(3nz) Using Agent-Based Modeling to Explore Aquaponics

Food security has been and will continue to be fickle for many regions around the globe, especially as human population continues to grow. Aquaponics, as a more sustainable food production system, has been suggested as a typical operation produces high protein fish and nutritious fruits and vegetables, while also mitigating much of the waste streams produced by more traditional methods, such as aquaculture and hydroponics. Aquaponics returns food production back to more natural mechanisms in regard to nutrient and water cycling, furthering the idea of industrial ecology by recognizing the balance between the need for mass and sustainable food production. As aquaponics is further optimized, educational outreach for the new technology is necessary to educate the public on the food production method. Agent-based modeling is a visual and interactive approach to educating the public on aquaponics. Utilizing agent-based modeling as an educational tool for teaching aquaponics allows the user to interact with and understand the basic mechanisms behind the food production method while also visualizing the greenhouse gas emissions produced by the system over time. Developing and utilizing the model in outreach events will allow for data collection on the effectiveness of the educational methods to better inform future research to education methodologies.

Teaching Interests

I view teaching and learning as the cornerstone of what makes society today so fascinating. The challenging opportunity of teaching allows for the dissemination of old and new ideas, which will help to shape generations of future engineers and scientists. Through my experience as a student and principal instructor, I have worked and interacted with extraordinary faculty that help fuel my passion for teaching. I plan to use these experiences to also strive for excellence as an instructor.

My teaching philosophy revolves around finding the balance between sharing important relevant information, while introducing tools and skills needed to use the information and apply it. Teaching is more than showing students new concepts and then testing them, teaching is meant to guide students towards critical thinking. My overall goal as a professor is to prepare my students to effectively handle unforeseen challenges, which is an inevitable part of being an engineer.

Inspiring students to strive for their career aspirations is a major objective of mine because of the inspiring faculty at both my undergraduate and graduate institutions. I will forever be grateful for the mentors I have had throughout my academic career and plan to continue their efforts in being an effective teacher while also bringing a positive light to my students’ college experiences as their mentor.

During my PhD studies, I had the opportunity to be part of multiple teaching experiences. First, I was a teaching assistant for a graduate level civil and environmental engineering class. The course had a focus on environmental engineering decision making. My responsibilities for this position included grading homework and leading the discussion day every week. This class was my first opportunity to formally teach, which helped me to realize my love for teaching. My other teaching experience was as a principal instructor for a systems thinking class in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. Through this experience, I was able to gain insight into the actual workings of being a university professor and was also able to shape the course in a way that incorporated my thesis work and agent-based modeling, which was a useful tool for introducing engineering to non-engineering students. My duties included researching and writing lectures and activities, teaching, planning and executing a final project, developing homework, and meeting with students for class assistance and career mentoring. My experiences at the University of Wisconsin – Madison as a teaching assistant and principal instructor will aid me in exploring and enacting effective teaching strategies in the future.

I would like to teach courses related to environmental engineering and industrial ecology. As faculty, I also expect to teach introductory courses which are vital parts of an undergraduate’s curriculum as needed by the department. Based on my background and past research, I would like to create and teach three potential courses: Industrial ecology, systems thinking and life cycle assessment, and sustainable food systems. My proposed courses could be offered to senior level undergraduate students and graduate students.

The first course would center on the basics of industrial ecology which would include topics such as sustainability, the rebound effect, environmental disasters, and life cycle assessment. This course would operate as a springboard for sustainability theory and application, which could be offered to students in most disciplines.

The second course would focus on using a systems thinking approach for life cycle assessment. Not all environmental engineers will use life cycle assessment explicitly, but we all are required to think about the environmental ramifications of our work, making this course a vital tool for grounding their thoughts in reality. Skills and tools to be taught in the course would include investigating linear and nonlinear systems, developing inventory data for an investigated system, and quantify and system’s environmental impact using both equations and software.