Amit Joe Lopes
Assistant Professor, Master of Science in Systems Engineering
Amit Lopes came to ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ as a graduate student in 2001; armed with a B.E. in Production Engineering from the University of Mumbai in India, he went on to get an M.S. in Industrial Engineering in 2003 and a Ph.D. in Material Science and Engineering in 2010 at ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½. He joined the ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ faculty ranks as an Assistant Research Professor and since 2018, has been an Assistant Professor at the Department of Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering within ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½'s College of Engineering.
Dr. Lopes' areas of interest are Smart Manufacturing Industry 4.0; Quality in Additive Manufacturing; and Systems Engineering Applications.
The subjects he teaches:
- UNIV 1301 – Foundations of Engineering
- IE 3373 – Engineering Probability and Statistical Models
- SE 5344 – Integration, Verification, and Validation
On his passion for these subjects:
All courses I teach have a project-based learning component which greatly helps student engagement and learning. I've always had a passion (and curiosity) for how things are made, how data is analyzed for decision-making, and what motivates someone to learn something new. This curiosity is what led me to pursue academia with the goal of using the knowledge I gained to study and work with industry trends.
His proudest accomplishment and biggest challenge as an online instructor:
(My proudest accomplishment is) the moment a student realizes the benefits and end-to-end nature of systems thinking. (At that point) they truly appreciate the project-based aspect (of the courses) and the student engagement initiatives I encourage. My biggest challenge is the structured nature of online courses. Graduate students who work full-time benefit from having some flexibility with deadlines but we need to stick to a strict schedule with online programs. So some activities are affected when students are unable to comply with the schedule.
On what makes a successful online student:
A student who is successful online is
- Actively engaged with the course content
- Participates actively in semester projects and demonstrates good teamwork and communication
- Adheres to deadlines
- Leaves with a very good understanding of how they will apply concepts learned in the real world
His advice to his students:
- Stay on task on a weekly basis
- Manage your time very well
- Actively participate in team projects
- Care about your learning experience and communicate constantly about how it can be enhanced