In the early 1990s, Anil K Chopra, the Horace, Dorothy and Katherine Johnson Professor of Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, realized that he was dissatisfied with the material available for his students. So he threw out twenty-five years of lecture notes: "This was a liberating event," he says. "I was free to start from scratch."
Out of this revitalization came a widely acclaimed textbook, Dynamics of Structures: Theory and Applications to Earthquake Engineering. Students, not known for their lavish praise of textbooks in general, feel differently about this one: "The book is awesome-I enjoyed reading it!" is typical of their reaction.
This dedication to student learning is evident in all aspects of Chopra's teaching. Beyond making a conceptually difficult subject accessible to students, "it is my goal to share with them the satisfaction of comprehending, and the joy of resolving, complex structural dynamics issues that arise in ensuring seismic safety," he says.
Former students consider Chopra their role model. A professor of engineering who was his student says, "As a young faculty member, I have tried to adopt his approach of clarity, simplicity in presentation, and attention to the students."
Students who take his classes are equally enthusiastic. "It just doesn't get any better than this in terms of a professor dedicating time and effort in ensuring that students understand the subject matter, "says one. "Incredible organization-clarity of lecturing. I've never been challenged as much to apply previously learned material to understanding new concepts," says another.
Chopra's own joy in his work is evident: "It is amazing that a job can be so much fun," he says.
A widely respected authority on structural dynamics and earthquake engineering, Chopra received his B.S. from Banaras Hindu University and his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. He joined the faculty of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in 1967.
Statement Of Teaching Philosophy
Motivate and simplify. These are fundamental. I motivate students by showing them in the first lecture of CE 125 and of CE 225 that, starting with no background in structural dynamics, by the end of one semester they will be able to calculate the deformations and forces in a building induced by an earthquake. I strive to find simpler ways to explain complicated concepts. With each "small" success comes a moment of joy; occasionally comes sustained exhilaration when students can solve problems that we could only talk about before.
Although the basic skills to solve problems are essential for engineering students, it is my belief that interpretive and intuitive abilities can and should be developed in the classroom. As professional engineers later, my students should not only be able to calculate the earthquake response of a complex structuresay the Transamerica Buildingbut also be able to tell if the results achieved after months of computer work make sense or not. The stakes in seismic safety are very high for society, and a full intuitive sense is the best protection against error.
All these efforts help achieve a larger goal. Students should be able to use structural dynamics theory confidently for earthquake resistant design of structures, thus narrowing the gap between research and practice, and reducing earthquake hazards. My students must not become mere followers of building codes, but should be prepared to advance professional practice.
Teaching must be continually improved, and excitement for the subject maintained. In the early 1990's I realized that student learning had reached a plateau. I had tried different approaches, including reading lists, but the books were not consistent with my goals. Furthermore, beginning students unnecessarily struggled to learn theory from different sources with disparate mathematical notation, forcing me to compromise my larger goal. To renew myself, my teaching notes (evolved over twenty-five years) went into the garbage one Monday! This was a liberating event. I was free to start from scratch, an effort that resulted in a teaching book which is helping students develop a deeper understanding of the subject.
Teaching is the most rewarding experience for me, and interacting with the high-quality students at Berkeley makes it even more delightful. It is amazing that a job can be so much fun. The day this magic begins to fade, I will know it is time to dig deeper and revitalize my teaching once again, or consider retirement.