Dr. Walter (Denny) Burnside (1942 - 2022)

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Walter (Denny) Burnside, former Director of ESL, on April 18, 2022. Dr. Burnside received his M.S. degree in 1968 and earned his Ph.D. in 1972, both in Electrical Engineering from The Ohio State University. His long-time history with the ElectroScience Laboratory began in 1972 when he joined the lab as a Research Scientist. He went on to become an Assistant Professor in 1980 and a full Professor in 1985. He served as Director of ESL beginning in 1994 until he retired in 2002. After retiring from OSU, Dr. Burnside founded and RFID innovation small business, NeWave Sensor Solutions.

Dr. Burnside’s main research interests included the application of wedge diffraction, the geometrical theory of diffraction, broad-band antennas, airborne antenna analysist, hybrid solutions, and various high-frequency scattering solutions. During his tenure at ESL, Dr. Burnside was the recipient of the 1987 ESL George Sinclair Award for recognition of his distinguished technical contributions and service to ESL, specifically for his major contributions in the realm of compact range technology. He also won numerous IEEE Best Paper Awards, The Distinguished Achievement Award from the Antenna Measurement Techniques Association, a Distinguished Scholar Award from The Ohio State University, and the Distinguished Public Service Medal from NASA.

We would also like to extend our deepest sympathies to his immediate family, and we are thinking of them at this difficult time.