Dr. Mark L. Hornick


Courses  

this is meDr. Mark L. Hornick is Professor Emeritus in the Software Engineering Program in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE).
I retired from full-time service in June 2017, and taught part-time until May 2020, when I retired permanently.

I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanics, Mechanical, & Aerospace Engineering (1980, Illinois Institute of Technology), a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (1982, UW-Madison) and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering (1985, UW-Madison). My first professional practice of computer programming came when I was a summer intern in the Design Analysis department of the International Harvester Company, where I coded algorithms for computation & display of stresses in structural elements.  In graduate school, my research focus concerned simulation of multi-body systems with kinematic constraints. My PhD dissertation resulted in the creation of a program for robotic path planning & optimization including 3-D graphics simulation.

Beginning my post-graduate career in 1986 with Allen-Bradley (now Rockwell Automation), I worked as an R&D project engineer in the Motion Control group of A-B's Corporate Technology Division. In 1987, I joined ASEA Robotics (now ABB) as Sr. Software Engineer & for the subsequent 17 years as Principal Engineer, Development Manager, and Director, where I helped create & later manage ABB's Industrial Software Products group.

In industry, I learned that management pays well, but is more stressful and less productive than pure technical work. So when the opportunity arose in 2004, I joined MSOE, where I was able to re-engage in engineering - teaching and mentoring aspiring engineering students for the next 16 years.

I spend my time:
reading
playing piano badly
turning wood into sawdust and shavings using various power and hand tools
building things
bicycle touring

Early in my career I had ambitions to do basic research in robotics, and wrote some papers:
Publications
Once I became a manager, my output consisted primarily of spreadsheets...

My wife Laurel and I are the parents of daughters Madeleine and Elissa.

Contact information:

Dr. Mark L. Hornick
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Softare Enginerring Program, EECS Department
1025 North Broadway
Milwaukee WI 53202-3109
hornick@msoe.edu
414-277-2417

This page was last updated on 09/15/2020.