Ivy League PhD joins Firehole Technologies Team

Laramie, WY - July 21, 2008

Ray Fertig, a native of Cheyenne, Wyoming, has joined the team at Firehole Technologies, Inc. as an Applied Research Engineer. He will focus on providing scientific support to further extend the capabilities of the company’s composite materials analysis tools.

“Adding an engineer with the background and skills that Dr. Fertig has will be a great benefit to our company,” said Jerad Stack, CEO of Firehole Technologies. “Ray’s understanding of both the research-oriented and practical applications of composite materials will help us with a broad spectrum of customers — from the rocket scientists at NASA to the one-man shop designing mountain bikes.”

Fertig brings expertise in modeling materials at a variety of scales and in developing simple first-order solutions to model complex mechanical behavior. His doctoral research focused on computational and theoretical solutions to bridge the gap between nanoscale and macroscale mechanical behavior, specifically relating the behavior of material defects to the strength of the material. Fertig’s master’s work involved a multiscale analysis of the stiffness of polymer-clay nanocomposites.

In August, Mr. Fertig will finish his Ph.D. in Materials Science from Cornell University. Prior to this, he completed a B.S. (2001) and an M.S. (2003) in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wyoming. He has also been involved in research activities at the Max-Planck Institut fÜr Metallforschung in Stuttgart, Germany and at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, CA.

“I’m excited to be part of the Firehole team: It’s the perfect blend of challenging problems, a friendly environment, and far-sighted company vision,” Fertig said.


About Firehole Technologies, Inc.

Firehole Technologies supplies innovative computer-aided simulation software and services for composite materials to the aerospace, defense, automotive and energy industries. Firehole's software enables the design of composite structures without the numerous expensive testing cycles traditionally deployed, allowing for a faster time-to-market and more reliable designs. The company's mission is to enable wide-spread use of composite materials leading to lighter, stronger and more fuel efficient applications. For more information, visit www.fireholetech.com.

Contacts:
Jason Gies
Firehole Technologies Inc.
+1-307-460-4763