Science is reproducible, independently verifiable knowledge. Anyone can look at a “Scientific Fact” and will observe the same thing. “Scientific Facts” are also called Knowledge, or Data. One fact, a bit of information, is called a Datum. The plural is Data.

 

A Scientist is one who uncovers new Scientific facts, organizes existing knowledge, and can apply it to create Technology. Technology is the application of science to achieve some goal or solve some problem.

 

A Consultant is an expert in solving problems. This is a specialized skill itself, and involves the bringing-together of different fields of knowledge. It usually involves inventing one or more new things or ideas. Any patent rights to such inventions normally become the property of the client who hired the consultant.

 

A consultant is an independent Specialist. A consultant may have one or many specialties, or particular areas of knowledge and experience. You hire a consultant when you discover a problem outside of your own area of expertise, and you urgently need it solved.

 

Steve Smith is a Consulting Scientist.

 

Steve Smith graduated college with a Master’s degree in Physics and comparable experience in chemistry. He has 20 years experience in the Aerospace electronics industry, in the design of radar transmitters and their magnetic components [transformers, inductors, saturable reactors]. He holds eleven patents mostly in the field of electronics. Several, for example, deal with isolating harmonic currents from a power distribution system. He authored a book on transformer design. He established a manufacturing business and formulated a unique product line of adhesives, primers, impregnating sealants and coatings. His products cure paint failure. He invented The Modern Technology that Restores Deteriorated Wood. He is a co-inventor of a nicotine-delivery element called the Satisfactor, which delivers [to one accustomed to smoking cigarettes] the sensation of satisfaction, without any first-hand smoke, second-hand smoke, or burning tobacco at all. He is a member of the CALCE Tin Whisker Group, one of a government-industry team dedicated to developing technology to mitigate and ultimately eliminate the damaging effects of these microscopic metal-crystal growths, which have cost us a billion dollars worth of satellites and ground-based electronic systems in the last ten years.

 

In 2015 a ten-year effort supported by the U. S. Missile Defense Agency to develop a conformal coating needed to contain tin whiskers on electronic circuit-card assemblies, led by Steve Smith as the Principal Investigator, was successfully concluded with all original contract goals met. Two presentations approved for public release may be found here and here. Commercial rights to this technology are held by Whisker-Tough Development.

The science of captivating metal whiskers with an elastomeric coating was developed first for tin whiskers, but the mathematical equations that describe the Physics of Failure of a point-stressed elastomer apply equally well to other types of metal whiskers. It turns out that zinc also grows whiskers, and Data Centers have zinc-plated floor-panels, cable-trays, floor-supports and even galvanized chassis components of the individual servers and their racks; all such surfaces may (scientifically, eventually will) grow zinc whiskers and shed conductive debris into the air-cooling systems, causing electronic failures, downtime and possible data-loss. An article in the December 2015 issue of The Data Center Journal discuses this. In 2017 a White Paper on the subject was prepared. It may be accessed at http://www.zincwhisker.us.

An implementation of the metal-whisker-captivating technology appropriate for galvanized (zinc-plated) surfaces in Data Centers has been developed. It is a waterborne coating called Dataguardian™. Commercial rights to that implementation of the technology has been licensed by Smith & Co., who manufactures and distributes it. Learn more about the product and the science at http://www.zincwhisker.us/. A European distributor of the Dataguardian coating, headquartered in the UK is *DataGuard Solutions* http://www.dataguardsolutions.co.uk/.

One particularly interesting research program involved developing more stable emulsions. There are many uses of emulsions in our society, ranging from cleaners to water-borne versions of older solvent-borne products such as commercial wood preservatives, to latex paint and beyond. Emulsions have many different failure mechanisms. These are known as coalescence, flocculation, creaming and Ostwald ripening. Definitions of those terms may be found at many websites, one of which is here, but you may not want to read past the first five pages as it gets rather technical. Understanding emulsion failure mechanisms is the basis of developing more stable emulsions.

 

Research and development capabilities extend far beyond these few areas. Having the capacity to learn what may not be presently known, or to find and coordinate specialists that have specific complimentary knowledge for a particular project, means Steve Smith’s capabilities are essentially unlimited.

 

Steve Smith is a genius.