Introduction:
In July 1976, I was fortunate to join the faculty of UNC-Charlotte. I was fresh out of the University of
Florida’s PhD Program, and I had come to the United States only nine years earlier as a political refugee
from Uganda. I dreamed of being an aeronautical/ space engineer and thought university teaching would
be something beyond my wildest dreams. As a thirty two year old, I had many hopes, fears, and
expectations going into this first job, about everything from my students, to my colleagues, to my own
career path. But I never would have guessed that I would spend more than thirty four fulfilling years –
my entire career – at this incredible university, watching and contributing to the growth and successes of
both the undergraduate and graduate engineering programs, as well as UNC-Charlotte as an institution.
When I began teaching in 1976, I was offered the opportunity to start planning UNC-Charlotte’s graduate
electrical engineering program. At that time, UNC-Charlotte had only undergraduate engineering
programs, but that too, were new; there were five faculty members in the department and we only offered
limited courses. Developing an engineering graduate program would be a challenge, but it was a
challenge that I felt was worth devoting my career to fulfilling.
During the early part of my career, I focused on developing our undergraduate electrical engineering
program. I wanted to understand and truly appreciate undergraduate teaching before delving into the
challenges of developing a graduate program. Most importantly, I wanted to become a good teacher. I
taught four different undergraduate courses per semester, and focused my time on teaching undergraduate
students basic engineering concepts which would lay the foundation for further graduate studies. I
spent hours and hours each week preparing for my classes—figuring out the best ways to take
complicated and abstract concepts and distilling them into simple, easy-to-understand explanations that
my students would grasp.
Four years later, I began focusing my efforts on developing the graduate electrical engineering program.
Collaborating with the original, founding members of the departmental faculty, I had the privilege of
initiating and teaching the very first graduate engineering course at UNC-Charlotte. I also directed the
first Master’s thesis in the engineering college. And I was a member of all three committees that
developed proposals for the first three doctoral programs at UNC-Charlotte Once the graduate programs
in the college began developing, I served as the first graduate coordinator of the Electrical and Computer
Engineering Department, and the first chair of the College Graduate Committee, as well as the
Engineering College Representative in the newly formed University Graduate Council.
Throughout the years, I have strived to incorporate my individual aerospace engineering research into the
classroom by doing aerospace research in collaboration with NASA Langley Research Center either
during summer months or during the academic year at UNC Charlotte through research grants.
Over thirty four years that I have been teaching at UNC-Charlotte, the undergraduate and graduate
engineering programs have exploded in size, quality, and caliber. Although my work at UNC-Charlotte
has largely focused on developing and running the graduate electrical engineering program, and
furthering my aerospace engineering research, I consider myself a teacher first. I am incredibly thankful
to have worked with my talented and committed colleagues. And most importantly, I am thankful to have
had had the privilege of teaching thousands of engineering students, and supervising and mentoring
hundreds of graduate and undergraduate students.
Looking back, I still cherish these early years of teaching undergraduates. And as a result, I always teach
at least one undergraduate course per semester and direct at least one undergraduate senior design project
per year.
My Basic Teaching Philosophy:
My teaching philosophy originates from my childhood education in Uganda, which was based on the
traditional British system. Particularly for the sciences, teachers took responsibility for teaching students
fundamental concepts in chemistry, physics, biology, and math in a comprehendible and comprehensive
manner. And then the students took responsibility for applying those concepts and ultimately, solving
complex problems using their knowledge of basic concepts. I never relied on formulas or even textbooks.
Thanks to my teachers, my knowledge of the sciences, even today, relies heavily on my deep
understanding of those same basic concepts I learned in the 50s and 60s. I have spent my career
attempting to implement and refine that teaching methodology that I fondly grew up with.
As a professor at UNC-Charlotte, I learned quickly that teaching is not merely lecturing to students.
