Teaching

I was an Associate Research Professor in the School of Computing and Informatics at Arizona State University . This teaching page lists the courses I teach, the books I have written, and the students I have mentored.

CPI 200: Math Foundations of Informatics

This course provides a practical introduction to the mathematics necessary for studies in Informatics. In particular, students will develop the tools needed for interdisciplinary, user-based work in information and data management, modeling, geometric modeling, computer graphics, and visualization.

CPI 101: Introduction to Informatics

Google, YouTube, Blogs; It is obvious that we live in a data-centric world! People are getting rich by leading the way in capturing and packaging data in creative ways. Informatics is the study of how we collect, store, manipulate, retrieve, and visualize data. Not only is Informatics a key tool for popular web applications, but also for just about any other discipline: life sciences, social sciences, business, mathematics, and engineering. The real winners in this new world will be the ones that have the tools to transform data into information and then into knowledge. In fact, our ability to find answers to the most pressing problems of today, such as global warming and curing diseases, depends on our abilities to develop innovative methods in Informatics.

CPI 101 is part of the Certificate in Informatics offered by the School of Computing and Informatics at ASU. The School of Computing and Informatics at Arizona State University wants to provide education in Informatics to the general student population and the community. We have launched the Informatics Certificate, which is a 24 credit hour program that is designed to marry a student’s domain science (degree program) knowledge with studies in Informatics. Please see the Certificate's webpage for more information.

CSE 470: Introduction to Computer Graphics

The course is based on OpenGL, which gives the students the knowledge they need for an entry computer graphics programming job. However, we don't just learn the API, we lift up the hood and look inside. By the end of the semester, the students have a good idea of the elements of a renderer: geometry creation, geometry processing (normalization, clipping, hidden surface removal, shading), rasterization, and display.

CSE 477: Introduction to Computer Aided Geometric Design

See some of the fun things we do in CAGD: visit the Font Design Project student gallery!

Books

Teaching goes hand-in-hand with writing books. In both endeavors, the goal is to share my knowledge and passion for the subjects with the students/readers. I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to teach computer graphics and CAGD at ASU. It gives me a forum to improve my communication skills, and in turn, improve the texts that I have co-authored with Gerald Farin include the following.

Practical Linear Algebra -- The Geometry Toolbox is an excellent companion book for computer graphics. There really is quite a bit of math behind computer graphics, and a solid linear algebra understanding is essential. (I hope to one day teach a linear algebra/numerical methods class for non-math majors. If students could retain more from linear algebra, we wouldn't have to repeat the material in CG.) Practical Linear Algebra is a second edition of 'The Geometry Toolbox', but it was renamed to reflect the many topics added to make it suitable as a linear algebra text.

The Essentials of CAGD has proved to be on-target for undergraduate CS majors at ASU. The visual approach of the book appeals to the students, helps them retain key elements, and as a result, many students leave prepared for programming jobs in geometric modeling. Although Gerald Farin has written the seminal CAGD text, Curves and Surfaces for CAGD, its level of mathematics makes it is better suited for the graduate CAGD courses at ASU.

Mathematical Principles for Scientific Computing and Visualization is due out in August 2008. This text is intended for students and researchers in science-related areas, such as biology, geography, or psychology. Advanced math or computer science knowledge are not needed. Our goal is to create informed users of sophisticated software tools in these areas.

Mentoring

One of the benefits of being a part of the ASU community is the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students. Even in my limited educator-capacity at ASU, I have been fortunate to help a handful of students by serving on their committee, writing letters of recommendation, or simply listening to them.