thesis in preparation)
Project Title - Rock Physics : Closed-loop control and simultaneous measurement of mechanical,
physical and transport properties of cracked porous rocks during triaxial deformation
under simulated crustal conditions.
Papers and Presentations
Presentation :Simulation and Measurement of Crustal Pore Fluids using Closed Loop Control Techniques. U.K.Geophysical Assembly -15th April ,'93 - Keble College, Oxford University
Papers :-
Philip G. Meredith, Kevin S. Knight, Stephen A. Boon and Ian G. Wood. The Microscopic
Origin of Thermal Cracking in Rocks: An Investigation by Simultaneous Time-of-Flight Neutron
Diffraction and Acoustic Emission Monitoring Submitted to;- Geophysical Research Letters September 2000
P.R.Sammonds, S. Boon, N. Hughes & M. Rist .Flow of anistropic ice from the EPICA core: a
new test apparatus. Annals of Glaciology 30, 2000.
P.W.J. Glover, P.Baud, M.Darot, P.G.Meredith, S.A.Boon., M. LeRavalec, S.Zoussi and
T.Reschle. Alpha/Beta Phase Transition in Quartz Monitored using Acoustic Emissions.
( Geophy.J.Int-1995).
P.W.J.Glover, P.G.Meredith, P.R.Sammonds, S.A.Boon and S.A.F.Murrell - Complex Electrical
Conductivity as a Probe for Examining Rock Pore Volume and Grain Surface Micro-Structure
during Triaxial Deformation - IUGG XX1, SA528-7, A426 (1995)
P.W.J.Glover, J.B.Gomez, P.G.Meredith, S.A.Boon, P.R.Sammonds and S.A.F.Murrell
Modelling the Stress-Strain behaviour of Saturated Rocks undergoing Triaxial Deformation using
Complex Electrical Conductivity Measurements - Surveys in Geophysics Vol 17: 307-330,1996
Successful Research Grant Applications
Awarding Body & Brief Title of Project
Period
Amount
EU
2001
ca £3,000
'Access to Research Infrastructures Programme'
at the Bayerisches Geoinstitut, Universität Bayreuth
Acoustic Emission measurements in a multi-anvil press.
(with P.G.Meredith)
Successful Research Grant Applications (Conti.)
3 SABCV1 – 1/2001
Awarding Body & Brief Title of Project
Period
Amount
Graduate School Research Projects Fund - UCL
2000-2001
£2,507
Microseismicity study of anistropic deformation of ice.
Paul Instrument Fund – Royal Society
1998-2001
£69,700
Design and manufacture of a unique triaxial deformation
& Tomography Cell for ice. (with P.R.Sammonds)
Graduate School Research Projects Fund - UCL
1995-6
£1,242
1993-4
£7,435
1993-4
£3,500
Awarding Body & Brief Title of Project
Period
Amount
JIF -
2001/04
£1,330,000
Equipment funding for rock deformation apparatus
for heterogeneous strain measurement.
(with P.G.Meredith, I.G.Wood)
Royal Society
Transport Properties of Rocks.
(with P.W.J.Glover, P.R.Sammonds)
Central Research Fund -University of London.
Design and construction of new apparatus
comprising a pressure intensifier. : a study of
integrated transport property measurements on
saturated rocks.
(with P.W.J.Glover, P.R.Sammonds)
Successful Research Grants as major contributor.
Dynamics and transport in the solid earth and planets .
This JIF award is to support development of a new
Mineral Rock & Ice Physics Laboratory in UCL which
will bring a world-leading group of research scientists
together. PI’s Dr PR Sammonds, Dr J Brodholt,
Prof. PG Meredith, Dr AP Jones, & Dr D Dobson
NERC Grant under Micro-to-Macro thematic programme
"Scaling properties of fluid flow in fractured rock"
PI’s Prof. PG Meredith, Prof. I . Main
1999/01 £160,000
Successful Research Grants as major contributor (continued).
4 SABCV1 – 1/2001
Awarding Body & Brief Title of Project
Period
Amount
NERC ARC Ice – “An investigation of the dynamics driving
The responses of ice caps to climatic forcing.
PI’s Dr P.R.Sammonds, Dr J. Hart, Dr A.J. Payne
1998/00
£81,000
EU
1998/01
£70,000
EPSRC
(Rutherford Appleton Laboratory):
Imaging and acoustic emission measurement
during thermal treatment of quartzite rocks
P.I's P.G.Meredith, I.G.Wood & K.S.Knight, RAL
1997
ca.£85,000
EPSRC
(Rutherford Appleton Laboratory):
Imaging heterogeneous strain development during insitu brittle deformation of rocks.
P.I's P.G.Meredith, I.G.Wood & K.S.Knight, RAL
1995
ca.£70,000
British Council/Monbusho(Japan Science Ministry):
Collaborative Research Project: Measurement and
modelling of fracture anisotropy in an active geothermal
field.
P.I's P.G.Meredith, Prof.H.Takahashi,Tohoku Univ.Japan
1995-8
£18,000
NERC Spatial and temporal evolution of fracture
in saturated rocks inferred from acoustic emission
locations and statistics: A laboratory to reservoir scale
comparison.
P.I's P.R.Sammonds, P.G.Meredith
1995-6
£18,000
Mechanical Properties of Volcanic Rocks
PI’s Dr C.Kilburn, Prof. P.G. Meredith
NERC under BRIDGE Special Topic:
1994-97
Submarine rifting: laboratory studies of tensile and
extensional fracture in Mid-Ocean-Ridge rocks.
P.I's S.A.F.Murrell, P.G.Meredith, D.R.Scott & P.R.Sammonds.
£167,698
CEC
£750,000
Geo-mechanical modelling and anisotropy at the
reservoir scale.
(with 9 scientific partners from 6 European countries)
(UCL share is £64,000 - approx.8.5%)
1994-96
Consultancies
Agency
Project Description
5 SABCV1 – 1/2001
Monash University
Australia
Design and development of a Triaxial Loading Frame
incorporating closed loop control of the confining and pore fluid
C.S.I.R.O
Australia
Design and development of a Specialised servo-controller
for loading actuator to enable closed loop control of axial loading.
C.S.I.R.O
Design and development of a Specialised pore fluid and confining
pressure intensifier systems for simulation of upper crustal
conditions
.
TRW Dunstable
Investigation into production efficiency during manufacture of
power steering gear control valves.
Training
September 1970 - September 1974 B.O.A.C. Heathrow
4 Year Indentured Aircraft Technician Apprenticeship qualifying as an Avionics Technician - Aircraft
Electrical and Instrument Systems.
Qualifications
Richmond College 1978-80
HNC Supplementary Certificates in :-
Industrial Administration (Distinction).
Engineering Applications of Computers.
Mathematics.
Engineering Design.
Slough College of Technology 1974-76
HNC in Mechanical Engineering.
Southall College of Technology 1970-74
General Certificate in Engineering.
ONC in Aeronautical Engineering.
Aeronautical Technicians Cert. Part 1 & 2 (Electrical Systems and General Instruments).
6 SABCV1 – 1/2001