Dr. Vitton currently serves at Michigan Technological University as an Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. As such he teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in geotechnical engineering, and serves as a student advisor for both undergraduate and graduate students. Previously he served in the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Alabama. At both schools Dr. Vitton has worked on a number of research projects. For the past two and on-half years he has been involved in the seismic detection of tornadoes concept. In the area of ground vibration, Dr. Vitton is working on the characterization of ground vibrations from large mine exhaust fans which are used in long-wall mining operations, with primary emphasis on assessing the potential of the ground response to induced airborne noise, as well as transmitting ground vibrations unusually long distances. In the area of landslide remediation, Dr. Vitton is the Principle Investigator on a project funded by the U.S. Bureau of Mines to apply a slope stabilization technique known as anchored geosynthetic systems to maintain steep slope areas from both storm-induced as well as dynamically- induced sources. Dr. Vitton is also the Principle Investigator on a project for the City of Huntsville, Alabama on the development of a geologic hazards map, with primary interest in landslide potential and sinkhole development. In the area of global environmental change, as a co-Principal Investigator on a project to infer past climate change from downhole temperature measurements taken from coalbed methane wells, he is involved in the instrumentation for the measurement recordings. Finally, Dr. Vitton is involved in litigation involving damage to structures from surface coal mine blasting. This work involves the analysis of explosive sources, seismic propagation, and resulting structural response. Prior to his current position he was employed by Shell Oil Company, and subsequently the Shell Mining Company, a subsidiary of the Shell Oil Company, for eight years, where he was involved in a variety of assignments. As a senior mining engineer, he was responsible for the optimization of a blasting program to increase rock fragmentation, reduce vibration levels, and minimize litigation, along with company compliance with Federal and state environmental and safety regulations. Dr. Vitton is a member of Tau Beta Pi and Chi Epsilon. His professional affiliations include Alabama Academy of Science, American Society of Civil Engineers, Association of Soil and Foundation Engineers, International Society of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineers, Society for Industrial Archaeology, Society of Explosive Engineers, and Society of Mining Engineers.