R. Andrew Motes

In the last 50 years Andrew (Andy) Motes has been (in roughly chronological order) a sharecropper, woodcutter, trapper, grocery-store clerk, motorcycle mechanic, electronic technician, electronic engineer, computer software developer, space systems engineer or “rocket scientist,” laboratory research scientist, laser physicist, author, teacher, college professor, military officer, civil servant, and defense contractor. He received his BS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Arkansas in 1978; his MS degree in Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1979 with a specialty in air and spacecraft Navigation, Guidance, and Control theory; and his PhD in 1987 from the University of New Mexico with a specialty in laser physics and electro-optics. All his degrees were earned while serving on active duty in the US Air Force. Among others, he worked on President Reagan’s SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative or “Star Wars”) program, the Army’s THEL (Tactical High Energy Laser) program, the Air Force’s ABL (Airborne Laser) program, and NASA's Next Generation Space Communications Relay program. He has been licensed to practice engineering in multiple states including New Mexico, Colorado, and Arkansas. He has written 20 books, nine commercial educational software packages (including the award winning and best-selling software called School-Mom), and many scientific journal and magazine articles. He taught Astronautical Engineering and control theory at the US Air Force Academy, Physics and Electronic Design at John Brown University, retired from the US Air Force Reserves in 2007 at the rank of Colonel, and retired from federal civil service in 2012.