I stumbled on this article in the NY Times "The Ultimate Distance Learning" (free registration required to view) about the establishment of University distance learning activities within the Second Life online community.
If you would like a copy of my lecture notes (on matrix algebra, indicial notation, vectors, tensors, vector calculus, groups, curvilinear coordinates and calculus of variations) they are available at
I am a PhD student at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. I obtained MS in Engineering Mechanics from the University of Nebraska Lincoln, where my thesis was focused on numerical simulation of elastic wave propagation in polycrystalline material, and Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical from Pune University, India. At present I am working with Dr. Joseph A. Turner in the Ultrasonics and Vibration group. My research is primarily focused on the ultrasonic wave propagation in heterogeneous media using statistical approaches. My research has both theoretical/numerical and experimental aspects for materials characterization and nondestructive testing purposes.
Hi my name is Karla Polivka. I am working part-time on my PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). What I mean by part-time is that I have been taking one class a semester for the last 5 semesters. I also received my Bachelors and Masters degrees in Mechanical Engineering from UNL.
Using concepts of hierarchical multi-scale modeling, we report development of a mesoscopic model for single wall carbon nanotubes with parameters completely derived from full atomistic simulations. The parameters in the mesoscopic model are fit to reproduce elastic, fracture and adhesion properties of carbon nanotubes, in this article demonstrated for (5,5) carbon nanotubes. The mesoscale model enables one to model the dynamics of systems with hundreds of ultra-long carbon nanotubes over time scales approaching microseconds.
I'm Xuanhe Zhao, a first year PhD student working in Suo's Group, at Harvard University. Prior to coming to Harvard, I obtained a Master Degree in Materials Engineering from University of British Columbia.
The courses I have taken in solid mechanics include Elasticity taught by Zhigang, Plasticity taught by Prof. J. Vlassak, and Solid Structure and Defect taught by Prof. F. Spaepen. Currently, I'm also in the class of Advanced Elasticity given by Zhigang.
My name is J. Alberto Ortega, and I am a PhD student in civil engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). My undergraduate education took place in Texas A&M University (I am a proud member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of 2002, WHOOP!), majoring in Structural Engineering. I recently obtained my Master of Science degree in Structures and Materials from MIT.
1. Introductory
Recently, there has been some active discussion on topics like:
-- Open-source textbooks
-- Comparing lecture notes
-- Unification of mechanics
-- Wikipedia and Citizendium
