Electronic Engineering Consultants: 10

Audio Expert David Smith of Sound Testimony^® specializes in Audio Forensic Analysis, Improving Recorded Speech Intelligibility, & Recording Authentication. Our proprietary hardware/software system recovers intelligible speech and other sounds from noise-intensive backgrounds & poorly recorded media. David A. Smith, IEEE, AES, has more than three decades of professional experience with audio enhancement. Experienced in criminal and civil cases including murder, corporate fraud, employment discrimination, sexual harassment, labor, and family law. Mr. Smith consults with counsel offering audio forensic evidence examination, analysis, litigation support, expert advice, expert testimony, and related expert witness services including preparation of cross-examinations and courtroom presentations. Clients include Prosecutors, Defense Attorneys, Family Law & General Practice Attorneys, other Legal & Investigative Professionals, HR Depts., Corporations, Private Detectives, & Individuals. Services Offered:

• Recording Authentication
• Tampering & Edit Detection
• Intelligibility Improvement
• Transcript Review & Correction
• Litigation Support
• Voice Recognition and/or Elimination
• Expert Testimony

Intelligibility Improvement of:

• 911 calls
• Voice Mail Systems
• Accidental Recordings
• Surveillance Recordings
• Portable Audio Recorders
• Interviews
• Depositions
• Meetings
• Cell Phone Recordings, etc.

Expert Background: Dr. Thomas L. Read is the Principal and CEO at A. Read Consulting, LLC. He received his PhD. from Stanford University in 1972 and has over 25 years of manufacturing experience in electronics, metallurgy, factory safety, failure analysis, glass fracture, glass failure and bottle failure. As a member of the electronics industry, he has earned process patents and has an extensive background in manufacturing techniques.

In parallel, Dr. Read has spent over twenty five years as a consultant to attorneys and engineers. He has given more than 100 depositions and has appeared in court numerous times.

Company Profile: Read Consulting, LLC is a full service laboratory providing services in the following areas:

Failure Analysis; Factory Safety and Personal Injury (including machine guards and manufacturing safety)

Glass Failure Analysis - Glass Fracture, Glass Failures and Bottle Failure

Metal and Ceramic Failure

Grinding Wheel Failures

Intellectual Property and Patent Disputes

Product Liability and Product Quality

Manufacturing Disagreements (such as Intellectual Property, Failed equipment and Contract Disputes)

Reverse Engineering

Quality Forensic Engineering, LLC is a full-service forensic engineering firm, providing engineering support to clients in the areas of accident reconstruction, premises liability, and product liability.  With over 20 years of experience for each of our senior engineers, we utilize the latest technology for documenting evidence and retrieving data including FARO 3D scanning, aerial drone imaging, and black box downloads.  Our forensic engineers are mobile, supporting clients throughout the U.S. We are headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida with remote locations in Jacksonville, Florida; Tampa, Florida and Tucson, Arizona.

Dr. Brian Pfeifer, P.E.,

Dr. Pfeifer is an Engineering Expert with over 25 years of experience investigating thousands of cases involving a variety of forensic engineering issues. He is a leading expert in accident reconstruction, roadside safety, maintenance of traffic, commercial vehicle accidents, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents, and the analysis of mechanical systems and product failures. 

Dr. Pfeifer has a strong background in the design, development, and implementation of roadside safety hardware including guardrails, bridge rails, and crash cushions. Over 33 patents have been filed worldwide on behalf of Dr. Pfeifer and associated colleagues who invented safer guardrail systems, vehicle storage systems, shipping container handling systems, and material handling and storage methods. He has also utilized his technical knowledge and understanding of patents to assist in a number of matters involving patent litigation.

Dr. Pfeifer has published numerous papers to various organizations, covering topics such as new guardrail systems, energy absorbing guardrail terminals, breakaway sign mechanisms, and material handling technology. He has shared his expertise with many organizations on topics including vehicle collisions, bicycle accidents, roadway construction zones, and accident reconstruction expert witness utilization. Dr. Pfeifer is a registered Professional Engineer in three states and he continues to refine his skills and knowledge of accident reconstruction and roadside safety by staying current with new technology and best practices. He has extensive experience with providing deposition and trial testimony as an Engineering Expert.

