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Colin Simpson is a Canadian entrepreneur, software developer, and the author of six textbooks, including the bestseller Principles of Electronics. With over 300,000 of his textbooks in print, Dr. Simpson is considered as an expert in the teaching of electronics and electronics simulation technology. He has won numerous awards including the Award of Excellence from the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC), the TVOntario Lifelong Learning Challenge Award, and the CODiE Award from the Software Publishers Association. Simpson holds two patents in electronics laboratory simulation and control systems technology, and is recognized as an authority on distance education and the integration of laboratory simulation software. He has been interviewed by the CBC, PBS, CTV, TVOntario, Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Chicago Tribune, and has lectured at universities around the world.

In addition to his work in electronics and simulation technologies, Simpson is also an accomplished musician. In his early 20’s, he was a member of the recording group Champion, who achieved gold record status in Canada and were nominated for a CASBY Award in 1983 . In an interview with Canadian Musician magazine , Simpson attributed his early interest in electronics out of the necessity of having to repair, maintain and design audio equipment used by bands he performed in. Once he “retired” from the music business at the age of 26, he pursued this love of electronics as a professor, author, and inventor.

During his tenure as an electronics professor at George Brown College in Toronto, Simpson found that students who were financially disadvantaged and unable to purchase electronics simulation software were achieving poorer grades than their counterparts who were able to purchase such products. In response to this unfair situation, Dr. Simpson developed his own electronics circuit simulation, called CircuitLogix and made it available free of charge to all students. As a result of using this software students grades improved significantly, and it has also removed a very divisive issue from the classroom. To date, over 150,000 students worldwide have downloaded the free version of CircuitLogix and the software is used in more than 1,000 Colleges and Universities.

In 1997, Colin Simpson developed the Electronics Technician distance education program, which has since become the largest distance education program of its kind in the world. With over 10,000 students studying electronics at a distance, Simpson has effectively broken down the barriers that prevent students from accessing technical course material on-line. Even more remarkable is the fact that Simpson has broken the gender barrier in the study of electronics. Typically, less than 2% of students who study electronics in Colleges and Universities are female. In Simpson’s electronics distance education program almost 20% of the student’s are female, which he attributes to the accessibility of the learning material and the non-threatening environment in which it is delivered.

In 2008, Simpson published his most recent book, Introduction to Robotics. He also oversaw the development of a new robotics simulator software package, RoboLogix, which was launched in 2009 and was designed by John (Bud) Skinner using specifications derived from Simpson’s research in robotics, algorithms, and simulation technologies.

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