J O S E P H.  L.  P A L L A D I N O.

The following feature story appeared in the campus publication Mosaic in March, 2000.

Seeing Aerodynamics at Work and Learning How to Fly

In the popular course "Principles of Flight," students of Associate Professor of Engineering Joseph L. Palladino explore humanity’s centuries-old desire to fly. They study Leonardo da Vinci’s obsession with machines with flapping wings, Giovanni Borelli’s identification of the mechanical differences between birds and humans, and Wilbur and Orville Wright’s first successful manned flight at Kitty Hawk. But, more importantly, they perform hands-on testing in a state-of-the-art subsonic wind tunnel. They examine the forces that enable planes to fly, and they design and build computer-generated models of planes that soar to life on a large screen in the classroom.

"I learn best by visualizing things and by example," Palladino explains. "My teaching has shown me that it’s also true for students. In the classroom, we can’t, of course, fly planes. But we can do model testing in the wind tunnel and, using Microsoft’s flight simulator program, we can also build and fly our own planes. We’re not just talking about aerodynamics; we’re doing computations, building models, and measuring the forces involved in aerodynamics."

Palladino’s "seeing is believing" pedagogical approach isn’t confined to the classroom and lab. He has taken students on field trips to the Bradley Air Museum in Windsor Locks to see and discuss planes and engines. And in 1996, he invited to campus a former classmate from graduate school, an astronaut who served on the space shuttle Endeavor, to show images from space and explain the challenges of applying engineering and science to space flight.

An enduring interest in science

A member of the faculty since 1989 and chair of the department, Palladino teaches courses in mechanical engineering, fluid mechanics, and design methods. Through the Biomedical Engineering Alliance for Connecticut (BEACON) – a collaborative arrangement among Trinity, the University of Connecticut, the University of Connecticut Health Center, the University of Hartford, and medical institutions in the region – he also teaches courses in biomedical engineering and cardiovascular dynamics.

A native of New York, Palladino has always been interested in math and science. As a fifth grader, he constructed a three-transistor shortwave radio that picked up a broadcast from Moscow. It wasn’t long before his interest in science expanded to chemistry and spawned his thought of becoming a physician. While an undergraduate student at Boston University, he worked as an emergency medical technician and observed the care administered to emergency and trauma cases. Rather than pursing the clinical aspects of medicine, he opted for the scientific approach offered by biomedical engineering. He earned his master’s in bioengineering and doctorate in engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

In his research, Palladino focuses on the dynamics of the cardiovascular system, working in collaboration with faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, Roskilde University in Denmark, and Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. His most recent scholarship includes a chapter on biomechanics in a book published this year and entitled Introduction to Biomedical Engineering (co-edited by Vernon Roosa Professor of Engineering Joseph D. Bronzino) and a chapter on modeling strategies in physiology that will be published in the forthcoming Biomedical Handbook, edited by Bronzino.

An excellent teacher-scholar

According to Bronzino, "Professor Palladino is an excellent example of the teacher-scholar model for faculty development at Trinity. He is an excellent teacher, reaching not only students interested in science and engineering but also students from the arts and humanities in his general college courses on ‘Principles of Flight’ and ‘Introduction to Engineering.’"

Bronzino lauds the significant research his colleague is doing in the modeling of cardiovascular dynamics, research that is published in leading biomedical engineering journals and texts. Bronzino also praises the way he integrates that advanced research in his classes. "Professor Palladino has a keen interest in the education of engineers in a liberal arts environment and is very committed to ensuring that Trinity students are prepared for the world of the 21^st century upon graduation," Bronzino adds.

An enthusiastic teacher

Palladino’s students clearly respond to his teaching approach. Kelly Feller ’01, a biomedical engineering major who is currently taking a course in fluid mechanics with Palladino, says that Palladino is good at showing students how the theories they are learning can be applied in the real world. For example, during midsession, Feller and her classmates built a device that measures the density of fluids. The exercise was designed to teach students how to be resourceful by calling upon their ingenuity and their mechanical, electrical, and computer expertise. "The project really allowed me to see the big picture," Feller notes.

Individualized Degree Program (IDP) student and engineering major Ismail Lasic ’00 took "Fluid Mechanics" with Palladino and is currently serving as the teaching assistant for the same class. "Professor Palladino will give you hints, but he won’t solve the entire problem for you," Lasic says. "By teaching in this way, he’s giving us the necessary skills we’ll need in the real world. By my standards, he’s the perfect teacher."

Says Abigail Day ’00, an engineering and educational studies double major, "Professor Palladino is very enthusiastic about what he’s teaching. He’s also very demanding. He expects a lot because he knows we can do it."

Palladino believes that his approach to teaching helps motivate his students to focus on and develop their skills of analysis and experimentation and, in turn, to build the confidence they will need in their professional lives once they leave Trinity. "Engineering requires us to perform experiments to confirm or refine our concepts," Palladino says. "But that requires a lot of courage, because we could be wrong at any step of the game."

-Suzanne Zack