About the Instructor                                                                                          Return

Engineering began for me in Brooklyn Technical High School. My first degree was a Bachelor in Chemical Engr. from CCNY in '54.  I then served as an officer in  the US Army Corp. of Engr. for 5yrs.and ended up as the Post Engineer for a  Depot in France.   I began graduate studies at UCLA in '59 and got an MS and a Ph D degree in  Engineering. On completion in '67, I  joined the faculty  of the Instituto Politechnico Nacional in Mexico City to teach Nuclear Engineering in Spanish.

In  '69, I joined the faculty of  the Nuclear and Energy Engineering Department (NEE) at U of A. Initially, I focused on teaching Nuclear Engineering . In  the late 70s,  I turned  to Energy Management to conserve the earth’s valuable fossil fuels and to Solar Energy for a more reliable and environmentally acceptable future. I directed and taught courses in the Energy Engineering Program in the College – which once offered a BS .in Energy. I helped to start up the Engineering College Solar and Energy Research Facility and became its Director until it was shut down in 1990. In ' 92, when  NEE was eliminated , I joined  AME. and continued to teach energy related courses including Solar Engineering, Direct Energy Conversion and HVAC.

I am now Emeritus since I retired in ’97. In addition to enjoying Tucson, I have a house by the ocean in Brittany, France where my wife and I spend the summers.  I am  teaching this course as a volunteer (no pay).   Renewable Energy Systems  is a composite of  3 former solar and wind courses. I have taught this course three times by the classic lecture mode and now by the web for the last three years.  I am  intrigued to the use  the internet for education and continue to believe that renewable energy is the proper direction for a sustainable energy future.  Moreover, I like  interacting with fresh  inquiring minds.

The Internet and D2L

              The  major advantages of  course web delivery:  The whole spectrum of the internet is available and relevant web sites can be incorporated directly into the course. A large field of expertise and information is available for consultation from  major research centers, professional societies, governmental agencies and universities.  The database sources are immense and generally well cataloged. and presented.  In an applied engineering courses, like this, real time distributors and manufacturers of equipment and components add realism to exercises. The internet allows the students to access the instructor and course material and exercises any where, anytime – 7 days, 24 hours.

There are some problems with web delivery. Contact between  students and the instructor is not face to face.  Irresponsible students can cheat, plagiarize and  BS with ease.

D2L  is  essentially a course management tool .   The program helps to meet both the instructor and the student’s objectives.  Student grades and progress are automatically kept and made readily accessible. Exams are  computer graded and then recorded.  Although virtual,  interaction between students and the instructor are  enhanced with D2L.  I  prepare the web pages on my personal computer and then uploaded them on to D2L.

My Philosophy in course presentation: Accentuate the positive features of web delivery and to minimize the  problems with alternate approaches. I designed the course to allow unsupervised responses on assignments and exams. I trust that  students will be honest, responsible and have a desire to learn; if irregularities show up, I am prepared to deal it.