Dr. Hamstad is a professor in the field of Mechanical Engineering. He teaches multiple courses in Mechanical Engineering. He also teaches courses in Materials Science as well as courses in solid mechanics. In the research araea, Dr. Hamstad has been continuously involved in acoustic emission research and applications since 1971, and he has carried out AE projects in the USA, Germany and Sweden. His various research efforts have resulted in more than 100 publications. Topics covered in Dr. Hamstad's published acoustic emission work include: composites (graphite/epoxy, kevlar/epoxy, glass/epoxy and wood); unflawed metals (aluminum alloys, steels, stainless steel); flawed metals (aluminum alloys, steels); ceramics (both flawed and unflawed); wave propagation (experimental and finite element modeling); acoustic emission instrumentation characterization; acoustic emission sensor/preamplifier design and characterization; and, fatigue monitoring of materials (metals and composites). Dr. Hamstad is also an associate editor of the international journal Structural Health Monitoring and on the editorial board of the Journal of Acoustic Emission.
