Military academies use engineering text

A textbook co-authored by Dr. Royce Bowden is being used to educate industrial engineers at some of the nation's leading universities.

Bowden, associate professor of industrial engineering, is an author of the fifth edition of "System Improvement Using Simulation." Other contributors are Robert E. Bateman, Charles R. Harrell and Jack R.A. Mott.

The textbook is used to teach students theory and practice of simulation and optimization using Promodel simulation and SimRunner optimization software. In 1996, Bowden was one of the developers of SimRunner.

The Promodel software allows users to create a working simulation, or movie, of manufacturing and other business operations on a personal computer. Potential changes can be tested using the computer simulation.

Promodel Corp., a Utah-based computer software manufacturer, is the publisher of "System Improvement Using Simulation." All three U.S. military academies and many universities use the textbook.

Bowden, who is director of MSU's Simulation and Advanced Computation Laboratory, joined the university's industrial engineering faculty in 1992. His previous work includes manufacturing engineering positions with Texas Instruments and Martin Marietta Aerospace.