H. Pat Artis '71
H. Pat Artis
Class of ‘71
Professor of Practice for the Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering at Virginia Tech
I currently serve as a Professor of Practice in the Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering at Virginia Tech. My areas of expertise are avionics systems and the design of launch vehicles.
Until my retirement, I was the founder and president of Performance Associates, Inc. After graduating from Virginia Tech in 1971, I started my career as a Member of Technical Staff at Bell Labs. After a decade in that position, I transitioned to Morino Associates, where I served as the Director of Analytic Products.
My journey began in a small town in Southern Ohio. Since the only person I knew who had successfully ventured out of our little village to become an engineer had gone to Virginia Tech, I followed in his footsteps. Today, I reside in Blacksburg with my wife, Nancy, and spend my leisure time traveling for wildlife photography.
How did the college equip you for the ‘real world’?
Virginia Tech instilled in me the approach of tackling all problems with first principles. Throughout my career, I have solved numerous intriguing problems, all of which can be traced back to my fundamental understanding of physics and mathematics. This proved to be invaluable in the design of complex systems and was the foundation of my successful career.
What was a project that you worked on while at Virginia Tech?
During my undergraduate years, I was involved in several projects:
In my first year, I constructed a sounding rocket as part of an AIAA paper.
In the fall of 1968, I assisted in installing the new IBM 360/50-65 data center in the newly extended Burruss Hall.
Additionally, enrolling in George Gorseline’s class as an elective led to a co-op opportunity with Ashland Oil as a system programmer in the summer of 1968. As a student in need of financial support, this co-op was crucial in funding my education. Upon returning from my co-op that fall, I found the university updating Burruss Hall to accommodate the new computer and was quickly hired in its data center. For the next three years, I juggled studying, working at Ashland Oil, working for the university in a role similar to my co-op, and going to class.
Why is giving back (time, talent, or treasure) to Virginia Tech important to you?
Virginia Tech’s “first principle”, is Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) — my teaching embodies that principle. My wife, Nancy, and I donate to Virginia Tech and Radford University funding facilities and scholarships to help prepare future generations of scientists and engineers.
What was your greatest challenge?
My greatest challenge as a student was financial need. Unlike today’s students who often accumulate substantial student debt, I managed to balance my finances by co-oping and working 20 hours a week at the university data center.
What is a guiding principle for your work?
My work is guided by two sets of key principles: valuing, protecting, and promoting your people, and ensuring all customer relationships are mutually beneficial.
What was one of your favorite memories?
One of my cherished memories is being a first-year student living in Vawter Hall, where room assignments were made alphabetically by last name. While engineering was a tight-knit community, many of my lifelong friends are from Vawter Hall. Interacting with people from diverse academic backgrounds provided a refreshing break from engineering.
Education
B.S., Engineering Science and Mechanics, Virginia Tech, 1971
M.S., Computer Science, Rutgers University, 1976
Ph.D., Informatics (Computer Performance), University of Pretoria, 1992