Publications

• Video Introduction - YouTube Link
• Summary of Four Key Dualities Enhancing Expert Witness Effectiveness

Forensic Engineer - University Professor

Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness

Additional Information

Dr. Scott Anson has been practicing and teaching engineering for over 28 years. The first 8 years were in industry engineering roles involving process development and tooling design, as well as extensive laboratory failure analysis. During his over 20+yr. academic career he has held multiple industry appointments simultaneous with his academic role, in addition to his independent consulting work. He provides forensic engineering services involving product design, manufacturing defects, and warnings/instructions (marketing defects). He is a licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) in Texas and Louisiana and has an active NCEES record to facilitate licensing in other states. Dr. Anson has complementary skills in four key dualities that uniquely enhance his effectiveness in forensic engineering and expert witness services. 1) He is formally trained and experienced in both Mechanical Engineering and Materials Engineering, which enables him to assess both mechanical overstress and materials degradation, without defaulting to one or the other as the failure cause due to singular familiarity. In addition, he is uniquely able to parse issues of overstress and materials degradation, such that he is well positioned to de-conflate myopic root cause arguments that overlook the other possibilities. 2) He has a deep background in failure analysis from both a formal analytical laboratory perspective and using field techniques, which he combines to solve problems expediently. 3) As a university professor he has been recognized for excellence in both teaching and connection with students. These teaching and connecting skills transfer to expert witness work as he supports the trier of fact in understanding the technical facts in issue to form a well-informed ruling. 4) While he is Ph.D. educated, he also has a hands-on approach to life in that he does most of his own vehicle and homestead repairs, which rounds out his theoretical knowledge with hands-on (practical) problem solving skills. This is summarized in the document to the left; "Summary Diagram of Four Key Dualities Enhancing Effectiveness." Certifications • API 580 Risk Based Inspection, American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C. – Certification Number 96562 • API 510 Pressure Vessel Inspector, American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C. – Certification Number 87769 • API 571 “Damage Mechanisms Affecting Fixed Equipment in the Refining Industry (AKA “Corrosion and Materials”), American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C. – Certification Number 68205 • API/ASME 579 Fitness for Service, American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C. and ASME, New York, NY – Training and Experience (no certification offered) Plant Safety Training – East Texas Safety Council, Longview TX • Basic Orientation Plus • Scaffolding User • Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) • Texas Eastman Site Specific • Confined Space Entry • Texas Eastman Confined Space Active Professional Memberships • American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) – New York, NY • National Society of Professional Engineers – Alexandria, VA • Texas Society of Professional Engineers – Austin, TX • National Academy of Forensic Engineers (NAFE) – Atlanta, GA Recent failure analysis/ forensics engineering application areas within Mechanical and Materials Engineering: 1) Workplace injuries 2) Safety hierarchy application 3) Structural failure of a medical device 4) Failed industrial equipment 5) Commercial litigation 6) Stress overload 7) Product liability 8) Materials degradation/metallurgy 9) Golf cart tipping incident 10) Oil field injury - pipe left under stress during decommissioning 11) Slip and fall in a virtual reality (VR) system