Dr. Don Flournoy

Don Flournoy holds advanced degrees from the University of Texas and the University of London. He held the position of Assistant Dean, Case Institute of Technology, Cleveland, and Associate Dean, SUNY/Buffalo. From 1971-1981, he served as University College Dean at Ohio University and from 1990-2007, as Director of the Institute for Telecommunications Studies (ITS) Director. Author of multiple articles and research reports, Dr. Flournoy’s most recent books include the Broadband Millennium: Communication Technologies and Markets, Chicago: International Engineering Consortium, 2004; Networked Communities: Strategies for Digital Collaboration, Hershey PA: IGI-Global, 2009; and Solar Power Satellites, London/New York: Springer Science + Business Media, 2012. He is the founding editor of the Online Journal of Space Communication (2002-present), and has taught satellite communication at Ohio University since 1986. Dr. Flournoy’s early satellites mentor was T. Keith Glennan, administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Noteworthy among his contributions to broadband satellite development was the NASA-funded satellite communication research conducted during at Ohio University for ACTS. In collaboration with colleagues in the Scripps College of Communication and the Russ College of Engineering, the ITS performed tests on the capabilities and performance of NASA’s Ka-band all-digital $500 million Advanced Communication Technology Satellite. Papers growing out of those studies are considered to be classics in the field. Prof. Flournoy served on the Board of Directors for the Society of Satellite Professionals International 2003-2009, and was VP for Education and co-chair of the SSPI Academic Council 2004-2009. Pursuing his interest in Solar Power Satellite development, the Space Journal published in 2010 its largest issue ever on Solar Power Satellites, with a companion issue in 2013 entitled “Creative Visualization of Space Solar Power.” The follow-on International SunSat Design International Competition was launched 2013 in cooperation with the National Space Society, the SSPI and the Ohio University GRID Lab. His full vita can be viewed at: http://spacejournal.ohio.edu.