Teaching

In 2011, I was very pleased to be selected as one of six best teachers at Colorado State University by the CSU Alumni Association. Please visit the following youtube video that CSU made when I received this award: 2011 CSU Best Teacher Award Video

 

• Courses developed and taught

• Colorado State University

  • Instructor for Fluid Turbulence and Modeling (developed and taught by me)- (CIVE604) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Spring Semester 2011). This is a new advanced graduate course focuses on turbulent flows. Turbulence is a ubiquitous phenomenon in fluid flows (both natural and engineered) e.g. in rivers, estuaries, oceans and the atmosphere. Over the course of the semester, both the theory of turbulent flows and on how to model such flows will be discussed. This course will expose the student through a lecture and discussion style format to the state of the art in turbulence modeling and discuss cutting edge research findings in the classroom. Successful students will be able to explain the formulation and limitations of turbulence models in the context of the closure problem; Identify, formulate and apply appropriate turbulence models in CFD problems; and have a clear awareness of approximations and limitations of different categories of turbulence models. They will be able to demonstrate a basic understanding of turbulence modeling for hydraulic, environmental and wind engineering flows.

  • Instructor for Models and Computational Methods in Civil Engineering (developed and taught by me)- (CIVE580A3) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Fall Semester 2010). This is a new first graduate course for civil and environmental engineers on mathematical modeling and computational techniques with an emphasis on fundamentals of numerical methods for the solution of differential equations (both ordinary and partial) encountered in all the different disciplines in civil and environmental engineering. Course topics include: Interpolation, curve fitting, linear systems, numerical differentiation, numerical integration, numerical solution of ordinary differential equations (both initial-value and boundary-value problems) and numerical solution of partial differential equations (parabolic, hyperbolic and elliptic PDEs). Students will learn to write programs using MATLAB, a popular engineering software package. This course is aimed at first year graduate students as well as senior undergraduate students wishing to learn about modeling and numerical solutions of engineering problems. This course will be a prerequisite for a follow-on graduate course in computational fluid dynamics (CIVE607) in civil engineering.

  • Instructor for Computational Fluid Dynamics - (CIVE607, used to be CIVE581 A2) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Spring Semesters 2009, 2010, 2011). This second graduate level course focuses on providing an in-depth covergae of computational solutions of hydraulic and wind engineering problems. Course topics include: Introduction to turbulence models and to basic concepts of numerical simulation and computer modeling of turbulent flows in the environment. Application of numerical models in hydraulics, environmental fluid mechanics and wind engineering.

  • Instructor for Fluid Mechanics - (CIVE300) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Colorado State University (Spring Semesters 2009, 2010, 2011). This is an introductory course in fluid mechanics/hydraulics for Civil Engineers. From water supply to stormwater drainage and flood routing to design of hydraulic structures to pollutant transport, a thorough understanding of civil and environmental engineering systems requires an excellent working knowledge of the fundamentals of fluid mechanics. Course topics include: Fluid properties, hydrostatics, fluid kinematics and governing principles of fluid motion, Reynolda transport theorem and conservation laws, dimensional analysis and similitude, viscous flow in ducts and conduits, flow over immmersed bodies and open channel flow.

  • Instructor for Engineering Mechanics - Dynamics (CIVE261) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Fall Semester 2008). This course covers dynamics of particles and rigid bodies. Topics covered include particle kinematics and kinetics as well as planar kinematics and kinetics of rigid bodies.

  • Instructor for Engineering Mechanics - Dynamics (CIVE261) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Spring Semester 2008). This course covers dynamics of particles and rigid bodies. Topics covered include particle kinematics and kinetics as well as planar kinematics and kinetics of rigid bodies.

• Stanford University

  • Guest Lecturer for Modeling and Simulation for Civil and Environmental Engineers (CEE162/CEE262, Spring 2007, course taught by Professor Fringer): This class provides an introduction to mathematical and computational methods for modeling and simulation of flow.

  • Guest Lecturer for Ocean and Estuarine Modeling (CEE363C, Winter 2007, course taught by Professor Fringer): This is an advanced class focusing on numerical schemes and models for coastal and Estuarine flows.

  • Teaching Assistant for Rivers, Streams, and Canals at Stanford University (CEE161/CEE264, Fall 2005, course taught by Dr Derek Fong): This is a class dedicated to understanding a branch of Fluid Mechanics often referred to as Open Channel Flows/Hydraulics. The course covers uniform flow, gradually varied flow and unsteady flow.

  • Teaching Assistant for Modeling Environmental Flows at Stanford University (CEE262C, Spring 2004, course taught by Professor Fringer): Introduction to turbulence models and to basic concepts of numerical simulation and computermodeling of turbulent flows in the environment. Application of models to estuary and lake/reservoir simulations. Use of computer models for estuarine and lake/reservoir dynamics and water quality. The effects of stratification. (this class was also taught via optical fibre link to NTU (Singapore) MS students).
• University of Natal
  • Instructor for Fluid Mechanics (ENCV3FL1) in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Natal (First Semester 2002). I formally lectured this course for third year undergraduate students. This course covered closed conduit flows and open channel hydraulics.

  • Instructor for Structural Analysis (ENCV2ST2) in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Natal (Second Semester 2001). I formally lectured this course for second year undergraduate students. This first course in structural analysis covered analysis of determinate structures such as beams, columns and frames/trusses.

  • Graduate Classes taken for PhD Studies at Stanford

    • Environmental Flow Modeling
    • Computational Fluid Dynamics
    • Sediment Transport and River Mechanics
    • Sediment Transport Modeling
    • Transport and Mixing Processes in Surface Water Flows
    • Viscous Flows
    • Turbulence Modeling
    • Partial Differential Equations
    • Numerical Methods for Engineers
    • Urban Hydrology
    • Mechanics of Stratified Flows
    • Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
    • Advanced Fluid Mechanics - Instability theory
    • Various advanced topics in environmental fluid mechanics and oceanography