Dr. Gordon C. Andrews was a Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. In his early years, he served as a construction engineering officer in the Canadian Air Force, and was a stress analyst for the Boeing Airplane Company on the 747 design team. During a 35-year university career, Dr. Andrews taught courses from first year to graduate level, and conducted research in machine design, dynamics, kinematics, projectile dynamics, dynamic simulation, and computer-aided design. He is the author or co-author of over 100 publications.

Dr. Andrews was a licensed Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario, certified to provide engineering advice to the public, and had been actively involved in many engineering projects with private companies, involving machine design (stamping presses, drilling rigs, metal shredders), dynamics (projectiles and vehicles), gear strength analysis, and professional engineering practice. Even after retiring from active teaching, he continued his writing in professional practice and ethics. Over the years, he was engaged as an expert witness in several legal cases involving engineering.

Patricia Shaw is a mechanical engineer and a graduate of Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario (B.A.Sc.). She is a licensed Professional Engineer in Ontario, where she has worked as a project engineer for Monenco and as a sales engineer for Quadro Engineering Corporation of Waterloo. At Monenco, she developed engineering designs and analyses of co-generation facilities; she also worked on the construction planning for the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, pictured on the cover. Ms. Shaw is currently the president of a software engineering company, MotionPro Inc.