Statements

Responsible Conduct of Research

Primum non nocere
-First, do no harm

Problems can be seen everywhere.  In fact, the beginning of our education is to be able to solve problems we are given, but the end result of an engineering education is to be able to identify problems and then solve them.  This means that educated engineers are typically looking to fix everything.  As the saying goes, "to the one with a hammer, everything looks like a nail."

The question of responsible conduct of research then has to include the identification of the "problem."  The step that follows the identification of the problem requires empathy, humility, and love. Who decides what a problem is?  Whose problem is it?  Who does the problem impact? etc.

Failing to ask these questions leads to ultimately unsuccessful design or execution and can create a bigger gap between the engineer and the one who suffers from the problem.  In this case, both parties would be better off if the engineer had not tried to solve the problem.  First, do no harm.

Product Life Cycle

The research and design engineer must consider the ethical research, manufacture, use, and disposal of any new device.  What impact does this product have on society or the environment?

Teaching Philosophy and Interests

If we are not careful, our colleges will produce a group of close-minded, unscientific, illogical propagandists, consumed with immoral acts. Be careful, "brethren!" Be careful, teachers! - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Purpose of Education

Teachers begin to impart knowledge upon students on the first day of class, but the goal of every educator is to be the distribution of understanding to those who seek it and to spark a desire for understanding in those who do not.  Our personal mark as teachers is in the unquantifiable increase in understanding even if the only measure of our "teaching ability" rests in the knowledge we pass on and how liked we are.

Examinations need to be relevant to material, but the goal of an education is much more than being able to do well on a test.  Beyond the walls of our classrooms much of the world is hungry, tired, and/or oppressed.  What evaluation can we perform that can measure the response of an individual to that which she has never experienced?  

The goal of education, then, is to instruct students in a way of thinking to prepare them for the unthinkable.  Secondly, the purpose of education is to become aware of the world around you and outside of you.  The promise of education is hope for those in despair.  

My philosophy of teaching is to encourage hopeful enthusiasm and discipline.

Research Interests

Respiratory drug delivery
Improving medical aerosol transport and delivery for traditional and next generation systems
Pediatric drug delivery

Nano aerosol generation and characterization

Improving patient treatment outcomes


Appropriate Technology
(Development of culturally relevant technology)
Improving the quality of life of impoverished populations

Replacing wood with rice husks as a source of heating and cooking
Low cost water quality enhancement
Maintenance and design of sustainable hospital equipment