Expertise:

• Automobile Collisions Tractor-Trailer Collision Guardrails / Bridge Rails Construction Zones Bicycle Accidents Pedestrian Accidents Motorcycle Accidents Occupant Kinematics

Roadside Safety Airbag Control Module (ACM) Analysis Tractor Trailer Electronic Control Module (ECM) Analysis Product Failure Analysis Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) Evaluation Restraint System Analysis Patent Litigation Technical Analysis

Ms. Traci Campbell, P.E., CXLT,

Ms. Campbell has over 20 years of experience investigating, analyzing, and testifying in matters involving a variety of forensic engineering issues. She is a leading expert in the following: industrial accident reconstruction and human factors; slip, trip, stumble and fall analysis; application of standards, codes, and guidelines including OSHA, ANSI, ASTM, Life Safety, ADA and Building Codes; workplace safety related issues; forklift and material handling devices; construction machinery and workplaces; manufacturing equipment; and the analysis of workplace systems and product failures. 

Ms. Campbell has a strong background working in manufacturing and industrial workplaces including the design, development, and implementation of solutions to ensure safe work environments. She has also been credited as part of a team holding a patent related to safeguarding power hand tools with rotating discs. Her special interests include amusement park and theme park accidents and safety related issues. Ms. Campbell is also a CXLT - Certified XL Tribometrist (slip index evaluation) and a certified counter balance forklift operator.

Ms. Campbell has served as a presenter with the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) regarding slip, trip, stumble, and fall incidents. She has shared her engineering expertise with many organizations on topics including: slip, trip, stumble, and fall incidents; electronic data in the realm of accident reconstruction; safety engineering and the engineering hierarchy; photogrammetry and other accident reconstruction techniques; OSHA compliance; and Industrial Engineering. Ms. Campbell is a registered and licensed Professional Engineer in five states and she continues to refine her skills and knowledge of premises liability and safety engineering by staying current with new technology and best practices.

Expertise:

Industrial Accidents Slip / Trip / Fall Human Factors and Environment Interaction Pedestrian Kinematics Workplace Safety Retail and Restaurant Facility Safety OSHA & ADA Regulations Multi- Employer Workplaces ANSI / ASTM / Building Codes Elevators/Escalators Industrial Equipment

Forklifts and Material Handling Devices Parking Lot Safety Safety Engineering Guarding and Warnings Theme Parks / Recreation Safety & Facilities Fire and Explosion Safety Product Failure Analysis Pedestrian Accidents Automobile Collisions Tractor / Trailer Collisions Bicycle Accidents

Envista Forensics is a global leader in Forensic Engineering & Recovery Solutions. They provide Cause & Origin, Failure Analysis, Fire and Explosion Investigations, Accident Reconstruction, Damage Evaluations and Equipment Restoration Services following disasters of all kinds. Envista has offered Consulting Services to the insurance, legal and risk management industries, as well as businesses, public entities, and universities for over 25 years. Their Experts travel globally from 30 offices located across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K., Australia and Singapore.

Insurance Industry / Claims Professionals - Envista understands the need to save money and expedite the claim, to serve the insured and reduce uncertainty. They offer a menu of services that address insurers’ needs for timely, reliable information, as well as their need to satisfy the policyholders. Envista's insurance clients include Property Adjusters, Casualty and Liability Adjusters and Examiners, Boiler & Machinery Specialists, Inland and Ocean Marine Surveyors, Subrogation and Recovery Professionals, SIU (Special Investigation Units), Forensic Accountants, and Lloyd's & London Market.

Businesses - Envista understands that buildings, equipment, data and other assets are critical to the profitable operation of any business. They are proud to offer a variety of services that help businesses protect themselves when they need it most. Envista offers specialized expertise with all types of business, especially Manufacturers, Technology Companies, Food Processing, Hospitals, Medical / Dental Care, Laboratories, R&D (Research & Design), Schools and Universities, Law, Accounting, and other Professional Service Firms, Banking, Securities, Financial, Energy, Transportation, Retail, and Broadcast and Entertainment.

