Jin Woo Lee
ME 211: Solid Mechanics
ME 211 (Solid Mechanics) covers subject matter that is very difficult for students to imagine. Jin Woo saw that his students were memorizing each type of problem rather than fully understanding the scope and orientation of the forces at play in the problem. Knowing that this might get them through the course but would not serve them well in the field, Jin Woo designed and 3D-printed models of the structures mentioned in homework problems. This enabled his students to create the scenario of a problem before deciding how to solve it and solidified their understanding of the material overall. Jin Woo’s applied teaching practices enable students to imagine why a course might be valuable for them in the long run and how the concepts they learn could build to bigger ideas in their careers. His ingenuity and passion for his course is infectious, and his students leave his classroom more ready for their engineering futures.