Throughout my masters’ degree, I instructed and designed a new curriculum for upper-division Mechanical Engineering˺ laboratory courses at Santa Clara University˺ as a teaching assistant.
Modern Instrumentation for Engineers: Fall 2021, Winter 2022, Fall 2022; under instruction of Dr. Godfrey Mungal˺, Professor (and Professor Emeritus at Stanford˺). Covers LabVIEW, NI Data Acquisition Systems, sensor selection, error analysis, data manipulation & filtering, through experiments including Vibration of a Cantilever Beam, Thermoelectric PID Control, Strain Gauge, and CO₂ labs.
Heat Transfer: Winter 2022, Spring 2023; under instruction of Dr. Hohyun Lee˺, Professor & Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department. Includes conduction, fin analysis, convection, heat exchangers, pyrometer emissivity labs, and my original CPU cooling competition.
An engaging learning experience.
Encourage critical thinking.
I am famous (infamous?) among students for never giving a direct answer.
“Best TA I’ve ever had. He demonstrated great understanding of the programs we worked with as was able to guide students to discovering the correct answers for themselves.”
Modern Instrumentation & Heat Transfer Student, Fall 2022
“Brian helped me learn the most throughout each of the labs. Instead of directly solving problems for us when asked for help, he guides us to solving problems on our own.”
Modern Instrumentation Student, Fall 2022
Bringing energy & a love for learning
“Very helpful and extremely passionate about the labs. Really wants students to learn and enjoy the material.”
Modern Instrumentation Student, Fall 2022
“Motivational and always has a lot of positive energy – love it!”
Heat Transfer Student, Fall 2023
A New Instructional Model
My labs utilize a “flipped classroom” format to combine the best of remote learning and live instruction. Background material and instructions for using the lab equipment are covered in pre-recorded video lessons for students to watch before coming to the lab. Students arrive at the lab equipped with the knowledge to get started right away, allowing more time for experimentation and providing a chance to think deeply and ask thoughtful questions during the lab.
Curriculum Design
Creating new laboratory activities to prepare students for the real world.
CO₂ Sensor Lab
A real-life engineering project becomes part of the academic curriculum.
Thermoelectric PID Control Competition
How do you keep students engaged the week before break?
Converting a boring lab into a sport for engineers.
CPU Cooling Competition
Showing how heat transfer principles make modern electronics possible, with infinite possible designs to experiment with and extra credit to win!
“Really enthusiastic and committed to helping the students and coming up with engaging and fun new additions to the lab curriculum.”
Heat Transfer Student, Spring 2023
“Goes above and beyond to design labs and ensure that everything is organized. Always willing to help.”
Heat Transfer Student, Spring 2023