University of Wisconsin-Platteville Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Dr. Scott Melin comes from a family of educators. Growing up, Melin always had an interest in pursuing a teaching career at the college level.
“I believe in the inherent value of the pursuit of knowledge and education,” said Melin. “I enjoy the human side of the equation; working with students and helping them achieve the goals they have set for themselves is highly rewarding.”
Melin joined UW-Platteville in 2017 and encourages his students to take away these important concepts: a lifelong learning approach, growth mindset and professional skills.
“Engineering is all about continuous improvement. I hope our students internalize this notion that there is always room for change, growth and development,” he said. “Beyond the course curriculum itself, it’s important our students are given opportunities to develop key professional skills such as working as part of a team, communicating your work in an effective way and critical thinking.”
Outside of the classroom, Melin enjoys carpentry, biking and the outdoors. “I find joy in spending time with my family, exploring the outdoors and turning my toddlers into inquisitive miniature scientists,” he said.
Your research interests include energy systems, combustion diagnostics and engineering education. Are you currently working on any research projects?
My research over the past several semesters has been focused on a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning project in which I am studying the effect of service learning in the mechanical engineering classroom on students’ perceptions of civic engagement, their ability to adapt communication to different audiences and the importance of multidisciplinary teams.
I have also been working on publishing additional work in high-temperature laser diagnostics in collaboration with the Engine Research Center at UW-Madison.
How did your interest begin in mechanical engineering?
My interest in mechanical engineering started at a young age and was a mix of entrepreneurship and woodworking. Growing up, I was taught woodworking by my father and enjoyed designing and creating wood furniture. I was naturally curious about how machines worked and enjoyed the process of designing and building fun machines. Having a background in working with machines and building things from scratch made me want to work with larger equipment and processes. More physics, more design, more fun!
UW-Platteville turned to alternative delivery in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. How were you able to adapt your courses to make a smooth transition for your students?
Transforming a hands-on lab course into a remote learning format midway through the semester was a unique challenge. I was able to design individual Arduino lab kits for my students and rewrite labs in a way that allowed them to meet the learning objectives for the course from home. As we set out as a class in this transition, it was important that students had a space where they were comfortable providing input on how the course structure was meeting their needs and where additional support would be beneficial. I sought student feedback throughout the transition so I could hear from them as to which methods of instruction were most efficient and effective for their learning, and adjusted my content delivery accordingly. Eventually we settled on asynchronous lecture content with synchronous collaborative lab spaces online which met four times weekly as an optional venue to get support and maintain some human interaction.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
I have taught various levels of courses within the ME curriculum, from Applications of Electrical Engineering to mentoring senior design teams. With this set of courses, I’ve had the pleasure of following students’ development as they progress through their coursework. Watching students grow in both their understanding of ME curriculum and as confident young adults and leaders has been a pleasure. I love to hear back from alumni and learn how they’ve been contributing to their field and their communities.
What is one of your proudest accomplishments at UW-Platteville?
Taking part in the Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars program for the 2019-2020 academic year has been a fantastic opportunity to work in a community of talented peers in the UW system. We’ve been able to work together on similar types of projects, learn from each other and help move each other’s research forward in order to make a meaningful impact on campuses and communities across the state.