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Steven C. Chapra
Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Louis Berger Chair in Computing and Engineering
Education
Ph.D. University of Michigan
B.S., M.E., Manhattan College
Research Interests
Water Quality Modeling, Numerical Methods, Advanced
Computer Applications in Environmental Engineering
Read about my recent trip to South Africa where I
trained the next generation of water-quality and
water-management engineers to deal with their country's
intersecting issues of health, economy, and sustainability.
To learn a little about my background and teaching experience, please read
below and visit my other pages:
"I'm an environmental engineer and a professor in
the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Tufts University
outside Boston. I grew up in New York City and was educated at Manhattan
College and the University of Michigan. Aside from Tufts, I've worked for
the U.S. EPA, NOAA and Texas A&M University and the University of Colorado.
I was fortunate enough to spend the 1997 and 1998 school years in London at
Imperial College and the University of Reading.
I was originally drawn to environmental engineering because of my love of
the outdoors. I am an avid fly fisherman and hiker. My primary research
focus is surface water-quality modeling, and my primary professional goal is
to apply engineering, mathematics and computing to maintain a high quality
environment in a wise and cost-efficient fashion. I feel blessed to have
found a profession where I can meld my love of mathematics and science with
my passion for the natural environment. In addition, I get to share it with
others through my teaching and writing."
Steve Chapra teaches at Tufts University outside Boston, MA, where he holds
the Louis Berger Chair in Computing and Engineering. Dr. Chapra received
engineering degrees from Manhattan College and the University of Michigan. He
has authored five textbooks including Numerical Methods for Engineers,
which has been used at over 125 universities since it was first published in
1985.
Before joining the faculty at Tufts, Dr. Chapra worked for EPA, NOAA, Texas A&M
and the University of Colorado. He has also served as the Associate Director of
the Center for Advanced Decision Support in Water and Environmental Systems (CADSWES),
and has been a visiting professor at Duke University, the Imperial College of
Science, Technology and Medicine (London) and the University of Reading. His
general research interests focus on surface water-quality modeling and advanced
computer applications in environmental engineering. His research has been used
in a number of decision-making contexts including legislative testimony and the
1978 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. In addition, he was the 1993 recipient
of the ASCE's Rudolph Hering Medal for the outstanding paper in the field of
environmental engineering.
Aside from his activities in environmental engineering, he was awarded the 1987
Meriam-Wiley Distinguished Author Award by the American Society for Engineering
Education for his texts on computing and engineering. He has taught over 50
workshops on water-quality modeling in the United States, Mexico, Europe and
South America. He has also produced several educational videos including "An
Introduction to Water-Quality Modeling" for the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. In addition to his research, he is the first recipient of the AEESP
Wiley Award for Outstanding Contributions to Environmental Engineering and
Science Education, and has been recognized as the outstanding teacher among the
engineering faculties at both Texas A&M and the University of Colorado.
Dr. Chapra was originally drawn to environmental engineering because of his love
of the outdoors. He is an avid fly fisherman and hiker. His primary professional
goal is to apply engineering, mathematics and computing to maintain a high
quality environment in a wise and cost-efficient fashion.
Teaching Philosophy
Although I love research, the primary reason that I work at a university is
that I love to teach. I find my greatest satisfaction in turning on the
proverbial "light-bulb" above my students' heads. Their growth is my major
objective and reward.
When I first came to teaching, I thought that my raw enthusiasm and knowledge
would make me a good teacher. I soon learned, however, that it takes more than
these admittedly important factors. Consequently, my teaching philosophy is
based on 5 fundamental principles:
- Respect for students. Although it is not always easy, I try to
treat every student as if they were my sons and daughters. By this, I
certainly do not mean that I coddle them (as I tried to never coddle my own
son). Rather, I place their development and growth as my paramount
objective; and I respect them enough that I want them to leave stronger then
when they entered my course. That's what I've always desired for my son, and
I desire no less for my students. In some cases, this means that I'll be
caring and nurturing. At other times, I'll be tough and demanding. What
matters is that the end result is a more empowered individual. My
expectations are always high, because I ascribe to the dictum: "Aim high,
miss high; aim low, miss low."
- Organization and Professionalism. Although it's sometimes a tough
balancing act between research, service and all the other demands on
faculty, I strive to have my "teaching act" together each and every time I
meet a class. This means everything from getting graded work back in a
timely fashion to having a well-designed lecture planned for every class to
devising tests, assignments and projects that have sound pedagogical value.
It also means that I'm a stickler for ethical behavior. I want to exhibit a
professionalism in the way I approach teaching that, aside from the obvious
logistical benefits, provides a model of professional behavior for my
students; something they'll need to be successful in the "real world."
- Knowledge and Enthusiasm for the Subject. Life's too short to
spend on things we hate. I love and care about what I do, and I want
students to observe and hopefully share that passion. I try to bring that
enthusiasm into the classroom. Further, I continually update my
presentations from year to year, by bringing in new ideas from the
literature and my own research, as well as new problems and examples. In
particular, I try to bring my own professional experiences into the
classroom.
- Fairness in Evaluation. I'm not crazy about grades, as they can
distract from the true task of learning and growing. However, I also realize
that life does involve a certain amount of evaluation and healthy
competition. Therefore, I strive to ensure that my students are fairly
evaluated. First and foremost, I admit my mistakes and give students a forum
for appeal. I also try to give them lots of opportunities to prove their
mastery of the subject. When I was in school, I disliked courses that
posited the whole grade on a single exam. I discerned that this was
invariably a case of a lazy instructor, rather than the typical raison
d'etre that it provided a comprehensive test. On the other hand, I also
demand that student work be performed professionally (good presentation,
well-written, punctuality, etc.), and penalize students who do not meet my
clearly specified standards. I do this both to make my grader's life easier
(and thus, get graded work back in a timely fashion), as well as to provide
them with one more example of professional behavior.