Rather, it is presenting material in a logical, precise, and clear manner that enables students to use their
critical thinking abilities to integrate information into their knowledge base in a meaningful way.
Teaching is also creating a dialogue in the classroom—facilitating and encouraging open discussions
between the teacher and students, as well as amongst the students themselves. Such an active learning
environment not only inspires students to learn, but also empowers them to take responsibility for their
learning.
I also believe that teachers also have an obligation to create an atmosphere that is conducive to learning.
Teachers should bring excitement to the classroom and use creative ways to make students recognize the
practical application of their education. For example, I always try and integrate recent developments in
the engineering field into the classroom.
One of the important lessons I have learned over the years, and one that I think about every single time
that I stand in front of a classroom full of students, is that learning is a complex, individual process, and
that good teachers must adapt to the needs of the students and the subject matter—forming a learning
partnership. Consequently, I implement a broad range of teaching methods both in and out of the
classroom to cater to individual students’ needs and goals. For example, I exercise special care in my
class lectures to explain new engineering concepts clearly, precisely, and in multiple ways. I try and keep
the class moving at a good pace, while incorporating interesting, real life examples for the interested
students who learn quickly. At the same time, I try and keep my examples straightforward and logical,
and occasionally throw in a few jokes, to keep the interest of students who may have academic
background deficiencies or who simply are not interested in circuits.
Recognizing that all students learn new concepts in different ways and at different rates, I constantly
encourage students to meet with me outside of class. I always make it clear that my formal office hours
are simply set times when I am guaranteed to be in my office, but that I am always available to meet with
anybody whenever my door is open—which is always. I do not consider any question to be silly or basic
and I do not mind reviewing any class material or helping students with professional goals. I have found
that my time spent with students outside of the classroom has been incredibly rewarding. For students
who struggle to keep up with the challenging curriculum, this is when I can give them the one-on-one
attention. Additionally, every semester I schedule extra group help sessions. And for students who like
the subject matter and want to be challenged further, this is when I can encourage them to assist me with
my research or apply for related research jobs and internships.
I strive to teach each of my students that engineering is so much more than electrical systems, computers,
and networks.]. While an engineer in training must learn certain facts and concepts, the practice of
engineering is actually using that knowledge in a creative and socially responsible manner. Hence, while
teaching a course, apart from regular exams and assignments, I usually assign several design projects
during the semester, in which students have to not only incorporate new ideas and concepts that they learn
in class, but address global and societal issues, like the environment, economics, ethics, and safety.
I do not see a rigid line separating research and teaching. Teachers should be involved with research so
that they can help students understand how what they are learning in the classroom applies to real life.
And students should be involved with research to help prepare them for their professional careers,
whether they are practicing engineers or are pursuing further graduate studies. Interestingly, it has been
my experience with undergraduate students, that there is a tremendous amount of “mysticism” associated
with research. During my tenure at UNC-Charlotte, I have tried to address this issue by encouraging
undergraduate students to participate in my own research projects, and I pair them up with my graduate
students.
I believe that qualified, undergraduate students at UNC-Charlotte should be encouraged to pursue their
graduate education at UNC-Charlotte, and I have worked hard to supervise and retain many of them. Of
the six doctoral students I have graduated so far, two of these students received their undergraduate
degrees at UNC-Charlotte. Over the years, I have also been successful in directing over forty Master’s
students; of this group, about 40% of them received their undergraduate degrees at UNC-Charlotte. I
recently supervised two Master’s degree students who had completed their undergraduate degrees in our
department, and they went on to complete their Ph.D. degrees—one at MIT and the other at Stanford
University.
My graduate courses are highly interdisciplinary and provide students with a foundation for conducting
research in numerous areas of engineering. During the past six years I have graduated six Ph.D. students,
which is one of the highest in the college, if not the highest. I have also directed four Master’s students
with the thesis option during this period. Currently, I am directing three doctoral dissertations—all of
which are close to their graduation.
