MAE Mourns Loss of Professor Emeritus Don W. Miller

The department was saddened to learn of the passing of Professor Emeritus Don W. Miller on August 28, 2015.  He previously served as Professor and Chair of the Nuclear Engineering Program and Director of The Ohio State University Nuclear Reactor Laboratory in the former Mechanical Engineering Department from 1977 – 1997.  He received BS and MS degrees in physics from Miami University and MS and PhD degrees in nuclear engineering from The Ohio State University.   

Miller was an internationally recognized expert in the advancement of instrumentation and control systems for nuclear power plants.  He was elected a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society (ANS), the premier professional society for the nuclear industry, and served as a member of the prestigious Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards.  He was a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a senior member of the Instrument Society of America and a member of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE).

In 2009, The Don Miller Award was established by the Human Factors, Instrumentation & Controls Division (HCIFD) of ANS.  Miller was the first recipient of the award, which recognizes outstanding engineering research and development, licensing or project achievements in the fields of nuclear instrumentation and control or human machine interface worldwide, as exemplified by Miller’s career.  He was a recipient of the ASEE Glenn Murphy Award and MAE’s 2010 Bertha Lamme Feicht Award for teaching accomplishments.

Miller was known for his community leadership, elected to four terms as a member of the Westerville, Ohio Board of Education from 1976 – 1991.  He served as a member of The Ohio School Board Association and was listed in “Who’s Who in America” in 1988 for his contributions to the Westerville community.

Ted Quinn, chair of MAE’s Nuclear Engineering External Advisory Board noted that Miller’s lasting legacy of instrumentation and control greatness at Ohio State is recognized around the world.  “His ability to continue his life’s work amid the health challenges he faced is an example to all of us,” Quinn said.