Facilities
KSCI is located on the southeast side of Russell, Kansas about a half mile north of Interstate 70. KSCI operates from a 72,000 square foot facility situated on 12 acres. KSCI has an ongoing relationship with numerour state universities which have extensive testing facilities and provides us with independent testing and analysis of our products.
Key Personnel and Colleagues
Jerry D. Plunkett
KSCI President and CEO
Technology Development and Deployment
Developed over 30 specialty materials products and their manufacturing processes and assisted in putting them on the market. Their current market value is approximately $500 million.
Made seven inventio
ns and developed over 20 trade secrets.
Currently serving on the boards of directors for four entrepreneurial firms in the medical and advanced materials businesses.
Corporate and Government Technology Strategic Planning and Management Developed or evaluated corporate R&D plans and projects for over 25 companies.
Developed or critiqued R&D program plans for over 15 government departments and agencies.
Prepared and presented over 20 briefings to US Congressional and state legislative groups on R&D and innovation, mostly in the energy and materials fields.
Played a major role in the development of the first strategic plan for the ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION (ERDA). Served as a personal consultant to the first Director, Dr. Robert Seamens.
Provided important elements of energy conservation to the initial strategic plan for the ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE (EPRI) startup plans.
Assisted in the negotiations for the US/USSR Energy R&D Exchange Agreement.
Reviewed the Technical Programs of the US Bureau of Mines for Secretary Rodgers Morton, Department of the Interior.
Institutional Establishment and Development
Played an important role in the establishment of the ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION (ERDA) through public testimony and private Executive and Congressional study groups.
Worked with private and public groups to accelerate the formation of the ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE by giving presentations and congressional testimony.
Played a major role in establishing the SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) program, 1975 pilot program at NSF and the 1981 establishment Act.
Conceived and organized the National Council for Industrial Innovation and played a large part in freeing up patents for large and small private firms, developed under federal contracts.
Presented the first public information setting forth the concept that lead to the eventual establishment of the SOLAR ENERGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE, currently named the NATIONAL RENEWABLE RESEARCH LABORATORY.
Conceived and developed the concept for the NATIONAL CENTER FOR APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY.
Assisted in the establishment and became the first Director of the MONTANA ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE, an organization with a staff of over 400 people.
Drafted the concept paper that led to the chartering of the MHD DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
Originated for international development the concept of the BI-NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, and assisted in bringing it into existence.
Industrial Process Development
In addition to holding executive positions, Dr. Plunkett has served as a manufacturing process consultant to industry in the area of materials processing and product interface. This work has typically required the modification of known processes or the development of new production processes aimed at manufacturing new products. Following are twenty-two typical examples of selected processes to which Dr. Plunkett made a significant major contribution.
• Process development of automobile gas turbine heat and recovery unit
• Auto-catalytic converter ceramic honeycomb
• Zirconia nuclear reactor insulators
• Silicon-bonded boron carbide armor
• Alumina armor
• Iron oxide ceramic charging roll
• Alumina tire studs
• Wear-resistant, partially stabilized zirconia
• Wulff Process alumina heat-exchanger plates
• Ceramic balls for alumina high-temperature wind tunnel heater
• Ceramic balls for zirconia high-temperature wind tunnel heater
• Alumina precision ceramic heat exchanger blocks
• Zirconia precision ceramic heat exchanger blocks
• Proprietary heat exchanger balls for oil shale process
• Transparent alumina cylinders for sodium-vapor lamps
• Ceramic zirconia fuel-cell cores
• Alkaline fuel-cell plates
• Ceramic multi-layer systems for electronics
• Corderite process
• Ceramic metallizing process
• Permeable ceramic diffuser plates for fluidized-bed applications
• Development of Tundish nozzle for continuous casting of steel
POSITIONS HELD:
1996-present President and CEO –– Kansas Structural Composites, Inc., Russell, KS
