If you don't let a teacher know at what level you are - by asking a question, or revealing your ignorance - you will not learn or grow. You can't pretend for long, for you will eventually be found out. Admission of ignorance is often the first step in our education (Steven Covey , 1990).

AUTAR K KAW is an ASME Fellow and Professor of Mechanical Engineering (Jerome Krivanek Distinguished Teacher) at the University of South Florida, Tampa.   He received his BE Honors degree in mechanical engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), India in 1981. He received his Ph.D. degree in 1987 and M.S. degree in 1984, both in Engineering Mechanics from Clemson University, SC. (Read more ......) 

Read more about what I do - courses, research, textbooks, publications, and software.

EXPERTISE: Engineering Education Research Methods, Mechanics of Composite Materials, Elasticity, Fracture, Thermal Stresses, Web Based Course Development.

RECENT ACTIVITIES

• Educational Research

  • We are developing complete (holistic) web-based resources for an undergraduate course in Numerical Methods.  Visit the NSF funded and multiple-award winning website http://numericalmethods.eng.usf.edu and read papers on this activity.

  • We assessed problem-centered approach in the Numerical Methods course (read paper...)

  • We have incorporated low cost, low space, low setup time experiments in the Numerical Methods course and we are assessing the success of the incorporation (read short paper...)

  • I have started a blog on numerical methods topics to help STEM undergraduates.  Plain English!

• Composite Materials Research

  • Push out Test for Composite Materials Revisited - A DOE analysis and beyond the elastic limit

  • How does interphase modeling affect nanoindentation test results? (Abstract).

  • Is crack propagation in composite materials independent of fiber volume fraction? (Abstract)

• Bridge Design Research

  • Optimizing the thermal expansion of a hole 

  • Evaluating two different assembly procedures of trunnion-hub-girder assembly.

  • How does geometry affect successful (no cracking) trunnion-hub-girder assembly procedure? (Abstract). 

  • Does step-cooling make trunnion-hub-girder assembly procedure fail-safe? (Abstract)

• Public Service

  • FE Exam Question of the Day Site http://fe.eng.usf.edu. 

  • Webmaster for the ASME FWCS Section

  • Volunteer Tutor for AP Calculus

  • Read some of my newspaper columns and views including ones on

    • Was the College Football Season Topsy-Turvy?

    • Archaic Graduation Benchmarks for Graduation,

    • Atkins Diet and

    • Block the Block Tuition Proposal