Scott T. Nestler
 

Brief Biography:

Lieutenant Colonel Scott Nestler was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Central Dauphin High School in 1985.  He graduated from Lehigh University, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering in May 1989.  After completing the Air Defense Artillery Officer Basic and PATRIOT Officer courses, he was assigned to Battery A, 3rd Battalion (PATRIOT), 43rd Air Defense Artillery, at Fort Bliss, Texas.  During this assignment he deployed to Southwest Asia (SWA) for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm as Fire Control Platoon Leader.  LTC Nestler returned to SWA as a Battery Executive Officer in 1992 and Tactical Director in 1994.  Between these deployments, he served as the Battalion Adjutant for 3-43 ADA.

Following attendance at the Air Defense Artillery Officer Advanced Course in 1994-95, LTC Nestler served as a Mentor for the PATRIOT Weapons Track of the Air Defense Artillery Officer Basic Course.  His next assignment was in the Republic of Korea, first as the Assistant S-3 (Operations) for 1st Battalion (PATRIOT), 43rd Air Defense Artillery, Suwon Air Base and later as the Commander, Battery D, 1-43 ADA, at Osan Air Base.

After completing the Combined Arms Staff Service School, LTC Nestler entered graduate school in the summer of 1997 at the Naval Postgraduate School  in Monterey, California.  He earned a Master of Science degree in Applied Mathematics in 1999 and reported to the Department of Mathematical Sciences, USMA, where he served first as an Instructor and later as an Assistant Professor.  Upon completion of three years of teaching (Discrete Dynamical Systems, Probability and Statistics, Applied Statistics, and Deterministic Modeling), he was assigned to Headquarters, Department of the Army, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1 as a Force Structure Analyst for two years.  Currently he is a full-time PhD Student in Management Science in the Decision and Information Technologies department, R.H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland.

Publications:

[8]        “Properties of Q-Statistic Monitoring Schemes for Start-Up Processes and Short Runs,” working paper with Paul Zantek, University of Maryland, 2006

[7]        “Your Retirement Savings on Cruise Control:  A Critical Analysis of the TSP L Funds,” Phalanx, the Bulletin of the Military Operations Research Society, March 2007 [forthcoming]

[6]        “Developing Strategic Leaders for the Army,” ARMY Magazine, September 2006 [Available Online]

[5]        “TTHS (Trainees, Transients, Holdees, and Students) Is Not A Four-Letter Work”, Land Power Essay 04-8W, Institute for Land Warfare, Association of the United States Army, November 2004. [Available Online]

[4]        “Changing Requirements or Officer Bloat?,” ARMY Magazine, February 2004 [Available Online]

[3]        " Statistical Analysis of Atmospheric Properties for Infra-Red Radiance Estimation of Ballistic Missiles," Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, 1999

[2]        " Air Defense Artillery Officer Advanced Course Red Book," Air Defense Artillery School, Fort Bliss, Texas, 1994

[1]        " Airborne Warning and Control System / ADA Interoperability Guide," Air Defense Artillery School, Fort Bliss, Texas, 1994 (with Richard Anz)

Presentations:

"Adapting LifeLines for Army Officer Personnel Processes,"  74th Military Operations Research Society Symposium, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, June 2006

"How Many Soldiers Do We Need at Key Experience Facilities:  A Discrete-Time Markov Chain Model,"  74th Military Operations Research Society Symposium, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, June 2006

"Military Manpower and Force Structure", U.S. Army Traveling Contact Team, Kiev, Ukraine, May 2003

"Mathematical Stabs at College Football", Center for Faculty Development, Department of Mathematical Sciences, U.S. Military Academy at West Point, West Point, NY, April 2002

"Statistical Analysis of Atmospheric Properties for Estimation of Infrared Radiance of Ballistic Missiles", U. S. Army Conference on Applied Statistics, Rice University, Houston, TX, October 2000

Selected Activities:

Technical Director, 9th Annual Army Research Laboratory / U.S. Military Academy Technical Symposium, West Point, New York, 2002

Director, Computer Operations, Department of Mathematical Sciences, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York, 2001-2002

Director, Mathematical Sciences Laboratory, Department of Mathematical Sciences, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York, 2001-2002

Technical Director, 9th Annual Army Research Laboratory / U.S. Military Academy Technical Symposium, West Point, New York, 2001

Advisor, Interdisciplinary Competition in Modeling, Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications (COMAP), 2001

Member, Superintendent’s Honor Review Committee, U.S. Military Academy at West Point, West Point, New York, 2000-2002

Board Member, Christmas in April Monterey-Salinas, Monterey, California, 1997-1999

Research Interests:

Scott is interested in data visualization, decision analysis, and financial modeling.  Current projects include:

His Masters’ thesis was titled Statistical Analysis of Atmospheric Parameters for Estimation of Infra-Red Radiance of Ballistic Missiles.  The abstract follows:  Missile defense systems currently under development rely on thermal Infra-Red (IR) seekers to detect and track incoming ballistic missiles.  Atmospheric properties, like temperature and density, can greatly affect the amount of IRE energy that is reflected off a targeted missile.  While many models to predict mean atmospheric conditions exist, there are no global models that account for the variability in these properties.  This shortcoming makes it difficult to assess uncertainty due to atmospheric conditions.  For this reason, a model that is adjusted for known extreme values is needed for use in describing the global behavior of atmospheric parameters.  This study is in support of MSIC’s development of a Bounded Earth Atmospheric Model (BEAM).  This study will attempt to create such a model through statistical analyses on an existing atmospheric model.  It is expected that BEAM will primarily be used by designers of IR sensors used in missile defense systems.

Memberships:

AUSA (Association of the United States Army
ADAA (Air Defense Artillery Association)
IAFE (International Association of Financial Engineers)
INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and Management Science)
MOAA (Military Officers of America Association)
MORS (Military Operations Research Society)
SIAM (Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics)

Hobby Interests:

Cooking
Reading
Wine Collecting
Travel

Working on Golf game a little at a time

Awards and Decorations:

LTC Nestler's awards include the Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Southwest Asia Service Medal with three Campaign Stars, the Korean Defense Service Medal,  the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, the Kuwaiti Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia), and the Kuwaiti Liberation Medal (Kuwait).  He has also earned the Parachutist Badge.


Last updated on 31 October 2006 by Scott T. Nestler