Nelson S. Smith, Jr.

Nelson S. Smith, Jr., a native of Weirton, West Virginia, served four years in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. Upon discharge, he attended West Virginia University under the Korean G.I. Bill and received the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in January 1956. He began his teaching career in 1956 as an Instructor in Electrical Engineering at WVU while doing graduate work leading to the award of the MSEE degree in 1958. In 1960, he was awarded a National Science Foundation Science Faculty Fellowship for doctoral studies at the University of Pittsburgh and was awarded the Doctor of Science in Engineering in 1962. The award of a second NSF Fellowship allowed post-doctoral study at the University of Illinois and at MIT.

Dr. Smith returned to WVU in 1962 to continue his teaching career and was selected as one of the Outstanding Teachers in the College of Engineering for the 1988-89, 1989-90, and 1990-91 academic years and was the College of Engineering's Teacher of the Year for 1988-89. In 1992, he was recognized at the university level as one of five professors receiving a WVU Foundation Award for Outstanding Teaching.

Dr. Smith is a member of IEEE, ASEE, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, Sigma Xi, and Sigma Pi Sigma. After a 36 year teaching career, he retired from WVU in 1992 as Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.