Contact Information

Research Interests

Pardon me as I grossly simplify and sweepingly generalize to communicate my point, as it stands at this moment.  I am interested in systems:  their configuration, how they behave, why they behave as they do and how to manipulate them for the common good.  Specifically, I am interested in the interface between manufacturing systems and their environment; I am interested in exploring, understanding and improving this complicated interface system.

For the past two centuries, mankind relied upon (and continues to rely upon) his scientific and technical abilities to execute economic dictates signed through the system by Smith’s “Invisible Hand.”  And, while wealth fell from the hand, the nations endured a noticeable throttling – depleted resources, contamination and ecosystem collapse.  By exploring the production-environment interface, I hope to make opaque the economic fingertips scratching away at this little ball called Earth.  I hope to contribute to the creation of tools and promulgation of concepts that elucidate and predict the visible consequences of the invisible hand’s machinations.

Publications

Please periodically return to see new conference articles and journal papers.  Copyright restrictions prohibit mass distribution via hyperlinking of some articles and papers, but these documents are available in PDF format upon request.

Journal Papers

1. Reap, J., F. Roman, S. Duncan and B. Bras (2008) A Survey of Unresolved Problems in Life Cycle Assessment. Part 1:  Goal & Scope and Inventory Analysis. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 13(4): 290-300. DOI 10.1007/s11367-008-0008-x
2. Reap, J., F. Roman, S. Duncan and B. Bras (2008) A Survey of Unresolved Problems in Life Cycle Assessment. Part 2:  Impact Assessment and Interpretation. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 13(5): DOI 10.1007/s11367-008-0009-9
3. Reap, J. and B. Bras (2008) Exploring the Limits to Sustainable Energy Consumption for Organisms and Devices. International Journal of Sustainable Manufacturing 1(1-2): 78-99.
4. Raibeck, L., J. Reap and B. Bras (2009) Investigating Environmental Burdens and Benefits of Biologically Inspired Self-Cleaning Surfaces. CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology [Accepted for Publication]

Conference Articles

1. Reap, J. and B. Bras (2002) “Design for Disassembly and the Value of Semi-Destructive Robotic Disassembly,” ASME Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, Sept. 29-Oct. 2, Montreal, Canada. [Paper Number: 34181]
2. Reap, J., P.J. Newcomb, C. Carmichael and B. Bras (2003) "Improving Life Cycle Assessment by Including Spatial, Dynamic and Place-Based Modeling," ASME Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, Sept. 2-6, Chicago, Illinois, USA. [Paper Number:  48140] 
3. Reap, J., B. Bras, M. Realff and C. Carmichael (2004) "Using Ecosystem Landscape Models to Estimate Industrial Environmental Impacts," ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, Sept. 28-Oct. 2, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. [Paper Number:  57780]
4. Reap, J., D. Baumeister and B. Bras (2005) "Holism, Biomimicry and Sustainable Engineering,"   ASME International Mechanical Engineering Conference and Exposition, Nov. 5-11, Orlando, Florida, USA.  [Paper Number:  81343] 
5. Reap, J., F. Roman, T. Guldberg and B. Bras (2006) "Integrated Ecosystem Landscape and Industrial Modeling for Strategic Environmentally Conscious Process Technology Selection,"   13th CIRP International Conference on Life Cycle Engineering, May 31 - June 2, Leuven, Belgium.  [Paper Number:  73]
6. Raibeck, L., J. Reap and B. Bras (2008) "Investigating Environmental Benefits of Biologically Inspired Self-Cleaning Surfaces," 15th CIRP International Conference on Life Cycle Engineering, March 17-19, Sydney, Australia.  [Paper Number:  82]
7. Raibeck, L., J. Reap and B. Bras (2008) "Life Cycle Inventory Study of Biologically Inspired Self-Cleaning Surfaces,"   ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, Aug. 3-6, Brooklyn, New York, USA.  [Paper Number:  49848] 

Master of Science Thesis

Reap, John J. (2004) "Plants in the garden: an approach to modeling the impact of industrial activities in ecosystems" . George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology: Atlanta, GA. p 195.

Other Information

A curriculum vitae is available upon request.