The Visiting Professor
Visiting Assistant Professor, Construction Management
FROM: Chennai, India
BE: Civil Engineering, Easwari Engineering College
MS: Civil Engineering, emphasis Construction Management, University of Kansas
PH. D: Civil Engineering, Arizona State University
RECENT ACTIVITIES:
Teaching: Construction Surveying, Construction Planning and Scheduling, and Principles of Project Management.
Researching: Introducing laser scanning technology into construction education, using text analytics to understand the key skills required for student from the industry job description, infrastructure data analytics, & energy modeling and transportation sustainability.
Exploring Springfield: “My favorite place to eat is Rama Thai… my favorite place for burgers is Black Sheep.”
In his free time: Reading, racket ball, volleyball, cricket, listening to music, and going to the gym.
BACKGROUND:
The initial experience that sparked Dr. Naganathan’s interest goes back to when he was in 12thgrade. Walking to school every day he would pass a construction job site, observing that process fascinated him. This took him along a journey that led him to working at Terra Space in India, then interning in Arizona both at Protex PT Experts and Central Arizona Project.
It led him to being a research and teaching associate at Arizona State University. It was here that he realized he enjoyed teaching and the freedom to research and explore that came with it.
THOUGHTS ON SPRINGFIELD AND MSU:
Dr. Naganathan finds Springfield interesting, “People are more respectful and nicer, people are really helpful…they don’t have a second thought about helping you.” Something that he misses from other cities is the Indian cuisine and his friends. His thoughts about MSU, “Faculties are really helpful, students are respectful, dining options are awesome, and campus looks amazing.” His overall thoughts about locating to Springfield, “I think I am gaining more than I am missing.”
TEACHING STYLE AND ADVICE TO GRADUATES:
“I’m still experimenting with new and different things. As a first-time instructor, I am always trying to find what works best for students in the classroom. Currently, I try to work as many problems as possible with students, but I am curious how I can integrate other techniques and tools, like infographics and images with information embedded, into my teaching.” He is hoping that students can view the graphics and grasp the information instead of flipping through endless slides. “I was a student, and I know what is boring and what is not.” Dr. Naganathan believes his students can be successful through participation and interaction both inside the classroom and outside. “The more you share your knowledge, the more you learn,” he encourages his students to share their industrial experiences as it benefits everyone.
Valuable lesson Dr. Naganathan would like to impart, “Stay strong and stay positive! Being positive changed many things in my life. Stop worrying and brooding over something for too long. When negativity surrounds your life, don’t dig deeper and be more negative. Look at the positive side and focus on those positives. Then move on.” Some great advice he would like to leave you with, “Don’t be afraid of challenges, face the mistakes, rectify them and be more successful next time.”