Matthew Heun
- Dr. Matthew Heun
- Professor
- Engineering
- Science Building 140 (Map)
- 616-526-6663
- matthew.heun@calvin.edu
Education
Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois, 1995
Dr. Heun graduated from Calvin with a BSE in 1989. He completed is M.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1990 and finished his Ph.D. in 1995, both at the University of Illinois. During that time, he worked as a research assistant in the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Center (ACRC) at the University of Illinois. His work at the ACRC focused on the optimization of heat exchangers using ozone-friendly refrigerants.
Biography
After completing his Ph.D., Dr. Heun worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, CA, where he led studies and experiments related to planetary exploration with balloon systems. After working at JPL, Dr. Heun joined Global Aerospace Corporation (GAC), a start-up aerospace R&D company, as its first full-time employee. At GAC, Dr. Heun proposed, led, and completed several projects in support of NASA’s Earth Science activities. Dr. Heun spent his 2009 sabbatical in South Africa at the Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology where he taught and participated in sustainable energy development.
Read Professor Heun's News & Stories profile story (August 8, 2008)
Academic interests
- Impact of Energy Return on Investment (EROI) on energy prices
- Sustainable Development in the Developing World Context
- Renewable Energy Systems
- Lithium-ion battery performance modeling for space applications
- Balloon and lighter-than-air vehicle system design and optimization
- Biological analogs for robotic group behavior
- Passive trajectory control for stratospheric balloon systems
- Thermal systems optimization
- Survivable systems for planetary exploration
Publications
-
A Framework for Sustainability Thinking: A Student’s Introduction to Global Sustainability Challenges
by Jeremy Van Antwerp, Matthew Kuperus Heun
-
Beyond GDP: National Accounting in the Age of Resource Depletion in Lecture Notes in Energy (Book 26)
by Matthew Kuperus Heun, Michael Carbajales-Dale, Becky Roselius Haney
Published: May 13, 2015
ISBN: 978-3319128191
-
Beyond Stewardship: New Approaches to Creation Care
Published: August 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-937555-38-2
eBook ISBN: 978-1-937555-39-9
In the news
Engineering students provide key insights for Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity wondered how to reduce carbon emissions even further in a house they are building. For the answer, they turned to an engineering class at Calvin University.
Engineering students shifting carbon into neutral at Calvin University
In a semester-long engineering class project, students developed their communication, math, and problem-solving skills as they discovered a path for Calvin to eliminate its natural-gas related net CO2 emissions from its heating.
On a Mission to Inspire Students to Dream Bigger
For two decades, Matt Heun, a professor of engineering at Calvin University, has inspired students to go beyond their own expectations of themselves. This spring, he's the recipient of Calvin’s 2023 Presidential Award for Exemplary Teaching—the highest honor the university awards for teaching.
Related
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