Dr. Derek Breid's main goal in life is to defy expectations, including his own. What started out as an interest in the periodic table in high school chemistry somehow turned into a career focused on studying things like cuttlefish camouflage, how paint dries, and improving homework in engineering courses. He started at SVC the same year that the College introduced its four-year Engineering degree (2014), and his diverse background was immediately called upon, as the department had just two faculty members teaching the whole engineering curriculum at the time. Currently, Dr. Breid teaches thermal science and design-related courses, in addition to running the Engineering Capstone Design program. Other than grading student work, Dr. Breid enjoys playing disc golf and Ultimate Frisbee, singing in sacred music ensembles, drinking fancy teas, tracking the counties he's visited, trying new foods, and reading the entire internet.
Education
PhD, Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts MS, Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts BS, Chemical Engineering, University of Kansas
Courses
Learning Seminar Engineering Design and Lab Thermodynamics Soft Materials Heat and Mass Transfer Capstone Design I Capstone Design II
Research Interests
Responsive "smart" materials Wrinkling, folding, and other mechanical instabilities Soft robotic actuators Mechanics of biological materials Bio-inspired materials and structures Active learning in engineering education Effects of homework and assessment schemes on learning in engineering