In my opinion, motivating graduate students to pursue excellence in research and scholarship is the most
important aspect of a strong graduate program. I believe in developing a strong bond with my graduate
students because they need constant intellectual stimulus as well as an atmosphere to realize their full
potential. This requires me to remain current in my own research, so that I can provide them with exciting
and state-of-the-art research ideas. Additionally, I have to provide them the necessary academic
background so that they can consult the latest relevant research. I hold frequent meetings with my
graduate students where they discuss their research, and I discuss my own, with the hopes of creating a
research culture of constant exchange among peers.
I have students that are working on exciting projects, such as designing future spacecrafts and space
robotics, and a shape memory alloy-based robotic hand that can perform surgery from a remote location.
I consider teaching a tremendous opportunity to inspire and empower students with knowledge that will
literally change the world
Accomplishments
In 1984, I was the first faculty member at UNC-Charlotte to be awarded a federal research grant from the
NASA Langley Research Center. I have also received external grants every year since and have been a
CO-PI on other grants. Such funding has allowed me to expose current research areas to graduate
students, and to help provide them with financial assistance over the years. Additionally, grant funding
gives my students the opportunity to accompany me to research laboratories and conferences, where they
interact with national and international research scholars from around the world.
Additionally, I have coauthored a number of papers in national and international conferences as well as
technical journals with my graduate students based on their research work. I always encourage my
students to present their research at these conferences because it provides them with an invaluable
opportunity to develop a sense of belonging amongst other research scholars. For example, during the
initial stage of my research funded from NASA Langley Research Center, a lot of my research work
involved experimental work, where I spent a great deal of time with my graduate students at the actual
NASA laboratories. These graduate students loved working side-by-side with NASA scientists and
technicians, and most of those students have earned graduate degrees and pursued careers in aerospace
engineering.
While I conducted my NASA research project, I teamed up with aerospace researchers at other North
Carolina Universities to form the NASA-sponsored N.C. Space Grant Consortium. We secured an annual
block grant for the member universities primarily for undergraduate scholarships and graduate
fellowships. The consortium also provided financial and academic support for summer internships at
various NASA centers. Consequently, I have been able to send one graduate intern per year to either
NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston or NASA’s Goddard Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. These
unique opportunities have helped me to recruit bright undergraduate and graduate students to become
involved in aerospace-related research.
Also, I was the UNC-Charlotte Campus Director of the N.C. Space Grant Consortium from 1993 to 2008.
This position provided me with a tremendous opportunity to work with highly-qualified students pursuing
careers in aerospace science and engineering, which is an area with a declining number of scholars due to
retirements. I am proud that most of the graduates I have supported during my career have completed
their education at the Master’s level and have found challenging careers in the aerospace industries.
I am currently directing three doctoral dissertations and one Master’s thesis, and am serving on twelve
other doctoral committees. I strive to help all of these students maximize their time at UNC-Charlotte in
various ways including seeking financial support for them from my research grants, industrial
sponsorships through extended internships, or departmental assistance. I work very hard for them to be
successful not only during their academic studies at UNC-Charlotte, but I routinely help them identify
their career goals and provide them with the necessary contacts for job opportunities.
The following are the names and dates of graduation of these doctoral students:
 Surya Kumar Ashok Kumar: May 2005 (Supported by Intel Corporation)
 Hazem B. Alassaly :December 2005 (Supported by the department and research grants)
 Ronald Steven Black: December 2007 (Supported by AREVA Corp.)
 Vikram Karwal: August 2009 (Supported by the department and research grants)
 Douglas Isenberg: December 2009 (Supported by research grants)
 Kamal Sundersan: May 2010 (Supported by Texas Instruments)
In addition to working and mentoring my own doctoral students in the past six years, I have served on
nine other doctoral committees at UNC-Charlotte and one doctoral committee at the University of the
West Indies, Trinidad. I have also served on over twenty other Master’s committees in various
departments during the last six years.