Teaching Statement

A lifelong passion for learning, encouraged me to pursue my PhD in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Duke University and influences all aspects of my work including my teaching philosophy. I consider teaching to be an essential and rewarding component of my career as it enables me to share my enthusiasm and guide students through the discovery of new material. I am continually inspired by the curiosity and creativity of students and it teaches me different ways to think resulting in a higher quality of research.

I have worked at the intersection of a variety of different fields as a result of the interdisciplinary nature of my research to understand the processing-structure-property relationship in polymeric systems dominated by interfaces. I am qualified to teach introductory courses in mechanical engineering, materials science, physics, chemistry and mathematics, as well as focused courses about plastics engineering, polymer physics, viscoelasticity, macromolecular solids and 3D printing. I believe that it is extremely important that students develop engineering problem solving skill that can be applied to a variety of situations and have a strong understand of the fundamentals to succeed within the field.

My teaching experience includes leading laboratory sections for juniors in Materials Science and Engineering, creating of a design course for freshman to introduce them to the concept of research and development that enables them to pursue activities outside of their regular classwork and engage in a more hands on learning style during their education, and two semesters of teaching discussion sections for thermodynamics. Furthermore, I have a history of working as a tutor for calculus, chemistry, physics and introductory materials science courses, as well as a peer mentor. I continue to foster mentorship relationships in my graduate career and I am always available to give advice and talk to my students outside of class as I believe a balanced approach is extremely necessary for being successful in engineering.

As a result of my varied teaching experiences, I have found that the best way to assess student growth is by comprehensive learning through interactive lectures and discussions as well as instilling a sense of accountability. I address the former through light questioning during class combined with a more thorough assessment of ungraded practice questions, which conveys concepts that need to be reinforced for the entire class and if any students need extra help. As for the latter, I have tried to instill a sense of accountability to foster creativity and resourcefulness by assigning worksheets relating to the readings. The main goal of these methods is to reinforce fundamental concepts and not to burden students with difficult and time consuming work. This encourages them to engage with the material and potentially identifies students that are struggling with the material. Finally, it also aims to introduce them to a variety of different learning methods and teaches them how to learn.

My experiences have also taught me the importance of guiding students to reach their own conclusions and answer their own questions, even though it is tempting to give an answer. This is critical as students retain information and concepts better when they are guided to reach the answer themselves as it walks them through the problem solving process. As an instructor, it also provides me valuable feedback on the mistakes that students are prone to make, and sometimes shows me with a new way of solving a problem. Hence, this process not only promotes learning but enables me to create more enriching classes for the students.

To develop my teaching style, I heavily borrow on my experience as a student as my interest in a subject was often influenced by the instructor’s availability, organization, enthusiasm and approachability. Hence, I make sure to outline the material we will be covering in advance, respond to students in a timely manner and build a rapport with my students such that they are comfortable coming to me with questions and concerns about the course material or otherwise. I ensure that I demonstrate my excitement over the material as it helps students be more interested in the course and relate it to relevant examples in the real world. My evaluations as a teacher have consistently reflected my enthusiasm and willingness to help.

As my experience grows, I hope to continually revisit and revise my teaching philosophy through various opportunities for pedagogical development. Currently I am pursuing a Certificate in College Teaching and would like to continue to attend workshops and seminars to keep up with the field.

Finally, I believe that the skills required to teach effectively can be translated beyond the classroom as it encourages organization, mentorship and communication. I think that student-teaching has provided me with the experience to pursue a career in academia, where I can help shape the next generation of scientists and engineers.