- Rapport and Listening. Connecting with students is imperative.
For one thing, learning is an interactive, two-way process. If both sides
aren't actively pursuing a common goal of growth and learning, the
experience will be suboptimal at best; at the worst, it will be a waste of
both party's time. I attempt to get to know them by learning their names
during the first few weeks of the semester. I also have them write a short
biosketch where I have them write about their backgrounds, achievements,
goals and aspirations. I also try as much as possible to interject anecdotes
regarding my own development and career growth during my lectures. This
personal touch, along with a strong dose of humor, seems to open up most
students and help them perceive me in the role I love best--a coach and
facilitator; that is, an individual who will help them attain their maximum
potential.
Workshops and Short Courses
Over the past 12 years, I've conducted over 50 workshops and shortcourses
here in the United States and abroad. At first, I limited the presentations to
week-long courses at my university. In recent years, it has been more
cost-effective for the attendees to have me travel to a site where I would
conduct the course for a government agency, a firm or a professional
organization. Some of the courses are listed below:
- Water Quality Modeling of Lakes, Rivers and
Catchments, Imperial College, London, June 1998. In collaboration with Paul
Whitehead and Alan Howard of the University of Reading and Matthew Lees of
Imperial.
- Toxicant Modeling in Lakes and Reservoirs,
Workshop, NALMS 13th International Symposium, Seattle, WA, December 4, 1993.
- Stream Water-Quality Modeling with QUAL2E,
University of Sao Paulo, Brasil, June 20-24, 1994.
- Introduction to Water Quality Modeling,
USGS, National Training Center, Denver, CO, April 15-16, 1996.
- Modeling of Eutrophication in Impoundments,
University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil, July 29-August 2, 1996.
- Water-Quality Modeling of Lakes and
Reservoirs, Beginners Workshop, NALMS 16th International Symposium,
Minneapolis, Minn, November 13, 1996.
- Water-Quality Modeling Workshop for TMDLs,
Washington State Department of Ecology, Olympia,WA, June 25-28, 2001.
As you can see, the presentations range from general overviews to specific
topic areas and models. Lately, my book
Surface Water Quality
Modeling has been serving as my course notes. The book's coverage is broad
enough that it allows me to customize the course to the needs of the attendees.
For example, I've emphasized particular waterbodies (e.g., streams), pollutants
(e.g., nutrients) or models (e.g., QUAL2E) for specific audiences. At other
times, the sponsors have wanted a broad overview or introduction to the field.
Finally, I try to mix lectures with hands-on modeling. This usually means that
to be the most effective, the workshop site should have enough personal
computers (usually two people per machine is optimal) so that everybody has
hands-on experience to reinforce the lectures. I have a substantial library of
my own user-friendly water quality models that are distributed to course
participants. If you would like to discuss the possibility of my conducting a
workshop in conjunction with your organization, please e-mail me at
steven.chapra@tufts.edu. My fee is
negotiable, particularly if there's some quality fishing experience and
excellent local cuisine associated with my visit. And any courses in Alaska or
Hawaii get a special discount.
Textbooks
I have published several textbooks with
McGraw-Hill. Two have been co-authored with Ray Canale of the University of
Michigan. As described below, Numerical Methods for Engineers, 4th Edition
is the most recent.
 Numerical
Methods for Engineers, 4th Ed. (ISBN 0-07-561254-2). The fourth edition
of Numerical Methods for Engineers (McGraw-Hill) presents a comprehensive
exposition of numerical methods commonly used in engineering. The coverage
includes equation solving, optimization, curve fitting, numerical integration
and differentiation and the solution of both ordinary and partial differential
equations. The new edition features a shift in orientation toward more use of
software packages, specifically MATLAB and Excel with VBA. This includes
material on developing MATLAB m-files and VBA macros. In addition, the text has
been updated to reflect improvements in MATLAB and Excel since the last edition.
Also, many more, and more challenging problems are included. The expanded
breadth of engineering disciplines covered is especially evident in the
problems, which now cover such areas as biotechnology and biomedical
engineering. For more information contact McGraw-Hill or consult the book's home
page at:
http://www.mhhe.com/engcs/general/chapra4/
Surface- Water Quality
Modeling (ISBN 0-07-011364-5) represents a comprehensive overview of
transport-and-fate modeling of pollutants in natural surface waters The book
provides an introduction to modeling fundamentals (mass balance, kinetics,
transport, etc.) along with in-depth descriptions of how a variety of pollutants
(pathogens, oxygen-demanding organics, nutrients, toxics and heat) move and
react within a variety of water bodies (streams, lakes, and estuaries). I've
tried to write the book in a "student-friendly" lecture format that facilitates
self-learning. Each lecture contains numerous worked examples and homework
exercises. The text strives to balance traditional analytical models with more
recent computer-oriented approaches. Several lectures, as well as an appendix,
are devoted to numerical (that is, computer-oriented) modeling methods. Beyond
its strong computer orientation, several lectures include coverage of advanced
modeling topics such as protozoan (e.g., Giardia) pollution, and sediment
processes.
VBA/Excel Programming for Engineers and Scientists. This book is
currently in production at Prentice Hall. It provides an introduction to
VisualBasic for Applications, which is currently the macro language for
MicroSoft Windowsâ. The book focuses on the use of VBA with Excel to allow
engineers and scientists to develop custom user interfaces for numerically
oriented programs.
The book is scheduled for release in late Spring 2002. If you would like more
information or have suggestions on any of these texts, please contact me via
e-mail.
For a complete copy of Dr. Chapra's resumé, please
send him an email, and he will be
happy to send you an MS-Word or text file.
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