Universities & Public Entities - Risk Managers and Business Officers responsible for the operations of colleges, universities, local government and other entities have the challenging role of working to prevent financial exposure following disasters involving business-critical equipment, buildings/structures, data/networks, as well as safety. Envista engineers and technicians have over a quarter century’s worth of experience providing forensic consulting for college risk professionals, as well as the insurance carriers and legal professionals who serve them.

Consulting Services:

• Equipment Damage Assessments
• Forensic Engineering / Causation Analysis
• Building & Structure Damage Assessments
• Equipment Restoration & Preservation
• Evaluation of Repair and Replacement
• Project Management of Repair and Recovery Efforts Options
• Data Recovery
• Computer Forensics
• Forensic Video Services
• Cyber Incident Analysis

Envista Forensics is a global leader in Forensic Engineering & Recovery Solutions. They provide Cause & Origin, Failure Analysis, Fire and Explosion Investigations, Accident Reconstruction, Damage Evaluations and Equipment Restoration Services following disasters of all kinds. Envista has offered Consulting Services to the insurance, legal and risk management industries, as well as businesses, public entities, and universities for over 25 years. Their Experts travel globally from 30 offices located across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K., Australia and Singapore.

Insurance Industry / Claims Professionals - Envista understands the need to save money and expedite the claim, to serve the insured and reduce uncertainty. They offer a menu of services that address insurers’ needs for timely, reliable information, as well as their need to satisfy the policyholders. Envista's insurance clients include Property Adjusters, Casualty and Liability Adjusters and Examiners, Boiler & Machinery Specialists, Inland and Ocean Marine Surveyors, Subrogation and Recovery Professionals, SIU (Special Investigation Units), Forensic Accountants, and Lloyd's & London Market.

Businesses - Envista understands that buildings, equipment, data and other assets are critical to the profitable operation of any business. They are proud to offer a variety of services that help businesses protect themselves when they need it most. Envista offers specialized expertise with all types of business, especially Manufacturers, Technology Companies, Food Processing, Hospitals, Medical / Dental Care, Laboratories, R&D (Research & Design), Schools and Universities, Law, Accounting, and other Professional Service Firms, Banking, Securities, Financial, Energy, Transportation, Retail, and Broadcast and Entertainment.

Universities & Public Entities - Risk Managers and Business Officers responsible for the operations of colleges, universities, local government and other entities have the challenging role of working to prevent financial exposure following disasters involving business-critical equipment, buildings/structures, data/networks, as well as safety. Envista engineers and technicians have over a quarter century’s worth of experience providing forensic consulting for college risk professionals, as well as the insurance carriers and legal professionals who serve them.

Consulting Services:

• Equipment Damage Assessments
• Forensic Engineering / Causation Analysis
• Building & Structure Damage Assessments
• Equipment Restoration & Preservation
• Evaluation of Repair and Replacement
• Project Management of Repair and Recovery Efforts Options
• Data Recovery
• Computer Forensics
• Forensic Video Services
• Cyber Incident Analysis

James Parker has over 35 years of relevant industry experience specializing in Electronic Security Systems & Sensors, Electronics R&D and New Product Development. With executive and strategic leadership skills, Mr. Parker served as a principal product architect, is highly credible with customers, distributors, and suppliers. He is a prolific inventor having been granted over 24 unique patents with approximately 80 patent documents published worldwide. Mr. Parker is the Past Vice President of Engineering for Digital Security Controls Ltd. (DSC), a leading global manufacturer of electronic security systems and components with sales exceeding $400 million annually. He is currently the President at EE-Systems Group Inc. Canada (R&D) where he is responsible for overseeing new product and business development. 

Consulting Services - Mr. Parker's consulting services include identifying patent filing opportunities while avoiding infringement risks. He has in-depth knowledge of electronic product design in both Wired and Wireless Technologies and outstanding knowledge of Environmental and False Alarm Immunity. 

Mr. Parker also has expertise in the research, development, design, and manufacturing of electronic based products such as Security Systems, Burglar Alarm Systems, Intrusion Detection Systems, Occupancy Detection Systems, Fresnel and Mirror Optic PIR (Passive Infra-Red) Motion Detectors, Microwave Doppler Motion Detectors, Solar Powered, Motion Controlled, LED illumination Systems, and similar devices. 

