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Adapt engineering education

Environmental change and the emerging global scale of engineering provide unprecedented challenges for future engineers. Therefore, we must adapt engineering education by incorporating this diverse knowledge. As a teacher, I seek to build these connections for my students and use new technologies to better prepare them to innovate unique solutions to tomorrow’s water issues.

To date, my classes include CVEN 5393, Water Resource Systems and Management, a graduate course of approximately 15-20 students; CVEN 4333, Engineering Hydrology, a course of approximately 100 juniors and seniors in civil and environmental engineering; and CVEN 5423, Water Resources Engineering, a graduate course in water resources engineering with a mix of upper division undergraduates and graduate students.  The courses emphasize quantitative techniques as well as the broader societal implications of water resources engineering.

Extensive use of technology

We make extensive use of technology in the courses. CVEN 5393, systems analysis, introduces students to reservoir planning using  software, as well as fundamental techniques such as optimization and uncertainty analysis.  The course culminates in an independent course project where students apply their knowledge in real-world explorations of water resources planning and management applications.  CVEN 5423, water resources engineering, introduces many numerical analysis concepts and uses Python programming, which is increasingly demanded in the engineering profession, as documented in the 

Real-world case studies

My teaching utilizes real-world case studies as part of assignments, a technique that has been shown to increase student retention of concepts, better prepare students for the workforce, and reinforce course material.  For example, I have created an exercise in my water resources engineering class in which the students perform a role-playing activity negotiating water supply on the Colorado River, similar to actual negotiations that occurred over the 1922 Colorado River Compact.  Via discussion, students learn how challenging it was to negotiate an agreement given limited information about future water supply and demand.

Students’ educational needs

I strive to use the best techniques available to best serve my students’ educational needs. I have participated in evaluations of teaching efficacy through the  at CU, utilizing direct interviews of students to test their learning.  I also serve as the vice chair of an ASCE Environmental Water Resources Institute committee that has the goal of sharing water resources systems course materials to improve education in this field.  We have  on this topic, and also have an .  I have also used technology to disseminate course topics such as YouTube videos:

Innovations in research

My teaching philosophy also strongly links innovations in research to the educational experience. In my own research, I have drawn on work in cognitive psychology to show that decision-making bias can severely limit the effectiveness of decision support. I use examples like this in my courses, teaching students to critically question the assumptions behind decision analysis methods.

Graduate student research 

Mentoring graduate student research is also an important part of the educational process. In my faculty career, I strive to help students improve their communication skills through constructive feedback on their public speaking, providing opportunities for them to practice these skills via presentations at our home institution , while also emphasizing student conference travel. I have also been involved in a multi-institution effort to  that has achieved over 100,000 page views from 2013-2016.  My students also participate in a weekly graduate-student led workshop where we share research ideas, best practices, and do journal paper reviews with students from , , and Edie Zagona’s groups.