LTC Andrew W. Decker
Andrew W. Decker graduated from the United States Military Academy in 2002 with a B.S. in General Psychology. Commissioned as a Military Intelligence officer in the US Army, he served in a variety of staff and leadership positions for the first ten years of his Army career. Following his second deployment to Iraq in 2009, Andrew was selected to become a Functional Area 52 (Nuclear and Countering WMD) officer, and he attended the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) to pursue a M.S. in Nuclear Engineering. Upon graduation from AFIT in 2014, he was assigned to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency with service in the Nuclear Science and Engineering Research Center at West Point, NY. He served there until 2018, at which point Andrew was reassigned to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN where he earned a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering in 2021. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Nuclear Engineering at AFIT and is married to the former Ms. Jill Graff.
Education
Ph.D. Nuclear Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 2021
M.S., Nuclear Science, Air Force Institute of Technology, Dayton, OH, 2014
B.S., General Psychology, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY, 2002
Publications
[26] Theodore W. Stephens, John W. McClory, Juan J. Manfredi, Brian G. Fransden, Michael T. Febbraro, and Andrew Decker, “Formulation and Characterization of Fast-Curing High-Z Loaded Plastci Scintillators,” Journal of Radiation Effects, Research and Engineering, Submitted 06 June 2022
[25] Dave Pert, *Theodore W. Stephens, Brian G. Fransden, Juan J. Manfredi, and Andrew Decker, “Characterization of Novel Fast-Curing Plastic Scintillators,” Journal of Radiation Effects, Research and Engineering, Submitted 06 June 2022
[24] A.W. Decker, N.J. Cherepy, S. Hok, P.A. Hausladen, C.J. Delzer, and J.P. Hayward, "X-Ray and Fast Neutron Radiographic Performance of an Ir-Bi-Plastic Array," Transactions on Nuclear Science, Submitted 03 June 2022.
[23] A.W. Decker, N.J. Cherepy, S. Hok, P.A. Hausladen, C.J. Delzer, and J.P. Hayward, "Fast Neutron Radiographic Performance of a Small Bismuth-loaded PVT Array," Journal of Radioanalytic and Nuclear Chemistry, Submitted 03 June 2022.
[22] *Theodore W. Stephens, John W. McClory, Juan J. Manfredi, Brian G. Fransden, Michael T. Febbraro, and Andrew Decker, “Characterization of a Novel Bismuth-Loaded Fast-Cured Plastic Scintillator,” presented at 2022 Hardened Electronics and Radiation Technology Conference in Tarrytown, NY on 10 March 2022
[21] A. W. Decker, N. J. Cherepy, S. Hok, C. J. McNamee, C. J. Delzer, P. A. Hausladen, J. P. Hayward, "Evaluation of novel bismuth-loaded plastic arrays for fast neutron radiography," Proc. SPIE 11838, Hard X-Ray, Gamma-Ray, and Neutron Detector Physics XXIII, 118380A (1 September 2021); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2595907
[20] A.W. Decker, C.J. Delzer, S. Hok, N.J. Cherepy, and J.P. Hayward, “X-Ray Radiography Characterization Using a Bismuth-Loaded Polyvinyl Toluene Array,” Journal of Radiation Effects, Research and Engineering, vol. 39, no.1, pp. 11-21, Apr. 2021
[19] A.W. Decker, N.J. Cherepy, S. Hok and J.P. Hayward, “Simulated X-Ray Radiographic Performance of a Bismuth-Loaded PVT Array,” in IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, vol. 67, no. 11, pp. 2329-2336, Nov. 2020, doi: 10.1109/TNS.2020.3029498
[18] Stephen R. McHale, Andrew W. Decker, Blake K Huff, “Applications of the MCNP6.1 Code to Estimate the Directional Dependence of Radiation Protection Factor Values for a Simple Surrogate Vehicle,” Radiation Protection Dosimetry, Volume 189, Issue 1, March 2020, Pages 89–97, https://doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncaa017
[17] S. McHale, A. Decker, “Estimating radiation protection factor (RPF) values for a simple surrogate vehicle using the MCNP6.1 code,” Applied Radiation and Isotopes, vol. 153, July 2019
[16] D.W. Sundberg, J.A. Podpaly, J.C. Markulike, C.L. Bouvier, A.W. Decker, and S.A. Heider, “Verification of MCNP6© Gamma Protection Factor Estimates for a Surrogate Armored Military Vehicle,” Journal of Radiation Effects, Research and Engineering, vol. 37, no.1, pp. 61-64, Apr. 2019
[15] S. Heider, A. Decker, A. Kopeikin, J. Choi, and C. Rodgers, “Design of Airborne Robotic and Automated Systems to Assist Nuclear Forensic Materials Ground Collection Teams,” Journal of Radiation Effects, Research and Engineering, vol. 37, no.1, pp. 57-60, Apr. 2019
[14] W.J. Erwin, E. Cazalas, A. Cahill, J.A. Clinton, J.W. McClory, A.W. Decker, “The Gamma Emission Spectrum from the Fast Burst Reactor,” Journal of Radiation Effects, Research and Engineering, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 50-56, April 2019
[13] A.W. Decker, Verification and Validation Report for the Radiation Protection Factor Methodology using the Monte Carlo N-Particle Code, version 6. (Fort Belvoir, VA: U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency) (2018) DTRA-TR-18-71.
