4.33. Present Example 13.1 in Chapter 13 using the format
discussed in Section 4.3. Divide the example problem
into “Given,” “Find,” and “Solution” sections.
4.34. Present Example 13.6 in Chapter 13 using the format
discussed in Section 4.3. Divide the example problem
into “Given,” “Find,” and “Solution” sections.4.35. Present Example 13.9 in Chapter 13 using the format
discussed in Section 4.3. Divide the example problem
into “Given,” “Find,” and “Solution” sections.Problems 107
“Who has never tasted what is bitter does not know what is sweet.”
— German ProverbDr. Karen Chou
My parents and my older siblings left a vil-
lage in Gongchau (Canton), China for Hong
Kong, where I was born. We all lived there
until I was 14 years old, when my mother,
my two brothers and I immigrated to the
United States in 1970. My father passed
away in Hong Kong shortly after, so I was
raised by a single parent in the land of opportunity. I was
the first in my family to ever attend college and the only
one to attain a Ph.D.
Choosing engineering as my career was an accident,
but it’s a decision I have never regretted. When I applied to
college, my interest was in mathematics, and my high school
homeroom teacher suggested that I consider civil engineer-
ing. At that time I had no idea what civil engineering was,
beyond building bridges! I promised my teacher I’d con-
sider that option and selected Tufts University which had
engineering programs, just in case. During freshman ori-
entation, a professor from the engineering college informed
us of the option of a double major in engineering and math-
ematics. That sealed my decision – I thought if I couldn’t
make it in engineering, I could always fall back on mathe-
matics. After receiving a B.S.C.E. with dual majors in 1978,
I went on to graduate school in structural engineering at
Northwestern University, completing my M.S. program in- I then decided to enter the workforce to obtain some
engineering experience before I pursued my Ph.D.
Educated in structural engineering with the traditional
topics of concrete and steel design of buildings, my first
full-time engineering position was as a structural engineer
at Harza Engineering in Chicago. I worked with engineers,
most of whom had advanced structural engineering degrees
in designing structures associated with hydropower plants
such as spillways, powerhouse, intakes, double curvature
arch dams, gravity dam, piers supporting gates, etc. It was
a good learning experience, since we were rarely taught
about any of these structures in school. I didn’t just learn
how to design; I had to learn a whole new vocabulary –
components of hydropower projects. At times, I was con-
cerned about my inadequate preparation to be a structural
engineer, but my section head told me that as long as I
understood the fundamental concepts of engineering
mechanics and design, I would be fine.
While I was working full time as an engineer, I
returned to the classroom part time and eventually full time,
and received a Ph.D. in structural engineering in 1983. But
instead of returning to practicing engineering, I pursued a
career in academia. Over the past 25 years, I have taught at
Syracuse University, the University of Tennessee at
Knoxville, and Minnesota State University, Mankato (start-
ing a brand new civil engineering program), as well as being
visiting and adjunct professor at the University of Min-
nesota. The experience at each university was different in
teaching, research, and interaction with students, but the
reward of seeing students succeed is always tremendous.
Over the past few years, I have also fulfilled my desire to
gain additional practical engineering experience, and bring
that into the classroom; I am a registered professional engi-
neer in seven states. However, at the age of 54, I wanted to
be a registered structural engineer as well, so I studied toProfessional Profile
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