Edward Berger
Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
University of Virginia
Teaching with Technology Recipient
Dr. Edward Berger has been Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Virginia for the past three years. In his 12 years as a faculty member (starting at the University of Cincinnati in 1996, joining the University of Virginia in 2005), he has been recognized for both teaching excellence and research productivity as an expert in the nonlinear behaviors of mechanical joints and interfaces. He has been rewarded for exemplary teaching at the department, school, and University levels, including the 2002 Professor of the Year award from the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering, and one of several 2007 All-University Teaching Awards from the University of Virginia.
Dr. Berger has published nearly 30 peer-reviewed publications and presented widely on the topic of interface mechanics, including over $1million in research funded by the automobile industry, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Sandia National Laboratories, and the National Science Foundation (NSF). A recent NSF award focused on atomic force microscopy studies of the mechanics of living cells, including cell interactions and cell mechanical properties. This research effort included five undergraduate researchers over its four-year span, and resulted in three senior theses for University of Virginia graduates.
Dr. Berger has continually pushed the boundaries of technology for teaching, most recently focusing on “HigherEd 2.0”—the use of web 2.0 technologies such as podcasting, blogging, wikis, and so forth in support of higher education and learning outcomes. Web 2.0 technologies empower students to control their educational space like never before, by authoring, sharing, and evaluating educational materials together in a collaborative way. These interactions are all mediated by the same powerful technologies which pervade modern life: iTunes, blogging, and social networking applications. Dr. Berger currently leads a four-university collaboration, funded by NSF, on deploying HigherEd 2.0 and assessing learning outcomes in engineering education.
Dr. Berger’s passion for education and his drive to innovate using technology, are echoed by student comments: “His knowledge combined with his teaching approach is a formula that actually works for students”; “Prof. Berger truly understands how a student operates and structures his course to fit a student’s life”; “Professor Berger is an amazing teacher and his use of technology in and outside of class was also very helpful”; “By far the best teacher I have had…his innovative teaching methods are very helpful in presenting the difficult subject matter.” Dr. Berger holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University, and he and his wife have two sons, Jack (age 7) and Nick (age 4).
