All events are in Central time unless specified.
Seminar

Civil Engineering Brownbag Series

Featuring Drs. Zhu and Li

Date:
Time:
11:45 am – 12:45 pm
Peter Kiewit Institute Room: 207 (N105 SLNK via TV)
Dr. Jinying Zhu will be presenting “Automated Acoustic Scanning System for Bridge Deck Evaluation”. Conventional bridge evaluation methods are time consuming and/or relying on operator’s subjective decision. In this presentation, Dr. Zhu will present a recent research work on development of a rapid bridge deck scanning system that combines fast acoustic scanning, accurate GPS positioning, and automated defect imaging algorithm. With this system, a bridge can be scanned in few minutes per lane with good consistency.

Dr. Li will be presenting “Integrating Innovative Classroom Activities with Flipped Teaching in a Water Resources Engineering Class”. The concept of the flipped classroom, where the lecture is moved outside the classroom with the help of technology and learning activities occur inside the classroom, was recently introduced into college-level courses. Such a form of learning is expected to provide an excellent platform for organizing innovative classroom activities in which higher-order cognitive skills for interdisciplinary learning are introduced. However, engineering programs have lagged behind other fields in integrating blended learning into curricula. In this case study, the effectiveness of flipped teaching for civil engineering students in a water resources course was assessed. One section of the course was delivered online and was provided to students before class. In-class activities were designed to promote higher-order cognitive skills. Formative and quantitative assessments were designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the flipped teaching approach. This case study found that students are generally willing to participate in the innovatively flipped teaching approach. In addition to efficiency, this approach led to an improved grasp of concepts and problem solving.

Jinying Zhu is an assistant professor in Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Her research expertise and interests include NDT for concrete, wave propagation, cement material characterization using ultrasonic waves, and innovative sensing techniques. Dr. Zhu is a recipient of the ASNT Fellowship Award in 2012, and three times winner of ACI-James Instruments Award. Her former graduate students and Postdocs have successful careers in both academia and industry. She is currently the associate editor of Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation.

Yusong Li is currently an associate professor of water resources in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Lincoln. She got her B.S. and M.S. from Tsinghua University in China, and her Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. She teaches Introduction to Water Resources Engineering, Groundwater Engineering, Fate and Transport of Contaminants in porous media, and Computational Problem Solving in Civil Engineering. Her research is on fate and transport of contaminants in the subsurface.

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