BEHNAM MALAKOOTI, PHD, PE, is Professor of Systems Engineering in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department of Case Western Reserve University. His current research is in the areas of complex decision making, optimization, and production/manufacturing. He designed intelligent protocols for NASA's space-based networks. He has published over 100 technical journal articles and has consulted with numerous industries and corporations, including General Electric, Parker Hannifin, and BFGoodrich. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, IIE, and SME, and in 1997, he was named Engineer of the Year and also Technical Educator of the Year.