Dr. Masami Nakagawa

Associate  Professor

Office Phone: (303) 384-2132
email: mnakagaw@mines.edu

Academic Appointment & Responsibilities

2000 – Present: Colorado School of Mines, Department of Mining Engineering

Associate Professor

Undergraduate courses taught: 

CSM101 - Freshman Success Seminar

DCGN241 – Statics

EGGN315 – Dynamics

MNGN317 - Statics/Dynamics

EGGN320 - Mechanics of Materials

MNGN414 - Mine Plant Design

MNGN499 - Gravity Flow

MNGN499 - Impulse propagation in granular media

MNGN498 - Introduction to Particulate Media. 

Graduate courses taught: 

MNGN559 - Mechanics of Particulate Media

MNGN499/MNGN599 - Advanced principles of gravity flow

MNGN599 - DEM investigation of mechanical fragmentation of rocks

MNGN599 - Bore hole mining.

1996 – 1999: Colorado School of Mines, Division of Engineering

Research Associate Professor

1992 – 1996: The University of New Mexico, Department of Civil Engineering

Visiting Associate Professor.

Fractals in civil engineering—I and II

1987 – 1991: Tohoku University , Japan , Department of Civil Engineering

Assistant Professor

Engineering mathematics (Cornell)

Professional Experience

2001 – 2004: NASA

IPA Fellow

1995 - 1996: Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico, USA

Staff Member

1991 – 1995: The Lovelace Institute, New Mexico, USA

Research Scientist

Education

Cornell University

Ph.D. Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, 1988

University of Minnesota

M. Sc. Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, 1983

B. Sc. Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, 1981

Honors & Awards (2000 to Present)

The Outstanding Faculty Award in the Mining Engineering Department, 2005

NASA IPA (2001-2004)

The Outstanding Faculty Award in the Mining Engineering Department

The Director’s Award from the Port and Harbor Research Institute, Japan

Service to Professional Societies & Organization (2005/2006)

The Society for Science on Form (FORMA) - Regional Editor

Current Professional Organization Memberships (2005/2006)

American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE)

Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME)

The Materials Research Society (MRS)

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)

Professional Publications, Presentations & Short-courses

S.Sen, T.R. K. Mohan, D.P. Visco, S Swaminathan, A.Sokolow, E. Avalos and M. Nakagawa, “Using Mechanical Energy as a Probe for the Detection and Imaging of Shallow Buried Inclusions in Dry Granular Beds”, International Journal of Modern Physics B, Vol. 19, No.18 (2005) 2951-2973.

A.Sokolow, J.M.M. Pfannes, R. Doney, M. Nakagawa, J.H. Agui and S. Sen, “Impulse Absorption in Small Tapered Chains”, Applied Physics Letters, vol. 87, 2005.

Tae-Hyun Moon , Masami Nakagawa, and John Berger, “Measurement of Fracture Toughness using Distinct Element Method,” (accepted to International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences), 2005.

Brandon D. Tinianov, Masami Nakagawa and David R. Munoz, An Apparatus for In-Situ Prediction of the Thermal Conductivity of Glass Fiber Batts using Acoustic Propagation Constant,” (submitted to Review of Scientific Instruments), 2005.

X. Zeng, J.H. Agui and M. Nakagawa, “Wave Velocities in Granular Materials under Micro-Gravity,” (submitted to ASCE Journal of Aerospace Engineering), 2005.

Lawrence A. Taylor, Harrison H. Schmitt, W. David Carrier, III and Masami Nakagawa, “The Lunar Dust Problem: From Liability to Asset,” Proceedings of the 1 st Space Exploration Conference: Continuing the Voyage of Discovery, Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2005, Orlando, Florida.

Masafumi Miyata, Takahiro Sugano, Takashi Nagao, Masami Nakagawa, Graham G.W. Mustoe, Tsuyoshi Tanaka, and Nobuo Kikuchi, ”Experimental Study on Load Support Systems of Rubble Rock Foundations,” Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, JSCE, No 750/65, 1-14, 2003.

Masami Nakagawa, Juan H. Agui, David T. Wu, David Vivanco Extramiana, “Impulse Dispersion in a Tapered Granular Chain,” Granular Matter 4, 167-174, 2002.

M. Miyata, M. Nakagawa, G.G.W. Mustoe and T. Sugano, “Superquadric Particle DEM Analysis on the Mechanical Behavior of Rubble Rock Foundations,” International Journal of Computers and Structures. 2001.

M. Miyata, T.Sugano, G.G.W. Mustoe, and M. Nakagawa, “Effects of the Ratio of Pressure Gauge Size to Grain Size on the Reliability of Earth Pressure Measurement,” Japanese Soc. of Civil Engineers. 2001.

Research and Related Activities

Current Grants, Contracts and Research (2005/2006)

2005 - 2005 Ball Aerospace & Technology Corp., Non-contact manipulation of In-Situ Resources

2005 - 2009 NASA, Mitigation of Dust and Electrostatic Accumulation for Human and

Robotic Systems for Lunar and Martian Missions.

2004 – 2007 NASA, Coalescence, Transport, and Separation of Gas Bubbles in Liquids Using Ultrasonic Processing Techniques