Good Earth Mechanics, LLC - GEM

The Good Earth Mechanics (GEM) team of Associates is comprised of subject matter experts from industry, academia, and private practice, who are uniquely qualified to carry out the GEM mission. The GEM team is introduced below in alphabetical order.

	Dr. Maria A. Barrufet, P.E. TEOR, Produced Waters Petroleum Engineering Distance Learning, Texas A&M University Maria has been the principal or co-principal investigator on projects sponsored by the Department of Energy and various oil companies in the areas of Improved Oil Recovery using Thermal and Chemical methods. She has over 30 publications in the areas of thermodynamics, phase behavior and phase equilibria of fluid mixtures, profile modification, neural networks, and polymer flooding. Maria is presently the Director of Distance Learning at the Department of Petroleum Engineering and the Baker Hughes Endowed Chair of Petroleum Engineering at the Texas A&M University.
	Dr. Huanmin Lu Solar Pond Technology Huanmin has served as a lecturer and researcher at the Capital Normal University in Beijing, at the Ohio State University in Columbus, and at the University of Texas at El Paso, where he is currently a lecturer in the department of Mechanical Engineering. Huanmin has worked in solar pond research and operations since 1981, and was one of the research principals on the experimental solar pond managed by the University of Texas at El Paso (1989-2002). Huanmin has published 24 papers on solar pond technology, including process heat for anaerobic digestion, dynamic processes of the salinity gradient, instrumentation and monitoring, electric power production, and using solar ponds to manage waste brine of desalination plants. Huanmin also conducted a feasibility study of solar pond technology for the San Joaquin Valley in California.
	Dr. George S. Nitschke, P.E. Surface Systems, Drilling George has drilled exploratory oil, gas, and geothermal wells in Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Jamaica, Peru, Brazil, Chad, Ascension Island, the Rocky Mountains and the U.S. Midwest. George holds patent(s) in GPGT conversion systems and was a principal contributing consultant/author to the Department of Energy's GPGT consortium (c.1990-92). George also has 20 years experience developing air vehicle mechanical systems for Boeing and the U.S. Air Force. George formed GEM in the fall of 2007 to promote the optimal recovery and conversion of the GPGT resource to help solve the integrated water and energy challenges in the U.S.
	Dr. Andrew H. P. Swift, Jr., P.E. Solar Pond Technology, Renewable Energy Systems Andy is a Professor and Director of the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center in the Civil Engineering Department at the Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX. Andy was Dean, College of Engineering, at the University of Texas at El Paso from June 1996 to January 2003, and was a principal investigator on the UTEP experimental solar pond (1985-2002). Andy has published extensively in solar pond research and is a recognized expert worldwide in solar pond technology and experimentation. Andy has served as a consultant and board member to numerous energy concerns. Andy served in the U.S. Air Force (1968-1974, ending rank of Captain), with assignments including: Undergraduate Pilot Training, Reese AFB; Vietnam Service Instructor Pilot; and Assistant Flight Commander. Andy was awarded the Air Medal for his Viet Nam service.
	Dr. John C. Walton, P.E. Solar Pond Technology, Environmental Remediation John is currently a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso. John was a principal investigator on the UTEP solar pond project, along with Lu and Swift, and co-authored the San Joaquin solar pond feasibility study with Lu. John has worked and published extensively in the areas of nuclear waste, hazardous waste, ground water, alternative energy, and materials degradation. Prior to coming to UTEP John worked primarily in the National Laboratory system in the areas of risk assessment, remediation, and nuclear waste disposal, and has served as an expert witness and advisor to the Departments of Justice and Energy. When not helping to solve the nation's energy and environmental problems, John enjoys the great outdoors with his family (see John's homepage).