LTC Donald A. Outing

Academy Professor
Department of Mathematical Sciences
United States Military Academy
West Point, New York  10996
Office: 235B Thayer Hall - phone: (845) 938-7217.  DSN 688-7217
Email: donald.outing@usma.edu

 

Education:

Courses Taught:

Currently teaching MA153, Advanced Multivariable Calculus (Fall 2007)

Precalculus, Differential Calculus, Integral Calculus, Multivariable Calculus, Mathematical Modeling, Probability and Statistics, Discrete Dynamical Systems, Engineering Mathematics

Publications:

“Scholte-to-Rayleigh conversion and other effects in range-dependent elastic media,” Donald A. Outing, William L. Siegmann, LeRoy M. Dorman, and Michael D. Collins, IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, 32, 620-625 (2007).

Generalization of the rotated parabolic equation to variable slopes," D. A. Outing, W. L. Siegmann, M. D. Collins, Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 120, 3534-3538 (2006).

“Mercury in the reservoirs: Water’s OK, but don’t eat the fish,” an Interdisciplinary Lively Applications Project published in Discrete Dynamical Systems, D. C. Arney, F. R. Giordano, and J. S. Robertson, (McGraw-Hill, New York, 2000).

Research Interests:

Advances in asymptotic methods, computing power, and numerical algorithms have invigorated research in the analysis of wave propagation.  Over the past three years, I have worked with Professor Bill Siegmann, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Dr. Michael Collins, Naval Research Laboratory, on a variety of propagation problems.  My principal research area involves using parabolic equations to model sound transmission through shallow-water regions (especially with substantial changes in the propagation direction, including interactions with beaches and islands).

Parabolic Equation Method: The parabolic equation method was pioneered in the 1940s for the study of radio waves in the atmosphere. Since that time, the method has been extended to a wider class of wave phenomena, including ocean acoustics, geoacoustics, electromagnetics, and scattering problems. The method is based on factoring the wave equation into incoming and outgoing components. When one component of the wave dominates, the factored equation can be solved orders of magnitude more efficiently than the full elliptic wave equation. This is important when the scale of the computational domain is many acoustic wavelengths. A parabolic equation is efficiently solved by advancing the field in range with a marching algorithm.

Recently I successfully applied coordinate transformation techniques  to problems involving sloping fluid-solid interfaces, which is considered the most important unresolved issue in the development of parabolic equations.

Currently I am working with LTC Michael Jaye, United States Military Academy, on applying the parabolic equation method to problems involving atmospheric waves.

Brief Biography:

  I was born on 6 February 1961 in Baltimore, MD. I attended the United States Naval Academy from 1979 to 1983.  After I left the Naval Academy, I served in the active Navy from 1984 to 1987.  In 1985, I earned a dual B.S. in Mathematics and Military Science from The University of the State of New York.  In 1988, I was commissioned into the United States Army through the Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Fort Benning, Georgia.  After graduating as a Distinguished Military Graduate from OCS, I attended the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course (FAOBC) in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. While attending FAOBC, I earned the Master Gunner Award which is given in recognition of the best student of gunnery.  In 1988, I was assigned to the 4th United States Army Field Artillery Detachment (USAFAD) in Werl, Germany.  While in the 4th USAFAD, I served as a Platoon Leader, Company Training Officer, and Company Commander. I was later assigned to the 570th United States Army Artillery Group as the Group Security Officer (S-2).  In 1992, I attended the Military Police Officer Advanced Course at Fort McClellan, Alabama and graduated as the Honor Graduate (the number one student in the course).  In December of 1992, I attended the Special Reaction Team follow on course.  I was next assigned to the U.S. Army Garrison at Fort Ritchie, Maryland. While at Fort Ritchie, I took command of the 572nd Military Police Company and served as the Plans and Operations Officer for the Provost Marshal.  In 1995, I began my graduate work in Applied Mathematics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy , NY.  I received my MS in Applied Mathematics from RPI in 1997.  In June of 1997, I returned to the Department of Mathematical Sciences where I taught and directed several courses from Precalculus to Mathematical Modeling.  In 2001, I returned to RPI to earn a Ph.D.  In 2004, I completed my Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics and returned to the greatest Math Department in the Army.

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Last updated: Tuesday July 22, 2008
Updated by: MAJ Donald A. Outing