Close Up Radio spotlights engineer William E. Harris

By AI, Created 12:45 PM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – Close Up Radio featured engineer William E. Harris in an interview Monday, May 18, at 12 p.m. Eastern. The conversation highlighted nearly 40 years in engineering, including plant controls, government-related work and awards from IEEE.

Why it matters: - William E. Harris’s career spans industrial engineering, plant controls and government-related technology work. - The interview adds a public record to a nearly 40-year career that touched oil and gas, chemicals, aerospace-adjacent work and classic car restoration. - Harris received recognition from IEEE and was later profiled in Who’s Who, signaling peer and industry validation.

What happened: - Close Up Radio featured William E. Harris in an interview with Jim Masers on Monday, May 18, at 12 p.m. Eastern. - The interview focused on Harris’s engineering career, family influences and lessons learned over decades in the field. - Harris is an engineer based in Katy, Texas.

The details: - Harris worked for Hewlett Packard and later for Fluor, Bechtel and Stone & Webster. - He also did freelance work for smaller organizations and for defense contractors under non-disclosure agreements. - Harris said he helped develop technologies for the U.S. government. - While in college, Harris worked for the University of Houston Physics Department, where he designed and built printed circuit boards. - The lab where Harris worked was searching for a rust-proofing material and accidentally discovered high-temperature superconductivity. - Harris’s engineering work often centered on oil and gas and chemical plants. - His roles included creating control systems for process engineers and plant operations. - Harris worked with instruments that measured flow rate, pressure, temperature and level. - He also built computerized plant control rooms filled with monitors and keyboards. - Harris said he understood how civil, piping, mechanical and process-control disciplines fit together in a plant. - He designed control software, assembled computerized control systems, oversaw installation, and handled testing and plant startup. - His work frequently moved from one project site to another. - Harris said the pace left little time for spouses, family or vacations. - IEEE gave Harris the Vincent Bendix Award, and Spectrum magazine featured him. - Harris was also profiled in Who’s Who. - Harris said physics, chemical engineering and electrical engineering are among the hardest fields of study. - He said much of engineering involves measuring things that cannot be directly seen or felt. - He said one discovery can lead to another, including cases where a project does not pan out but produces a different invention. - Harris plans to discuss his career ups and downs, discoveries and life lessons from family and coworkers in the interview. - His father taught him to diagnose car problems by listening to an engine. - That lesson helped shape Harris’s hobby of restoring classic muscle cars and improving engine performance or environmental compliance. - Harris was also involved in founding the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. - Harris said he was called a nerd in early life, but he is known for warmth and humor. - Readers can learn more through his Marquis Who’s Who profile, his LinkedIn page and the podcast links. - The episode is available on Apple Podcasts, iHeart and Spotify. - More information about William E. Harris is available on his LinkedIn profile. - Close Up Radio also shared the interview on Facebook.

Between the lines: - Harris’s career reflects a kind of hands-on systems engineering that depends on cross-disciplinary coordination rather than one narrow specialty. - The interview frames technical problem-solving as both practical and iterative, with setbacks often leading to unexpected outcomes. - His shift from pre-med to engineering suggests work and schooling costs shaped the direction of his career.

What’s next: - Harris will continue discussing his career, lessons and project experiences through the Close Up Radio interview and related profiles. - The podcast distribution across multiple platforms should widen access to the conversation. - Harris’s LinkedIn and Who’s Who listings provide additional background for listeners who want more detail.