I am an associate professor in the Civil Engineering Department at UMD. I teach courses in fluid mechanics and water resources engineering. I conduct research related to water resources planning and management in water scarce regions. I use stakeholder modeling and game theory for creating management plans. I currently have research projects in the Central Valley of California and along the Rio Grande River. While my research isn’t in Minnesota, my teaching is impactful to the Iron Range and Minnesota. I am teaching students who will live and work in this region and they will have the skills and knowledge to be effective water resources engineers.
I grew up in Eureka, California in very Northern California surrounded by the giant coastal redwoods. I earned a bachelor’s degree from Humboldt State University (now CalPoly Humboldt) in Environmental Resources Engineering. I met my husband in Fluid Mechanics and we got married in 2003 and moved to Texas to attend graduate school at The University of Texas at Austin. After graduating with my PhD in 2009, we moved to New Zealand where I worked as a Post Doc. I was hired by UMD in 2011 and had never lived in snow before coming to Duluth. I love living in the Duluth because of all the outdoor activities and it is a very beautiful place. I love teaching at UMD because our students are hardworking and the University value the undergraduate education experience.
Education:
BS Environmental Resources Engineering - Humboldt State University, 2003
MSE Environmental & Water Resources Engineering - University of Texas at Austin, 2005
PhD Civil Engineering - University of Texas at Austin, 2009
Classes Taught at UMD:
CE 3221 Fluid Mechanics - Properties of fluids, fundamental of fluid flow including energy and momentum principles, applications to pipes and open channels, steady and unsteady flow, dimensional analysis, fluid measurement techniques, and pump performance.
CE 3225 Hydraulics & Hydrology - Introduction to hydrologic analysis including precipitation, infiltration, hydrology analysis, stream routing, groundwater, and well hydrology. Fundamentals of hydraulic analysis, types of flow hydraulic devices, pipe, and open channel flow, uniform and varied flow.
CE 4228 Watershed Engineering - Basic principles in hydrologic modeling and concepts of watershed delineation, land use change impact, case studies, and modeling tools are discussed and applied to natural and urban watersheds. The course will utilize hydraulic and hydrologic models and GIS tools for engineering design.Â
CE5201 Water Policy - Socio-cultural, legal, and economic factors that affect water resources management. historical trends in water policy, resulting water laws in the United States. Federal, state and local institutional structures for water management.
CE5226 Water Resources Engineering - Application of engineering economics, risk analysis, and operations research to the planning and management of water systems; major topics include flood control, hydroelectric power, water supply, multiobjective planning, sustainability and climate change.
Fun Facts:
I love to cook and travel. The last time I traveled outside the US was to Santiago Chile. Something interesting about me is I have been in two earthquakes over 7.1 magnitude – one in California and one in New Zealand. I am adventurous and willing to try many outdoor activities. I’m afraid of heights but I have gone skydiving, bungee jumping, and climbed Huayna Picchu at Macchu Picchu in Peru and I can say with certainty I do not need to try those activities again. My daughter is an alpine ski racer so we spend a lot of time at the various ski hills around the region. Â
Contact Dr. Becky Teasley
256 Swenson Civil Engineering
[email protected]
+1 218 726 6433