Dr. Gretchen Miller, assistant professor in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University, was recently recognized as the Dwight Look College of Engineering’s Montague Scholar for the coming year.
Her nomination stemmed from efforts in curriculum innovation and modification, and her dedication to teaching sustainability principles across civil engineering.
“We all have a broader responsibility to society: to protect the safety of the public, to act in an ethical and dependable manner, and to use our skills to enhance human welfare,” said Miller.
Miller’s teaching methods address the cutting edge developments in civil engineering so students can come to respect the contributions of engineering research and development and better incorporate new technologies and methodologies into their future work. Students are encouraged to develop their own critical thinking skills through a challenge to find mistakes in her calculations and better ways to solve a problem. Students have described feeling comfortable in the classroom knowing her approach is more flexible; they feel free to request that she do something differently and it is apparent that she treats their questions and answers respectfully while handling their mistakes as simply part of the educational process.
“I believe in treating students as junior members of our wider professional community,” said Miller. “This implies that I have a responsibility to my students to prepare them for the work they will be doing in their future careers, not only by teaching them a set of fundamental skills and competencies, but also by instilling in them a sense of professional ethics and pride, and a commitment to lifelong improvement.”
With the award, Miller proposes to purchase equipment for in-class demonstration and group learning of important fluid mechanics phenomena. This sort of equipment can be adapted to the specific focus and instructional level of the class, and has the potential to be shared across the college, wherever fluid mechanics is taught.
A recent recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER award, Miller received her doctorate from the University of California – Berkeley, and her master’s and bachelor’s from the University of Missouri – Rolla. She is a licensed professional engineer, and received the Dick and Joyce Birdwell Award for Teaching Excellence in 2013, and the Truman R. Jones Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award in 2011. She is a member of the American Geophysical Union, the American Society of Civil Engineers Environment and Water Resources Institute, and the National Ground Water Association. Her service to the university community includes serving as faculty affiliate to the Texas Center for Climate Studies Advisory Committee, and co-advisor to the American Water Resources Association Student Chapter.
The Montague-CTE Scholar award is named in honor of Kenneth Montague ’37, a distinguished alumnus and outstanding trustee of Texas A&M Foundation, who had a long and storied career in the Texas oil industry. Ken and Judy Montague endowed a generous gift in 1991 to benefit the future Ken Montagues, Aggies who are life-long learners and contributors to their communities.
The Montague-CTE Scholar award is given annually to a tenure-track faculty member, one selected from each college, based on their early ability and interest in teaching. Awardees receive a $6,500 grant to encourage further development of undergraduate teaching excellence. There are more than 150 Montague-CTE Scholars on the Texas A&M campus today.