Edward H. Preston

Summary

One of the most rewarding aspects of my job as a systems engineer at MITRETEK Systems is the variety, challenge, and significance of the projects on which I've worked. In part, this is due to MITRETEK's role as a private, non-profit, applied research and engineering organization that is totally dedicated by charter to the public service. We seek solutions to realworld problems of national importance without any product line bias or the constraints of maximizing shareholders’ equity. This permits an unrestricted approach to systems analysis and engineering which is both challenging and fulfilling. To meet this challenge, staff members must be able to model and analyze the behavior of a large variety of complex, large-scale, interrelated systems. Mathematics provides an ideal perspective that supports both the required breadth and depth of analysis.

Over the years, I have been involved with many interesting projects dealing with environmental, economic, safety, energy, communication, and information systems. I developed an air pollutant diffusion model and other models to study the environmental impact of various activities. Those models were used to support the establishment of national air quality standards and other regulatory decisions by the Environmental Protection Agency. I built a regional development simulation model and an economic input-output model to study the economic/environmental impacts of activities regulated by the Army Corps of Engineers. I helped develop a series of interrelated, large-scale macro-economic and environmental models to study the effects of policies by the Department of Energy.