Meet Our Staff.
Steve Benson, Ph.D., President, MTI
Dr. Benson currently is President of MTI and Professor in the
Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of North
Dakota. Dr. Benson has over 24 years of professional experience in the
behavior of trace elements in gasification systems, high temperature reaction
mechanisms, coal ash slagging and fouling, inorganic constituents in coals,
scanning electron microscopy analysis and fundamentals of coal combustion.
Dr. Benson has extensive experience in managing complex multi-disciplined
projects conducted for various federal and state departments and agencies,
such as the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection
Agency, and has managed numerous projects for industry and industry and
government co-funded programs. Dr. Benson is a member of several professional
organizations and has written or co-written over 200 publications.
Contact Steve / Cell: 701-213-7070
Margaret Laumb, Research Engineer
Ms. Laumb has a B.S. and M. Eng. in Civil Engineering from the University
of North Dakota. Since joining MTI she has coordinated nearly 50 projects
involving the behavior of major, minor and trace elements in combustion
and gasification systems. She has experience in experimental design and
various methods of analysis including: scanning electron microscopy, x-ray
microanalysis, atomic absorption, mercury analysis methods, x-ray diffraction,
and basic methods of coal analysis. Ms. Laumb also has background and
experience in computer programming and development of software to predict
the fate of inorganic components in combustion and gasification systems.
Arthur Ruud, Research Scientist
Mr. Ruud has over 20 years of experience in conducting research activities
in the area of coal conversion technologies and environmental issues.
He has worked on a wide range of projects involving development of activated
carbons from lignite, liquefaction of low-rank coals, coal gasification,
wastewater treatment, and characterization of environmental samples. He
also has extensive experience in set-up, maintenance, and operation of
laboratory-scale testing apparatus and analytical equipment. In addition,
Mr. Ruud has a strong background in analytical methods of analysis including
atomic absorption, microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy,
gas chromatography, and other instrumental and wet chemical methods of
analysis.
Dennis Sisk, Student Researcher
Dennis Sisk has been with MTI since Fall 2009 as a
part-time student researcher. He is a chemical engineering graduate
student at the University of North Dakota. Mr. Sisk is researching
inorganic material interactions and their transformation from coal
matrix into fly ash to exploit the preferred coarse mode mechanism to
fine and ultra fine mode mechanisms.
Roxanne Benson, Vice President and Financial Officer
Ms. Benson is the Vice President and Financial Officer at MTI and has
been at MTI since 1992. She holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration
from the University of North Dakota and is responsible for all purchasing,
billing, and budgeting functions at MTI.
Erin Sirianni, Marketing Manager
Ms. Sirianni is the Marketing Manager at MTI and has been employed by
MTI since 2006. She has a B.A. in English from St. Olaf College and an
M.A. in Journalism from the University of Missouri School of Journalism,
where she focused in science and health communication. She has over five
years of experience in journalism, marketing, and public relations.