Teaching experience​

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• ​Assistant Professor. Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, San Diego State University. (2021 - )

• Lecturer (Profesor Auxiliar degree). School of Ocean Engineering, Universidad de Valparaíso, Chile. (2009 - 2013)

• Teaching Assistant in the courses Sanitary Engineering and Water treatment processes. Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Chile. (2008)

• Coordinator Assistant of the course Modern Physics. Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Chile​. (2007)

• Teaching Assistant of the course Modern Physics. Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Chile​. (2006 - 2007)

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Selected Courses

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Sediment Engineering: Coming in Fall 2024!

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Fluid Mechanics: This is the first water-related course of undergraduate students in the programs if Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering. The course includes topics of differential equations, conservation laws, Reynolds Transport Theorem, Dimensional Analysis, Sensing Technologies. 

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Introduction to Coastal Engineering: (Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024) Introduction to Coastal Engineering is the first coastal engineering course of undergraduate students in the programs of Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering. The reason why engineers study coastal engineering topics is very simple. Nearly 40% of the world's population lives next to the ocean or continental water bodies, and many critical infrastructure and economic activities take place there. The marine environment is very energetic, and severe natural hazards put the coastal communities, infrastructure, and activities at risk. While students learned many water-related mathematical models in Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics courses, they will need to learn new and more complex models for Coastal Engineering. The course spans from Linear Wave Theory to extreme value analysis and conceptual design of breakwaters.

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Applied Hydraulics: The course includes topics of hydrostatics (Pascal's Law and forces), confined flows in pipes, open channel flows and general concepts of extreme value analysis. The course also includes transient phenomena in pipes. 

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Hydrodynamic modeling (Computational Hydraulics): The course aims to show the fundamental concepts in mathematics and numerical methods in the modeling processes of ocean waves. We covered the fundamental governing equations of long waves and storm waves and the implementation of numerical models. Illustrative projects are assigned to students, so they can learn how to use the models they will find in their professional life.

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Static of Structures: We covered the topics of equilibrium equations (forces and momentum), diagram of momentum, shear and axial loads. 

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Resistance of Materials: We covered the topics stress (e.g. Mohr circle and principal axes), strain, Hooke Law, type of loads (external and internal), energy of deformation, stress in beams, torsion, deflection of beams, buckling.

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Mentoring

 

Grad and Undergrad students at SDSU investigate coastal processes, reliability analysis methods and remote sensing. Undergrad students join the group via summer internships and 1-credit courses (CIVE499 and ENVE 499 Special Studies). Grad students are invited to apply via to the Graduate Programs at SDSU.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Perspectives

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Higher education needs to be coordinated in terms of the objectives pursued in each course. Educators, therefore, needs to identify the strengths of the class group and individuals. Furthermore, these aspects have to be communicate to their colleagues, so programs can fit the characteristics of each group. A teaching method based in "teaching by objectives" can optimize the learning process.

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As an educator in Ocean STEM (science, technology, Engineering, Mathematics) disciplines, I have identified a great need to master the student's knowledge of probability theory and uncertainty quantification. Ocean and geophysical models are becoming very complex, and so their corresponding inputs. The description and propagation of errors from inputs to model outputs are becoming complex as well. Thus, sophisticated tools need to be learned, so students can quantify the uncertainty and accuracy of model estimates.

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