Professor Brian Argrow Helps
Students
Reach New Heights Through Active Learning
For Brian Argrow, being an
engineer is both about discovering what’s possible and having the
ability to make a difference. “I was 9 years old when I was watching
the moon landing, and I was so enthralled by space exploration and the
science involved in it. I still remember that more than just about
anything else I’ve ever seen,” he says.
Now a professor of aerospace
engineering and director of the Research and Engineering Center for
Unmanned Vehicles, Argrow continues to learn and investigate new
things, while leading students to find their own joy of discovery.
Argrow came to CU-Boulder after teaching for two years in Oklahoma.
“All the planets aligned,” he says about being recruited to join the
highly ranked aerospace department. “There is an emphasis on excellence
in both research and teaching here, and it’s growing throughout the
university.”
Over the last decade, Argrow
has contributed to the development of a quiet supersonic airplane and
conducted research on unmanned aerial vehicles, including leading students
in the design of a Tornado Chaser aircraft with the National Severe Storms
Laboratory. He also is a member of CU’s President’s Teaching Scholars
Program, which brings a select group of faculty together to discuss the
scholarship of teaching. As a faculty member with a passion for teaching,
he co-led an overhaul of the aerospace engineering curriculum to
incorporate a greater emphasis on active learning.
“We want our students to have
broad, interdisciplinary experience with a lot of hands-on projects,”
Argrow says. “We asked ourselves, ‘If we could do it right, how would we
do it?’ The students love it. It’s a tremendous amount of work, but they
actually ask for more.”
Looking toward the future,
Argrow feels strongly that ethics and global responsibility should be
emphasized throughout the curriculum. “As an engineer you may have to
deal with these kinds of issues,” he says. “You’re part of a global
community, and you have to be willing to say no to some things. There are
consequences for everything you do, especially as an engineer, and they
can be far reaching. There’s also a great ability to do good. You really
can make a difference.”
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