CIVL 231 “Solid Mechanics II”
I covered the analysis of stress and strain, applications of plain stress, beam deflection, statically indeterminate beams and the analysis of columns. The objectives of the course were: – to help students understand the mechanical behavior of solid materials;
– to develop the ability to analyse simple structural elements;
– to help students gain team-working and problem-solving skills.
WOOD 282 “Wood Physics and Mechanics”
WOOD 282 was a recent addition to the UBC Wood Products Processing curriculum.
The course used to be a wood physics and drying course; the realisation that second year students need additional exposure to the mechanical properties of wood led to the change of the course outline.
I was responsible for the mechanics part of the course with approximately 30 students,
Timber Concrete Composites (taught at BFH)
Introduction to the composite action when combining two materials, with special focus on creep behaviour and how it affects strength and erviceability; content:
– Elements of timber-concrete composite construction: materials & connectors
– Structural behaviour: static system, composite action, long- term behaviour
– Systems: screws, mechanical connectors, interlocking, proprietary systems
– Calculation methods: gamma-procedure, shear analogy, finite element method
– Practical considerations: manufacturing and assembly, details, building physics
Numerical Modeling in Structural Engineering (taught at BFH)
Basics of Finite Element Analysis and overview of Ansys, content:
– Basic example: simple beam, isotropic material, deformations and stresses
– Different methods to generate geometry, 2D/3D; computational effort vs. accuracy
– Consideration of plasticity of materials, shown on the example of isotropic steel
– Combining several materials; analysis of a steel-concrete composite beam
– Orthotropic material; concept of failure criterion; link to experimental work
– Second order and stability analysis; large deformations enabled; buckling analysis
Technical and Scientific Communication (taught at BFH)
Practical advice on contemporary scholarly communication, content:
1) Understanding academic writing
– From the idea to the paper, publishing process
– Paper structure: procedure, results, discussion and conclusions
– Literature review: sources, state-of-the-art reviews, citing, questions of ethics
2) Paper review process
– Purpose and principle of the reviews
– manuscript and blind review by the participants
– Assessment and revisions of reviewed manuscripts
3) Presentation of research
– Understanding the importance of designing and analysing experiments
– Preparing a presentation: structure, time management, etc
– Practice presentations
Other teaching experience
1.Teaching Assistant at UBC Faculty of Forestry: Advanced Biometrics (4 years), Timber Structures Design (3 years), Wood Composites (2 years), CAD/CAM (2 years)
2.Instructional Assistant at UBC Centre for Intercultural Communication: Professional Development course for International Graduate
3.Tennis coach at Tennis Club, Eisenach, Germany: 1991 – 2003: Coach for competitive youth teams & adult recreation.
4.Counselor at a youth camp, Vermont, USA: Summers 1993-1998: Teaching at tennis department and organizing events