Mark Thek serves as president of Esterline Power Systems and guides a Southern California company that provides dedicated solutions in the electrical power distribution sphere. Currently working on the book “The Quantification of Human Emotion,” Mark Thek has a passion for mathematics and physics. A recent article in Science Alert brought attention to a plan by National University of Singapore researchers for utilizing time crystals to create a super lightweight, reliable quantum computer. With regular crystals’ repeating units being a fundamental structure, time crystals are “repeated over time” rather than taking up three dimensional space. The particles have resonance in their movements that is not tied to a constant energy source; instead of generating energy, they create a ticking that could potentially be employed in storing vast quantities of information within what is referred to as “magic states.” To accomplish this, the Singaporean researchers propose to create a collective behavior among electrons that resembles the majorana fermions particles that are hypothesized to make up atoms. With the electrons arrayed in a twisting “braid motion” as they travel down a conductor, they would be less fragile than other quantum states and could be used to create ultra-reliable quantum computers. The time crystals would amplify this through time-domain features that would expand the qubits available for encoding information. Esterline Power Systems president Mark Thek brings over three decades of experience in physics, power, and aerospace to his role. In addition to his work, Mark Thek is authoring a book called The Quantification of Human Emotion.
Quantifying something as subjective as human emotion has been a difficult problem for many generations, but new technologies are creating new possibilities to name, label, and study emotions. If and when emotions are quantifiable, it is believed that machines can learn them, which could change the way we interact with our devices (or them with us). Facial and speech analysis are two technologies that are improving rapidly. With enough examples and information, machines could learn via artificial intelligence (AI) how to identify our emotions based on our faces, voices, and what we say. A new application called EQ-Radio uses wireless technology to read breath and heart rate, and thus define a person’s emotions. The system has been shown to work 87 percent of the time. Affectiva is a company that has been analyzing faces all over the world to develop its Emotion AI facial emotion recognition system. These new technologies could improve the way we learn and work with machines and could also have major implications for how advertising works. As president of Esterline Power Systems, Mark Thek provides sensitive technologies that allow aircrafts used in military and civilian contexts to perform according to expectations. Under Mark Thek’s guidance, the firm provides aircraft parts made from advanced elastomer materials. When people use the word “elastomer,” they often mean rubber produced by artificial manufacturing means, as opposed to naturally occurring rubber. Engineers can carefully manage the elastomer production process such that final products have unique properties useful to various ends. For example, some elastomers do not melt in the face of extreme temperatures. In the world of advanced aviation manufacture, elastomer parts often appear in the form of seals on aircraft hatches as well as in places that prevent fuel and other fluids leakage. Advances in aviation elastomer seals have made them lighter, helping airlines increase fuel efficiency. There are nearly 10 different kinds of elastomers companies use to fashion seals. Each type has a different temperature range in which it functions best. For example, neoprene compound seals function well in temperatures from about -50 degrees to just over 200 degrees fahrenheit, while silicon compound seals can function from about -80 to 400 degrees fahrenheit. However, functional temperature ranges within an elastomer family can vary depending on the specific compound in question. An accomplished physicist and business executive, Mark Thek has served as president of Esterline Power Systems for more than two decades. As president of the Los Angeles-based firm, Mark Thek leads a specialized manufacturing organization that provides a range of products for aerospace and defense companies around the globe. In a recently released statement, Esterline Power Systems announced the launch of a new manufacturing site in Kortrijk, Belgium. Focused on advanced display and visual systems technologies, the cutting-edge engineering and manufacturing operation opened after Esterline invested more than 15 million Euros toward upgrading and consolidating existing facilities in the country. During a grand opening event, Esterline leaders and officials from Belgian trade organizations and government agencies toured the facility, which will help the company better serve the needs of global corporations such as Boeing, Honeywell, and Lockheed Martin. The event also featured the unveiling of a plaque honoring American pilot Murray Kenneth Spidle, who went missing in Belgium’s West Flemish region during WWI. The facility will be named the Spidle site in recognition of the lieutenant’s sacrifice. For more information about the new facility or Esterline’s work in the area, visit esterline.com. After receiving a master’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles with a focus in physics, Mark Thek went on to become a physicist and engineering director for the Hughes Aircraft Company and then president of Esterline Power Systems. Mark Thek also published a book titled Quantification of Human Emotion. Modern psychologists have taken a vested interest in monitoring human emotions and brain activity to help explain certain afflictions like schizophrenia. Using magnetic imaging technology, scientists found that people with schizophrenia had lower activity in the brain’s prefrontal cortex. Torque magazine published an article that highlights emerging technologies used to quantify emotions, such as internet tools using speech analysis and video that studies facial reactions. There also is a web-based device that gauges emotion based on positive and negative sentiments of text. However, analysis still tends to be subjective as it is what is unspoken or when someone is sarcastic that can sometimes be tough to read. Graduating with a master’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, Mark Thek concentrated his studies on physics and mathematics. While attending UCLA, Mark Thek developed molecular branding techniques using Raman spectroscopy. Raman spectroscopy is related to laser beams and a rigid scattering of monochromatic light. “Inelastic scattering” as defined within Raman spectroscopy happens when the photons’ frequency in monochromatic light changes when it interacts with something. These molecular vibrations are used for sample quantitation and identification. When a laser is pointed at an object and bounces off, that light is shifted in what can be referred to as a Raman scatter. Vibrations of the molecules caused by this reflects the way that people perceive the wavelengths of light. Used primarily in chemistry, molecules are identified via rotational, vibrational, and other low-frequency styles. Raman technology has been used for more than 80 years and can help improve the quality of food consumed and products used by better understanding how light interacts with matter. |
AuthorPresident of Esterline Power Systems - Mark Thek Archives
February 2021
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