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A recent photo!

 

The cat’s name is Syn.

Shaw’s Home Page

You’ve found my SIUE home page… Congratulations, or condolences, depending on whether or not it is what you were looking for.  The site should be pretty self-explanatory.

If you’re a student, you might wonder, “Why do so many faculty web pages focus on research, teaching and service?”

The brief answer is that research, teaching, and service are the responsibility (i.e. job requirements) to be a faculty member.

You might also wonder “Why should faculty do all this other stuff?  They are supposed to teach students, not fritter away their time on other things!”

The teaching is very important.  In fact, the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences expects faculty members to spend most (i.e. 50-60%) of their time teaching.

The research and service components of a faculty member’s life are also important.  Speaking just for me, research serves several roles which support the teaching mission:

(1) It keeps me current, so I am able to teach topics of current importance to my students.
(2) It keeps me in touch, so I can provide guidance to my students about other graduate schools and programs.
(3) It allows me to seek funding, which provides opportunities for my students to learn about modern research methods, and prepares them for further study or for a job in industry.

Service also supports teaching.  In my own case, I have served on many committees and as a Faculty Senator.  My goal has been to provide input into the campus governance system so as to improve the environment for teaching.  I hope I have been successful, but time will tell.  Such activities are not always apparent to students, since they are supposed to happen behind the scenes.

Anyway, enjoy the site, and feel free to contact me with questions.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on these  pages are strictly those of the author. The contents of these pages have not been reviewed or approved by SIUE.

FYI:  I took all the photos myself and designed the diagrams.