Michael L. VanBlaricum

2023 Marcia Peterman ECE Award

In recognition of outstanding loyalty, commitment, and service to the ECE department and its students, faculty and alumni.

Michael VanBlaricum is chief scientist and a director of Toyon Research Corporation, a leading firm in the technical analysis, simulation, and design of advanced sensor systems for the Department of Defense and the aerospace industry. VanBlaricum has been with Toyon since 1989 and served as president and CFO from 2001 to 2005.

VanBlaricum has over 30 years of research and program management experience in advanced antenna systems and electromagnetics. His current research is focused on the development of reconfigurable electromagnetic apertures. He has led breakthrough research efforts for the military on compact, electronically-steerable communications, navigation, and radar antennas using new reconfigurable antenna design paradigms. Michael developed radar target identification techniques using resonance extraction and performed pioneering work in early-time, resonance-region radar scattering and singularity analysis techniques. He created and chaired all of the DARPA Symposia on Photonic Systems for Antenna Applications. Michael is the founder of the Ian Fleming Foundation.

His “Bondiana” collection, a term VanBlaricum coined himself, began in his 30s and required a talent and dedication only a true researcher could possess. Over the years, the self-professed “collector at heart” has amassed over 10,000 items, ranging from Fleming’s literary works and related books to merchandise such as toys, games, records, posters, and other ephemera. The Ian Fleming Foundation owns over 40 vehicles featured in James Bond movies, including a helicopter and submarine, which they loan to museums and charity events. 

Lately, he spends much of his time organizing and preserving his collection. He is currently in the process of donating a portion of his Ian Fleming/James Bond collection to the University of Illinois Rare Book and Manuscript Library. To date, he has already donated over 800 items.

VanBlaricum and his wife, Pam, who also earned three engineering degrees at Illinois, currently reside in California but come back to visit Illinois often. They own a home in Urbana that they purchased when their two daughters were attending the University of Illinois.

In the fall, they enjoy going to Illini football games as well as various Lyric Theatre and other School of Music presentations. In the spring, they look forward to coming back for Ebertfest. Along with the camaraderie and the possibility of running into old friends, VanBlaricum likes to “see movies on the big screen with an astute audience and to hear people explain and critique the films.”

VanBlaricum, a faithful volunteer at the University of Illinois since he was a student and co-chaired Engineering Open House in 1972 with his wife, continues to be an involved alum. 

He has served as president for the Electrical & Computer Engineering Alumni Board, for the Spurlock Museum Board of Advisors, and for the Illinois Music Advisory Council. In addition, he was the creator and a lead developer for the Illinois Distributed Museum, which highlights innovations at the University of Illinois. He’s also a generous donor, giving to many units, including his major home Grainger Engineering, the Spurlock Museum, the School of Music, and the University Library.

Current as of 2023.