View James Parker's Expert Witness Profile.

Discovery Engineering is a private Engineering Firm based in Boulder, Colorado, performing investigations into Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Systems.  Discovery Engineering also works with management to analyze risk, improve quality, and understand variability processes.  Clients include industrial, commercial, research, legal, government, and private entities.

Mark McFarland, PE, Founder & CEO, is an Licensed Engineer and Statistician with over 25 years of extensive education and experience in applied statistics, statistical learning, artificial intelligence, electrical engineering, and communications. His practical experience includes the design, analysis, and testing of satellite, cellular, LTE, Internet, wireless, Wi-Fi, RADAR, networks, data communications, communication protocols, standards, public safety communications systems, GPS, instrumentation, and control systems. 

Mr. McFarland understands variability is crucial to improving and controlling processes.  He brings scholarship and practical experience in Statistics and Applied Research to help clients understand variability and improve outcomes.

Applied Research and Analytics Consulting Services:

Data Mining, Inference, and Prediction Quality Improvement and Control Risk Analysis Root Cause Analysis

Research Methods Experimental Design Statistical Engineering Electrical Investigations

View Mark McFarland's Expert Witness Profile.

DireenTech is a Design and Systems Development firm in the Electronics and Software Industry. They are currently under contract with the US Air Force Academy Center for UAS Research, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the area of using General Purpose Graphics Processing Units (GPGPU) in UAVs / Drones to provide fast autonomous target identification and GPS denied navigation. DireenTech has also partnered with FalconWorks and Falci Adaptive Motor sports on the NeuroGroove program to develop technologies to help those with neuromotor disabilities, including U.S. veterans, increase their ability to control and interact with their environment.

Core Services

• Software Design and Development
• Electronic Hardware Design and Development
• Research using GPGPUs for Control, Navigation and Image Processing
• Intellectual Property
• Reverse Engineering Hardware, Software, and Firmware
• Product Forensics

Chief Operating officer, Harry Direen, PhD, PE has over 30 years of experience as an engineer Designing and Developing Systems in the Electronics and Software Industry. He has taught engineering courses at the US Air Force Academy and at the University of Colorado. Dr. Direen currently works with a research group at the US Air Force Academy developing control systems and image processing using GPGPUs for UAVs. An inventor, he holds 3 United States patents. Dr. Direen has a broad base of knowledge in electronic and software systems gained from a long career developing a wide range of products and systems. He has reverse engineered a variety of complex systems over the years, including: media players, modems, modem compression algorithms, coriolis mass flow meters, database systems, and a range of other products to support patent infringement cases generating detailed claim charts and writing expert reports to demonstrate infringement. Dr. Direen has successfully discovered and analyzed complex digital signal processing algorithms and pertinent operations within these products for many years.

View Dr. Direen's Expert Witness Profile.

Dr. David Schaafsma, PhD has over 25 years of experience in Optical Systems, Optical Physics, Microscopy & Spectroscopy, Optical Materials, Lasers, Optoelectronics, Sensors, Data Acquisition, Product Development. sales, marketing, business development, operations, and management at small businesses, at government laboratories, and as an independent consultant. Before founding Applied Optical Engineering, Dr. Schaafsma was the director of Sensor Technology at Tetra Tech Data Systems (later Ipitek) and was responsible for all R&D, product development, and commercial activity in fiber optic sensors, and also worked on numerous projects involving fiber communications and embedded systems. As a Senior Scientist at the Naval Research Laboratory, he made the first chalcogenide fused fiber coupler and achieved the first results with single-mode IR-transmitting fiber in mid-IR scanning near-field microscopy. At the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Dr. Schaafsma's research focused on Quantum Optics and Fundamental Metrology of Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers, and included the construction of a confocal fluorescence system with a noise floor of 4 photons. As a Senior Characterization Engineer at Bandgap Technology Corp., he oversaw the production of compound semiconductor devices such as surface acoustic wave (SAW) modulators, vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), solar cells, and laser diodes for an industry which was then in its infancy. Dr. Schaafsma holds two patents, a near-field optical microscope with infrared fiber probe and an infrared optical fiber coupler. He has spoken about many topics at professional venues such as conferences, to potential clients and corporate officers of multi-billion dollar companies, as well as to classes of students. Dr. Schaafsma is also a noted authored having written numerous publications in his areas of expertise. Areas of Expertise

