Gilbert B. Chapman II
Gilbert B. Chapman II was Senior Manager for Advanced Materials at DaimlerChrysler (now Chrysler) Corporation. He worked in the Liberty and Technical Affairs group, leading efforts to acquire, develop and implement advanced materials, processes and technologies for advanced concept vehicle development. He was also responsible for locating and arranging for the transfer of advanced technologies from universities, R&D laboratories and other sources, into corporate applications for product and process improvements.
Previously, he was responsible for developing and providing state-of-the-art nondestructive evaluation (NDE) and quality systems technologies to support corporate quality objectives for advanced materials and processes in automotive applications and he supervised four testing laboratories. His background in supporting quality with NDE technology includes Project Leader at Ford Motor Company, where he performed research to develop and implement production-compatible NDE technology for quality assurance of thermoplastics and polymer composite components and processes.
Before joining Ford's Research Staff, Gil was employed at NASA - Lewis (now Glenn) Research Center developing computer automated emission spectrochemical analysis methods to support aerospace materials and propulsion research and development programs. Earlier assignments at NASA-Lewis included R&D in supersonic propulsion and high-energy fuels. He was also an occasional tour leader and recruiter.
Gil Chapman has a BS in mathematics with chemistry minor, an MS in physics, an MBA from the Advanced Management Program at Michigan State University, and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Windsor. He chaired the local chapters of the Society of Physics Students and Sigma Pi Sigma, the Physics Honor Society, while a graduate student at Kent State University. Gil has been a member and/or officer in ACS, APS, ASC, ASM, ASNT, CAP, ESD, NTA, SAE, SAS, SME, SPE and Sigma Pi Sigma. He has been an active member of AAAS, ASTM and IEEE. He has held offices in several technical societies, including the NTA, SAS, SME, SPE, SPS and the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) in which he was certified at Level III, the highest level, in six test methods. Gil has served as Chairman of ASNT’s Detroit Section, and was elected an ASNT Fellow. He has organized and chaired several international conferences and conference sessions on advanced materials, quality and automotive composites.
Gil taught college classes part-time for five years, and Chrysler’s Quality Education System. He is a frequent colloquium speaker, chaired a university industrial advisory board and served on several University Industrial Advisory Committees, as well as the Mt. Vernon Academy (Ohio) Board.
He has authored over 70 technical reports and publications, including three book chapters and encyclopedia articles, on subjects such as supersonic propulsion, high-energy fuels, emission spectrochemical analysis, computer automation, nondestructive evaluation of composites, artificial intelligence, composites quality, advanced materials in concept vehicles and the implementation of technical innovations in manufacturing systems, processes and products. He also has given about 123 presentations to Conferences and Colloquia. He organized and coordinated the first Chrysler Tech Expo, the Chrysler “Green” Team, a Polymer Composites Technology Resources Network Team, and chaired the Liberty Quality Improvement Team.
His biographical sketch has been included in four Who's Who publications and featured in Ebony's "Speaking of People". Gil has received recognition awards for best paper, outstanding presentations, engineer of the year and was the Martin Luther King Visiting Professor of Physics at Wayne State University in 2002.