Spotlight on: Byungik Chang

"Every researcher needs time to take an idea and shape it, to test it and test it again, to try new approaches and to collaborate to infuse the project with new perspectives," says Byungik Chang, associate professor and graduate coordinator of civil engineering.

Dr. Chang – who was recently named a University Research Scholar – is focused on computer-aided aerodynamic parameter development. He and his team of student researchers are using software to simulate wind tunnel testing, measuring the fluid flow around a multi-sided cylinder. He will compare the software findings with actual wind tunnel results. "Because construction of wind tunnels can be costly, using simulated modeling can make wind studies more viable," Dr. Chang says.

"With the increased availability of computational power, the use of software becomes an avenue for studying fluid flow around objects," Dr. Chang explains. "The fluid flow over cylindrical bodies is a widely studied problem used to validate the accuracy and reliability of computational fluid dynamics software before working on more complex engineering problems."

Dr. Chang says being named a University Research Scholar has given him "seed money" and perhaps the best gift: "seed time," time to truly delve into wind engineering research and to collaborate with a network of student researchers. "I am very honored to be named a University Research Scholar," he says. "Every researcher needs time. Ideas take time."

Dean Ron Harichandran praised Dr. Chang’s drive and his efforts to encourage students to get involved in research projects – as he has been doing from the moment he arrived on campus in 2013.

Dr. Chang says he does so because "research in any field teaches you so much. Students learn patience. With research you have to go deep, and you have to try something over and over and this builds patience. You also learn independence and leadership, and these are important skills in every career. When you are out working in your field, you may be given instructions once, maybe twice, and then you figure out your way; so to succeed you have to be independent."

"I don’t care about the problems I can easily find answers to. I like to go after very challenging problems and work until I have those answers." Byungik Chang, Ph.D., P.E., M.B.A.

In addition to teaching and researching, Dr. Chang is one of four Tagliatela College of Engineering faculty members advising a team of engineering students who will take part in the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2020 Collegiate Wind Competition.

Dr. Chang is also busy directing the new master’s program in civil engineering. Launched with four students in 2017, it has quickly grown to 40 students and interest in the program continues to build. "Students want what our program can give them, hands-on experience to learn and develop the skills that industry needs," he says. "In my bridge design course, I use real bridge drawings for student projects, and they use industry bridge design software so they work on what they would be working on in the field."

Before arriving at the University of New Haven, Dr. Chang was an assistant professor in the School of Engineering and director of the Alternative Energy Institute at West Texas A & M University and worked as an engineer for the Arizona Department of Transportation. He received his M.B.A. from West Texas A&M University and his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in civil engineering from Iowa State University.

"I don’t care about the problems I can easily find answers to," he says. "I like to go after very challenging problems and work until I have those answers."