Michael A. Chapman

Background

About Michael A. Chapman

Why R&D? High-voltage technology grabbed me when I started my doctoral work. What better profession to creatively feed your natural curiosity, meet amazing people, and contribute to public welfare? My development activities have also given me an appreciation for electronics, materials science, chemistry and production. I have especially enjoyed designing and evaluating tests that predict behaviors or explain unexpected outcomes, and studying the breakdown and failure mechanisms of insulation and the associated test methods, including partial discharge, dissipation factor and accelerated aging. While I love the geeky engineering problems best, teaching has also been a highlight. Over nine years I led small groups through intensive courses on the insulation systems of rotating machines more than 50 times, for a total of about 500 people. This taught me to learn to communicate more effectively, and I also learned to relax and have fun with others in a professional environment. My enthusiasm for high-voltage diagnostics and measurement technology continues to grow. It is immensely satisfying to harmonize a knowledge of physical phenomena with empirical data.