Dr. Elvin Beach Joins Faculty Roster of Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Dr. Elvin Beach has been hired by the department as an Associate Professor of Practice in Materials Science and Engineering and will begin his appointment this semester. Elvin received his BS in Metallurgical Engineering and MS in Materials Science and Engineering from Michigan Technological University and a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from The Ohio State University, working with Dr. Patricia Morris as his PhD advisor. Dr. Beach has also acquired extensive industrial experience at Dow Chemical, Owens-Corning, Battelle Memorial Institute, and Worthington Industries.  Elvin is an associate editor for The Journal of Materials Engineering & Performance and Metallography, Microstructure, and Analysis.
 
Elvin will coordinate laboratory staff support; ensure lab equipment is updated; and develop, implement, and enforce safety guidelines and procedures. He will be leading new initiatives in laboratory instruction and class demonstrations, training TAs who can support teaching of the labs, developing and implementing hands-on testing and characterization of materials, and coordinating undergraduate student employees to support the educational programs of the department. Maintaining scholarships in engineering education and outreach activities are also part of Dr. Beach’s role in addition to overseeing the development and teaching of undergraduate course content.

When asked how his experience as a PhD student at Ohio State prepared him for this role, Elvin lightheartedly admits that he isn't sure he is ready for this role but is grateful for the opportunity and expects to learn quickly so he can begin making contributions. Dr. Beach taught undergraduate courses, undergraduate labs, and graduate labs as a graduate student at Ohio State. 

I thoroughly enjoyed teaching, especially in the TEM lab where I saw students' skills and confidence develop. The other thing my time at Ohio State helped me with was having the opportunity to work with a lot of different research groups both inside and outside MSE. These opportunities allowed me to learn and see things from many different perspectives.

A course in Teaching Engineering with Dr. Robert Gustafson during his second year in graduate school at Ohio State helped Elvin better understand the students’ perspective and varying learning styles, which led him to incorporate visual, audio, and hands-on instruction.

Dr. Beach looks forward to working with students in a hands-on/lab/experimental class setting and expects the same sentiments as young engineers develop their craft.

I really enjoy teaching how to do laboratory work and to work through problems and failures that inevitably arise. The most rewarding part of my former position was watching people grow and become confident in their lab work and results interpretations. I expect to find the same joy at Ohio State. I’m also looking forward to learning a lot from everyone. The staff, faculty, and students have a wealth of knowledge, and I look forward to learning from everyone’s unique experiences and ideas.

Thank you to David Phillips, WE undergraduate studies chair, for leading the search for this position.

The department also welcomed assistant professors Jingua Li, Enam Chowdhury, and Eric Schindelholz in the Autumn 2019 semester. Read about their roles here.