Teaching
Dr. Mueller teaches primarily in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, with some courses offered through the Department of Marine & Environmental Sciences. Regardless of the home department, courses tackle complex issues using a mix of science and engineering tools as well as skills from different engineering disciplines. Courses are centered in the global context – of economy, environment, human health, and policy/regulations – to tie course concepts to current issues and the big unanswered questions today’s students will be facing when they graduate. In particular, Dr. Mueller promotes courses incorporating open-ended projects and engineering design, where students both have an opportunity to drive the subject matter and a motivation to dig deep to find unique solutions to the challenges closest to their own visions and philosophies.
Course list: CIVE 3430 – Engineering Microbiology and Ecology, CIVE – 7250 – Environmental Chemistry, CIVE 5300 – Environmental Sampling and Analysis, EEMB 3455 – Ecosystems Ecology
Undergraduates are also encouraged to learn-by-doing through internships and research projects in the Lab, focused on chemical analyses, electronics, computer programming, mechanical design, or helping with field work. Undergraduate students at Northeastern are encouraged to contact Dr. Mueller if they have interest in developing a project targeting environmental issues or needing a novel sensor solution!
Outreach
Communicating results to the public is a critical responsibility for scientists, and responsible stewardship of the natural environment is a key goal for environmental engineers. We love to share what we learn with individuals of all ages, from pre-K to retirement! You can find us at the annual Marine Science Center Open House (usually in early October), the Northeastern College of Engineering Building Bridges events for Boston-based high schoolers (twice annually, in December and late spring), and a range of other community meetings and forums.