1992-1996 President and CEO –– Industrial Honeycomb Structures, Inc., Westminster, CO
1990-1992 Director –– Colorado Technology Transfer Center, Golden, Colorado
1988-1990 Vice Chancellor –– Strategic Projects Director, Denver Research Institute, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado
1984-1988 Vice Chancellor –– Research and Technology Director, Denver Research Institute, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado
1975-1984 President, CEO (original) –– Montana Energy Research Institute, Butte, Montana
1969-1975 President –– Materials Consultants, Inc., Denver, Colorado
1967-1969 Vice President –– National Bi-Development Organization, Denver, Colorado
1963-1967 Head Ceramic Research Group and Associate Professor –– Metallurgy, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado
1960-1963 Technical Director –– Lexington Laboratories, Cambridge, Massachusetts
EDUCATION:
Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1954-1960
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Metallurgy, Minor Industrial Management
MS Missouri School of Mines 1953-1954
University of Missouri, Rolla, Missouri
Ceramic Engineering
BS Missouri School of Mines 1949-1953
University of Missouri, Rolla, Missouri
ARMED SERVICES:
S/Sgt, US Army Air Force and US Air Forces Aerial Photographer (B-29s) and Photo Laboratory Noncom. Honorable Discharge 1948
Rus (Rustan) Ricker
Production Manager
Rus is a Kansas native. He went to high school in Scott City, KS and attended Pittsburg State University studying Technology. He spent nine years with the US Army Corps of Engineers as an NCO. His work took him to various locations throughout the United States and to Panama. His other prior experience includes being the recreation facilities director for the city of Hayes, KS and a service technician in CO. After being hired by KSCI, Rus soon proved his abilities and due to his hard work, leadership skills, and experience was promoted to Production Manager. In addition to being responsible for production, Rus has been working on a number of projects to increase efficiency and to reduce the cost of composite bridging.Paul A. Carter
Business & Information Specialist
MBA, University of Northern Colorado, 1984
Mr. Carter has worked for KSCI and its sister companies for ten years and with startup high-tech small businesses in general for fifteen years. His primary area of expertise has been in the design, management, and cost analysis of projects. As an army officer, he served as a project officer working with industry representatives and within the army R&D system to specify the equipment criteria and to insure that these criteria were met as the projects progressed. He has worked on a number of projects dealing with composites for military applications. These have included projects involving the integration of fiber optics into composites for the real-time, non-destructive evaluation of naval propeller shafts, the use of composites in noise and environmental containers for naval engines, the integration of electronic shielding into composites for instrument shelters and, the use of composites for emergency replacement of runways, among others. It was in the army that he first learned to use program evaluation review techniques (PERT) and critical path methods for project management. Although he now performs these tasks with a computer, they serve as a means of focusing and controlling a project to completion. His computer skills include project management, design (including CAD), financial analysis, and documentation. Mr. Carter has worked with Dr. Plunett on FRP projects since 1992 and KSCI since its founding.
Jon J. Held
MS, Mechanical Engineering, Kansas State University, 1995
He is in the process of completing Ph.D. thesis.
Jon Held is best described as an innovative engineer. KSCI has held several consulting sessions already with Jon and he has made several excellent design innovations for approximately ten products that are currently in use. Examples are:
AC water spray equipment
Deep fat fryer
Pneumatic conveying equipment
Dust filter system -- grain dust
Gantry crane
Book binding and padding machinery
He currently teaches as a laboratory instructor and lecture demonstrator in the physics department at Kansas State University. Mr. John Held is an inventor/innovator of remarkable talent. His skills will be useful not only in the design and fabrication of the prototype the core machine, but also in developing specific FRPH items for various army prototypes to be developed during the project. He has completed all the graduate courses offered at Kansas State University, and expects to complete his doctoral thesis in the near future. He collects old cars and machinery and spends a great deal of time restoring the machines to operating condition. His mechanical talents are rare and will be important to this project and we are delighted that he has agreed to be a part of this team.