Marquette engineering professor honored for teaching excellence
Dr. Christopher Foley, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Marquette University and an alumnus of the school, recently received the 2009 John P. Raynor, S.J., Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence, the university’s highest honor for teaching.
"Dr. Foley is the consummate teacher-scholar," said Opus Dean of Engineering Stan Jaskolski. "He is innovative and creative. He is not afraid to try new ideas. We call him a game-changer because that is what he is. His lectures are not just given, they are choreographed. His lecture notes are more like a textbook." Jaskolski noted that Foley has been honored three times as the outstanding teacher in the College of Engineering.
Foley received his bachelor’s degree from Marquette in 1986, his master’s degree in 1989 and completed his Ph.D. in 1996. He sits on the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Committee on Research and the institute’s Specification Task Committee on Connections, which writes the design specifications related to connections in steel buildings designed in the United States. He is chair of the Technical Committee on Optimal Structural Design for the American Society of Civil Engineers, Structural Engineering Institute.
Foley’s research interests include performance-based structural design, simulation of structural system response to damage, and in-service performance of civil infrastructure systems. He is currently conducting a three-phase research effort sponsored by the Wisconsin Highway Research Program that seeks to develop reliable predictive tools to establish inspection cycles and quantify the risk of fatigue-induced fracture in existing steel sign and signal support structures found throughout the transportation network. He also conducts research to understand how structural steel building systems respond to damage resulting from accident, construction error or terrorist attack.
"I cannot excel at what I do without an environment that is conducive for that to happen," said Foley. "My colleagues in the department and the college are a fantastic group of people and friends. They make my job not feel like a job."
Striving to instill in his students that learning is a life-long endeavor, one of Foley’s teaching priorities is to illustrate the direct connection between scholarly research in structural design/engineering and the classroom, as well as use modern technology to deliver information or to extend the boundaries of information delivery.
"I look at my courses as opportunities for students to try and learn new subjects," he said. "I enjoy watching my students take those opportunities, learn from them, and grow."
Experts on Topic
- Featured Videos
- All Videos
Rev. Douglas Leonhardt, S.J.
The meaning of a Catholic, Jesuit university
Christopher Miller, J.D., Ph.D.
Alcohol usage among college students
Wally Mason
The Haggerty Museum in Milwaukee
Dr. Abdur Chowdhury
Importance of ethics in the economic recovery
Online Experts Directory
Marquette experts can offer expertise and insights on hundreds of topics by helping you over the phone, sitting down for an interview or providing background to give a story more context.
Media Tools
- Online Experts Directory
- Media Policies & Resources
- Media Contacts
- Recent News Releases
- MarquetteU on
Facebook- YouTube
About Marquette
News Archives
