Born April 25,1938 in Lowell. Massachusetts. Received a B.S.G.E. (Mechanical Engineering) degree in 1960 from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell (formerly Lowell Technological Institute). Also enrolled in Continuing Education Courses while in industry and subsequently, seminars in Forensic Engineering Practices and Investigative Methods. Employed 27 years in the United States Aerospace Industry in the primary disciplines of Mechanical Design and Structural Analysis. Pursued a career agenda to go beyond the normal job description of "Designer Only" or "Analysts Only" by participating in a Full Circle of engineering & related disciplines. This career agenda supplied me with many unique experience tools providing a natural transition into Forensic Engineering and Lecturing about Professionalism, Organizational Behavior and Ethics. My final assignment in industry was a Technical Troubleshooter on the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters. As a principal engineer in the telecon meeting with NASA managers, I recommended and defended the original no-launch decision, then vigorously opposed the four Thiokol senior managers who subsequently seized control of the meeting and voted to launch Challenger despite my continual objection. My testimony was vital to exposing the truth about the decision to launch and the organizational misbehavior at both Morton Thiokol and NASA.
Lectures on Ethics, Professionalism and Organizational Behavior given at many leading Universities, Technical Societies, Corporations and Civic Organizations in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Norway and Argentina. A wide variety of lectures have been given and are available to fulfill a broad spectrum of needs, while keeping a focus on ethics, professionalism and organizational behavior. In the beginning, the two most requested presentations were "The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster - a paradigm for changing workplace/career ethics" which focuses on the Challenger pre-launch decision process using a timeline of major technical problem discoveries on the booster joints. Also presented is management behavior at Morton Thiokol and NASA prior to and subsequent to launch. "Commencement of a Professional Career" which focuses on: The Task of Selecting an Entry Level Position; Getting Settled in the Position Selected; How to Get Recognition for a High Quantity of Quality Work Output; How to Spot Defined Organizational Trouble & What to Do About It; Examples from Boisjoly's career, showing the importance of developing Ethical Professional Behavior.
Additional lectures having heightened recent appeal along with the previous two are: "The Challenger Disaster & Commencement of a Professional Career" which combines elements from each talk to create the best opportunity for lessons learned to avoid career problems that can often result in career or organizational unethical behavior, if lessons learned are ignored. "What do Engineers Do? - the anatomy of making a widget" explains the inner workings of the engineering profession by using the steps required to take a widget (product) from an idea/concept to a finished product. Some show & tell items are used to demonstrate, explain, & simplify some basic engineering and manufacturing principles used to produce a high volume of identical widgets. "The Overemphasis on Excessive Profits at the expense of Professionalism, Business Ethics & Safe Quality Products" discusses case examples from Boisjoly's Forensic Engineering practice from commercial & consumer products to the stealing of trade secrets and unethical professional behavior. Several defective products are highlighted with video clips and sketches showing the obvious defects and the relatively minor cost effective fixes that were ignored by the manufacturers, even after litigation exposed the defects. "Professional Life After Being Branded a Whistleblower" addresses the recovery details from a destroyed career and how a typical blackball by industry was defeated by creation of a self-employed career. Several vivid examples of corporate mistreatment of a Whistleblower are given to demonstrate the uphill battle necessary to survive the event. "The Importance of Leadership, Teamwork & Information Flow and Ethical Behavior" discusses the 30+ year decline of business ethics in the USA. The consequences are demonstrated by using a brief summary of the Challenger disaster launch decision process. The presentation concludes with recommendations and rationale for what constitutes a productive organization and why teamwork, information flow and ethics are so important for long-term success.
Presentations can be customized for content focus and length from a 1/2 hour Luncheon talk to a 2 hr. main talk plus Q/A. Also available are partial day or multiple day workshops or seminars. Over 550 lectures given since January 1987.