[12] A.W. Decker, S.A. Heider, S.R. McHale, J.A. Clinton, J.W. McClory, M. Millett, “Verification and Validation of MCNP6.1 Neutron Protection Factor Estimates of an Armored Vehicle Surrogate Using the WSMR Fast Burst Reactor,” Journal of Radiation Effects, Research and Engineering, vol. 36, no.1, pp. 28-34, Apr. 2018.
[11] S.A. Heider, A.W Decker, “A Monte Carlo Study of Explosive and Uranium Detection,” Journal of Radiation Effects, Research and Engineering, vol. 36, no.1, Apr. 2018
[10] W.J. Erwin, E. Cazalas, J.W. McClory, A.W. Decker, “Development of Radiation Protection Factors with Gamma and Neutron Spectroscopy using a Plutonium-Beryllium Source,” Journal of Radiation Effects, Research and Engineering, vol. 36, no.1, pp. 80-86, Apr. 2018
[9] A.W. Decker, “The Radiation Protection Factor White Paper,” Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Journal, USANCA, Issue 15, pp. 28-36, Summer/Fall 2017
[8] C. Bouvier, A.W. Decker, “Effects of Model Fidelity on Gamma Protection Factor Estimates Using Monte Carlo n-Particle Code 6.1,” Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Journal, USANCA, Issue 15, pp. 09-14, Summer/Fall 2017
[7] A.W. Decker, S.R. McHale, J.A. Clinton, J.W. McClory, M. Millett, “Verification and Validation of MCNP6.1 Neutron Protection Factor Estimates Using the WSMR Fast Burst Reactor,” Journal of Radiation Effects, Research and Engineering, vol. 35, no.1, pp. 52-58, Apr. 2017
[6] T.J. Gates, C.R. Zeigler, C. Bouvier, A.W. Decker, “Verification and Validation of MCNP6.1 for Gamma Protection Factor Estimates of an Armored Box,” Journal of Radiation Effects, Research and Engineering, vol. 35, no.1, pp. 76-82, Apr. 2017
[5] J.L. Hall, S.J. Ha, R.D. Prins, A.W. Decker, “Verification and Validation of MCNP6.1 Gamma Protection Factor Estimates Using an Armored Box and Phantom,” Journal of Radiation Effects, Research and Engineering, vol. 35, no.1, pp. 103-110, Apr. 2017
[4] A.W. Decker, “Building CWMD Officers at West Point and Beyond,” Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Journal, USANCA, Issue 12, pp. 33-34, Spring/Summer 2015
[3] A.W. Decker, S.R. McHale, M.P. Shannon, J.A. Clinton, J.W. McClory, “Novel Bonner Sphere Spectrometer Response Functions Using MCNP6,” Transactions on Nuclear Science, IEEE, vol.62, no.4, pp.1689-1694, Aug. 2015
[2] A.W. Decker, M.P. Shannon, J.A. Clinton, J.W. McClory, S.R. McHale, “Verification and Validation of Monte Carlo N-particle Code 6 (MCNP6) with Neutron Protection Factor Measurements of an Iron Box”, Journal of Radiation Effects, Research and Engineering, vol. 33, no. 1-E, pp. 252- 259, May 2015
[1] A.W. Decker, “Developing Tactical Intelligence in a COIN Fight: Intelligence Fusion and Targeting,” Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin (MIPB), April 2007