Panel Discussion
AIChE Annual Meeting
2017
2017 Annual Meeting
Education Division
Jumpstart Your Teaching!: Small Teaching Ideas for Course Improvement
Monday, October 30, 2017 - 2:36pm to 2:54pm
Nearly thirty years ago I arrived at the University of Texas at Austin to begin graduate studies in chemical engineering. The true depth of my ignorance became apparent as soon as classes began. The Advanced Mathematics class, taught by Professor Rawlings, was particularly challenging. But Professor Rawlings had a way of explaining the issues with clear, simple examples that made it much easier to learn the complex concepts. I decided to take every graduate class that he was offering. Soon I was learning about H-infinity, Linear-Quadratic-Gaussian theory, Model Predictive Control, and optimal control of a hot-air balloon. This early experience as a student in Jimâs classes eventually blossomed into a long-term collaboration on MPC. In this presentation Iâll tell the story of our collaboration, with a focus on some of the challenging technical issues that we encountered along the way. Iâll end with a summary of Jimâs impact on the field and a description of key personality traits that I believe led to his success.