Registered Professional Engineer in Arizona, Florida (retired) and Utah, by National Examinations
| Date(s) | Media Experience |
|---|---|
| February 14, 19, 25, May 2, 9, 1986 | Testimony to the Presidential Commission investigating the Challenger Disaster |
| June 17, 18, 1986 | Testimony to the House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology investigating the Challenger Disaster |
| February 10, 1987 | ABC TV, GOOD MORNING AMERICA, Washington, D.C. |
| February 18, 1987 | NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO (NPR), interview with Howard Berkes |
| June 24, August 4, 1987 | PBS TV, MacNeil/ Lehrer NEWSHOUR, interview with Elizabeth Brackett |
| February 22, 1988 | LIFE MAGAZINE, interview with Tony Chiu |
| February 23, 1988 | ABC RADIO NETWORK, Owen Spann Show, New York City |
| February 23, 1988 | NBC TV, TODAY SHOW, New York City |
| July 7, 1988 | SIDNEY AUSTRALIA, Channel 9 TV, interview with Peter Wilkinson |
| September 9, 1988 | NEWSWEEK MAGAZINE, interview with Harry Hurt III |
| June 2, 1989 | PBS TV, BILL MOYER'S, THE PUBLIC MIND -- The Truth About Lies episode |
| August 10, 1990 | NBC TV, STORY BEHIND THE STORY, interviews and reenactments |
| January 10, 1991 | NBC TV, TOM BROKAW EVENING NEWS, interview with Robert Bazelle |
| August 1, 1991 | PUBLIC TESTIMONY to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Subcomittee on Investigations and Oversight |
| January 21, 1996 | CBS TV, 60 MINUTES, interview with Lesley Stahl |
| January 25, 1996 | CBS TV, DAN RATHER EVENING NEWS, interview with Scott Pelley |
| January 26, 1996 | NPR, TALK OF THE NATION SCIENCE FRIDAY, interview with Ira Flatow |
| January 26, 1996 | WRKO RADIO BOSTON, interview with hosts Claprood and Whitley |
| January 27, 1996 | MUNICH GERMANY and DUTCH TV, interview with John Elliott |
| January 27, 1996 | DISCOVERY CHANNEL TV TORONTO CANADA, interview |
| January 29, 1996 | WFLA RADIO TAMPA, interview with hosts Jack Harris and Ted Webb |
| September 19, 1997 | STONE CITY FILMS. Challenger Documentary TV Film, London, England |
| April 24, 2000 | OPRAH WINFREY SHOW. People Who Stand For Something, ABC TV |
| January, 2001 | MSNBC 15th ANNIVERSARY PROGRAM. Interview on The Challenger. |
| January 28, 2001 | DISCOVERY CHANNEL. 15th Anniversary. Interview on The Challenger. |
| April 24, 2002 | INSIDE EDITION, stove tipping interview/demo for anti-tipping redesigned door hinge |
Qualified for expert trial testimony (in areas emphasized below) in the following venues: Municipal, State & Federal Courts; International Chamber of Commerce Court of Arbitration. Geneva, Switzerland; Presidential Commission on Challenger and U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science. Space and Technology.
A full circle of 27 years of Mechanical Engineering experience in Industry applies directly to Forensic engineering investigations
Pursued a career agenda on all projects to participate in Product Design & Redesign, Structural Analysis, Formulation of Test Plans with Real-Time Testing Support & Evaluation of Data, Product Prototype Development, Evaluation of Engineering Changes & Disposition of Discrepant Hardware plus Extensive Liaison with Safety, Quality, Reliability, Manufacturing, Materials Lab, and Management. Due to experience beyond the normal job description, (i.e., designer only, analyst only), I was often selected to investigate Fastener & Joint Failures/Problems, Product & Test Failures, Sealing Problems, Field Problems with Products and often requested to give Technical Presentations to Company & Customer Management. This comprehensive participation in projects from initial concept to product delivery, with customer interface, has provided me with many unique experience tools and a natural transition into Forensic Engineering and Lecturing about Organizational Behavior and Ethics. All Aerospace Experience applies equally well to Commercial Products using the same engineering principles. My extensive Aerospace experience on usually complex projects coupled with extensive discussions with attendees at lectures, enhances my ability to recognize and assess if product and/or organizational problems exist.