Instructor: Jeannie Darby, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
Description: This seminar is designed to introduce the students to the many opportunities for participating in research in civil engineering topics while at Davis. Topics will be based on currently ongoing research in the department, such as air pollution in California, water treatment in a Kenya, Africa village, structural design to minimize earthquake damage, use of waste products for construction, and other topics depending on the specific interests of the enrolled students. Students will hear from a variety of faculty and doctoral students about the importance of research in engineering and pathways to an engineering research career. Lab visits and a field trip will increase the students' awareness of the variety of working environments. Questions to be addressed will include ‘Who defines the problems that engineers are asked to solve?’ ‘How can local and regional/national concerns be balanced?’ And ‘What circumstances make it more likely that technical and social issues will be intertwined?’
Format: A different research topic, with relevant guests, will be covered each week. Guests to the class with include faculty, doctoral students, and off-campus research collaborators. An optional Saturday field trip to the Tahoe Experimental Research Center will be offered. Students will take the lead in interviewing the guests prior to their class visit and introducing the guests to the class. Students will read one assigned paper each week in preparation for the topic and provide either a written or an oral summary. All students will be encouraged to ask questions of the speakers. Instructor will be available during regular office-hours for helping the students. Grading: (P/F) A passing grade entails attending the weekly meetings, participating in the interviewing/introduction process, presenting the summary of assigned readings, and asking at least one in-class question each week.
About the Instructor: Professor Darby is a faculty member in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering. Before she was a faculty member, she worked as an engineer in the private sector and is a registered Professional Engineer. Her research is focused on water quality and treatment. Current projects include mitigating arsenic contamination of drinking water supplies, decentralized treatment of wastewater, and point-of-use filtration of river water in a Kenyan village.