Katie A. Evans, Ph.D.
Interim Director, Mathematics/Statistics and Industrial Engineering

Director, Integrated STEM Education Research Center

Director, Louisiana Tech Grand Challenge Scholars Program

Walter Koss Associate Professor of Mathematics

Contact Information Louisiana Tech University College of Engineering and Science Program of Mathematics and Statistics George T. Madison 374 P.O. Box 10348 Ruston, LA 71272 Phone: 318-257-3011 Fax:  318-257-2182 Email: kevans@latech.edu

Research Interests

• Distributed parameter control theory
• Low order control design
• Dynamic modeling of physical systems

Unmanned air vehicles

Brain cell calcium dynamics

Nanoparticle-based cancer therapy

• Numerical analysis
• STEM education initiatives

Education

        Postdoctoral Research Associate, Mechanical Engineering, Oregon State University (2004-05)
Project: Control and simulation of unmanned air vehicles, extraction of energy from the wind to power micro air vehicles.
        Advisor: Dr. Mark F. Costello (Georgia Tech)

        Ph.D., Mathematics, Virginia Tech (2003)                       
        Thesis: Reduced Order Controllers for Distributed Parameter Systems
        Advisor: Dr. Belinda A. Batten (Oregon State University)

        M.S., Mathematics, Virginia Tech (2001)
        Thesis: The Search for a Reduced Order Controller: Comparison of Balanced Reduction Techniques
        Advisor: Dr. Belinda A. Batten (Oregon State University)

        B.S., Mathematics (Statistics Minor), Morehead State University (1999), Summa Cum Laude

Publications

• Chakravarthy, A., K.A. Evans, J. Evers, and L.M. Kuhn, “Nonlinear controllers for wing morphing trajectories of a heave dynamics model,” Proceedings of the 2011 Conference on Decision and Control, Orlando, FL, 2788-2793, invited, 3 peer reviews, 59% acceptance rate, December 2011.
• Chakravarthy, A., K.A. Evans, J. Evers, and L.M. Kuhn, “Target tracking strategies for a nonlinear, flexible aircraft-inspired model,” Proceedings of the 2011 American Control Conference, San Francisco, CA, 1783-1788, invited, 2 peer reviews, 63% acceptance rate, June 2011.
• Chakravarthy, A., K.A. Evans, and J. Evers, “Sensitivities and functional gains for a flexible aircraft-inspired model,” Proceedings of the 2010 American Control Conference, Baltimore, MD, FrA06.3, 4893-4898, invited, 3 peer reviews, 62% acceptance rate, June 2010.
• Batten, B.A. and K.A. Evans, “Reduced order compensators via balancing and central control design for a structural control problem,” International Journal of Control, 83(3), 563-574, 2010.
• Batten, B.A. and K.A. Evans, “Theoretical considerations of control design for the Klein-Gordon partial differential equation,” Proceedings of the 2010 MAA LA/MS Section Meeting, 2010.
• Evans, K.A., “Sensitivity analysis for control parameter determination for a nonlinear cable-mass system,” Proceedings of the 2009 American Control Conference, St. Louis, MO, FrA05.2, 4091-4096, 3 peer reviews, 67% acceptance rate, June 2009.
• Batten King, B.A., N. Hovakimyan, K.A. Evans, and M. Buhl, “Reduced order controllers for distributed parameter systems: LQG balanced truncation and an adaptive approach,” Mathematical and Computer Modeling. Vol. 43, no. 9-10, 1136-1149, 2006.
• Zietsman, L., K.A. Evans, J.T. Brown, and R.A. Idowu, “Riccati conditioning and sensitivity for a minmax controlled cable-mass system,” Proceedings of the 2008 IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, Cancun, Mexico, 4007-4011, 5 peer reviews, 50% acceptance rate, December 2008.
• Kyle, J., K.A. Evans, and M.F. Costello, “Atmospheric wind energy extraction by a micro autonomous glider,” Proceedings of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Conference, San Francisco, CA, 2005-6233.pdf, August 2005.
• Evans, K.A. and B.A. Batten King, “Full order compensator-based feedback control of a cantilevered Euler-Bernoulli beam,” Proceedings of the 2004 IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas, pgs. 1508-1513, invited, 50% acceptance rate, December 2004.
• Evans Camp, K.A. and B.A. Batten King, “A comparison of linear quadratic Gaussian and central compensators for a structural control,” Proceedings of the 2003 American Control Conference, Denver, CO, TA04-3.pdf, invited, 68% acceptance rate, June 2003.
• Evans Camp, K.A. and B.A. Batten King, “A comparison of balanced truncation techniques for reduced order controllers,” Proceedings of 15th International Symposium on Mathematical Theory of Networks and Systems, Notre Dame, IN, 23323_2.pdf, Augusts 2002.

• Evans, K., M. Konikoff, J. J. Madden, R. Mathis, and G. Whipple, "Totally ordered commutative monoids,” Semigroup Forum, vol. 62, no. 2, pp. 249-278, 2001.

Mathematical Association of America (MAA) Career Profile (2007)

Curriculum Vitae (last update December 2014)