Teaching: "Always Check Your Results!"
Bruce Finlayson - University of Washington, Seattle, WA
During the 21st century, modeling has unquestionably played a major role in engineering. This modeling has transformed the old methods that prototype engineers once used in design, research, and development into modeling based on finite element, finite volume, and finite difference analyses.
Once the exclusive domain of skilled researchers in numerical science, these advanced modeling methods are now available for all levels of engineers through ready-to-use software packages.
As a result of this software, the focus on modeling has shifted from solving the problems to evaluating the solutions obtained from analysis. The most important message that Professor Finlayson conveys to his students about modeling can be summarized in one sentence: "Always check your results." Professor Finlayson has achieved remarkable results with this approach.