Two minutes with Michelle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxqTHatdNas
I enjoy teaching and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students - it’s an amazing job where you can have the opportunity to have such an impact on the lives of young people. When I was a graduate student my advisor always told me that he had the best job in the world. Now that I’m an engineering educator I tell my students the same thing.
Helping students find employment
I encourage students to find opportunities for work experiences – in a lab on campus or an internship with a company. Being able to obtain work experiences helps students see how the rigorous coursework can be applied to solve engineering problems, and hopefully they also begin to generate ideas about the type of job they might like to pursue in the future. I think it helps them see the light at the end of the tunnel! When I interact with them, I try to focus on the positive, talking through challenges and then spending time generating solutions together. Working with peers can also be very helpful to students, and learning to work well in a group is definitely an important life skill.
Our department is great about keeping open communication with employers and asking for feedback on how our students are preforming in the workplace. I also try to stay in touch with graduates of our department so see how they like their job, what kinds of work they are doing, and what skills they are need. This helps us make sure the content is our courses matches employer needs.
Loving what you teach
I have been fortunate in that many of the courses I teach are directly related to my research in water quality. So, most importantly, I’m passionate about the topics I teach. I am able to bring current examples of projects that I am working on for my research to the classroom, and I often use data from research projects as homework problems. I think the students appreciate the connection between classroom content and current research.
ASEE membership
I enjoy the outstanding publications – I always look forward to receiving my copy of PRISM and JEE.
Outside of work
I enjoy almost any outdoors activities – hiking and running are two of my favorites. I also have young children and I love exploring the world through their eyes.
Two minutes with Michelle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxqTHatdNas
I enjoy teaching and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students - it’s an amazing job where you can have the opportunity to have such an impact on the lives of young people. When I was a graduate student my advisor always told me that he had the best job in the world. Now that I’m an engineering educator I tell my students the same thing.
Helping students find employment
I encourage students to find opportunities for work experiences – in a lab on campus or an internship with a company. Being able to obtain work experiences helps students see how the rigorous coursework can be applied to solve engineering problems, and hopefully they also begin to generate ideas about the type of job they might like to pursue in the future. I think it helps them see the light at the end of the tunnel! When I interact with them, I try to focus on the positive, talking through challenges and then spending time generating solutions together. Working with peers can also be very helpful to students, and learning to work well in a group is definitely an important life skill.
Our department is great about keeping open communication with employers and asking for feedback on how our students are preforming in the workplace. I also try to stay in touch with graduates of our department so see how they like their job, what kinds of work they are doing, and what skills they are need. This helps us make sure the content is our courses matches employer needs.
Loving what you teach
I have been fortunate in that many of the courses I teach are directly related to my research in water quality. So, most importantly, I’m passionate about the topics I teach. I am able to bring current examples of projects that I am working on for my research to the classroom, and I often use data from research projects as homework problems. I think the students appreciate the connection between classroom content and current research.
ASEE membership
I enjoy the outstanding publications – I always look forward to receiving my copy of PRISM and JEE.
Outside of work
I enjoy almost any outdoors activities – hiking and running are two of my favorites. I also have young children and I love exploring the world through their eyes.