Medical Product Design / Development Optics – Geometric, Diffractive, Waveguide, Optical Technology, Optical Materials Networks, Data Links, Protocols Fiber Optics Lasers & Light Systems Embedded Computer Systems, Microcontrollers Infrared Materials, Technology, Products Imaging & Microscopy (SEM & Optical), Spectroscopy

Software & Programming, Embedded & High Level Languages Electronics, Embedded Design Sensors, Data Acquisition Semiconductor Metrology, Photovoltaics, Renewables Project Planning / Management ISO 9000, SPC Tooling / Process Development Market / Patent Research Grant Writing

View Dr. Schaafsma's Expert Witness Profile.

Geoffrey Beresford Hartwell is a Chartered Consulting Engineer who practices as an Arbitrator, Adjudicator and Expert for Determination. Geoffrey is the former Senior Partner of Consulting Mechanical and Electrical Engineers BHA Cromwell House.

Technical Expertise:

Electrical Engineering and Design Mechanical Engineering and Design Instrumentation Automation and Computer Control Systems Maritime and Infrastructure Engineering Process Engineering Solid Waste Handling

Communications Manufacturing Computer Cartography Moving Bridges and Lock Gates Construction Project Management Nuclear Energy Water and Waste Water Treatment

Consulting Services Include:

• Arbitration - Geoffrey Hartwell acts as an arbitrator and adjudicator, as an expert mediator and conciliator, as an expert investigator and assessor for arbitral tribunals, and also as a Special Referee in the High Court of Justice of the Isle of Man. His services have been required in the UK and internationally
• Dispute Boards: Geoffrey has experience both as Member and as Chairman of Dispute Boards. He has been a member of Dispute Boards, retained from the beginning of a project or, alternatively, appointed on an ad hoc basis when a problem arises, Dispute Adjudication Boards to determine a binding decision, and on Dispute Review Boards to make decisions that are advisory but not binding
• Adjudication: Similar to arbitration, Mr. Hartwell adjudicates domestic and international disputes which are only temporarily binding unless otherwise agreed upon by the parties

Background: After his early career in aerospace and nuclear energy, Geoffrey entered private practice in association with the late Leslie Heap and Gerald Lewis of Heap and Digby, Consulting Engineers, in 1969. While with them he designed water and sewage equipment and also the bascule moving machinery for the Lowestoft Bridge, in Suffolk. He practiced also as Beresford Hartwell and Associates and, in 1971 established a separate office in Wallington, South London.

In parallel with his design career, Geoffrey was first appointed as arbitrator in 1972 and his first foreign arbitration, an ICC appointment in Switzerland, took place later that year. He studied Law to Intermediate level and then transferred to the examinations of the Institute of Arbitrators (now Chartered) of which he became Chairman in 1996-1997 and for whom he taught in various countries on several courses, including the prestigious Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration.

Selected Projects:

• UK Maritime - Roll-On Roll-Off: At Yarmouth in the Isle of Wight, Geoffrey designed an hydraulically-operated vehicle ramp to engage with ferries at all states of the tide. Remote radio control enables the ramp to be trimmed by the approaching vessel. The project included car marshalling and adjustable area lighting
• Modernization of The Tower Bridge, London - In 1974 BHA were appointed by Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Co Ltd to design and manage the modernization of the machinery of The Tower Bridge. The project included new electro-hydraulic pumps, hydraulic motors and drive gears
• Ipswich - Central Control for Water Supply Network: The entire system of pumping stations, treatment works and distribution had new instrumentation and control connected by radio and landline telemetry to a central base station. Geoffrey designed and managed the entire scheme with a dedicated design team

View Geoffrey Beresford Hartwell's Expert Witness Profile.