Teaching

Teaching philosophy

I have a passion for teaching and want to bring the same level of excellence to my teaching as I do my research. My teaching aims to create an engaging learning atmosphere, which infuses fundamental engineering principles with state-of-the-art scholarship and real-world experiences, to help students discover a passion for perpetual learning. The overarching goal of my career is to train the next generation of engineers and scientists to advance scientific understanding and improve decision-making within and design of water systems. To this end, I have taught courses ranging from engineering economics and systems analysis to hydrology and hydraulics to water resources engineering since becoming a faculty member. My current course offerings are listed below.

Current courses offered by Prof. Marston

Water Resources Planning

CEE 4344
In this course students learn the planning process and the institutional framework for water resources management. Criteria and procedures for evaluating management alternatives are examined, with emphasis on assessment of economic and environmental impacts. The planning process is evaluated through a systems lens, considering multiple scales of impact, equity among stakeholder outcomes, and environmental sustainability.

Water Resources Engineering

CEE 3314
This course introduces the fundamental concepts of water resources engineering, including analysis of surface water and groundwater systems, design of hydraulic structures, and planning of water distribution systems. This introduction course lays a foundation for more specialized water courses. Using laboratory experiments, demonstrations, and lectures, we cover topics such as hydrology, open-channel hydraulics, pipe flow, groundwater systems, and engineering design.

Sustainable Human-Water Systems

CEE 5984
This course examines the relationship between humans and water resources, with a focus on developing and implementing sustainable water management practices in agricultural settings. Throughout the course, students will learn about the various ways in which water is used and managed, including two-way feedback and dynamics between social (e.g., policy, regulation, institutions, economics, behavior) and environmental (e.g., groundwater, surface water, ecosystems) systems. Students will also explore the environmental, social, and economic impacts of different water management practices and the challenges of balancing the needs of society with those of the natural environment. This transdisciplinary course blends theory, empirical data, and modeling to explore topics such as water scarcity, groundwater governance and management, human behavior and institutions, and the evolution of cooperation, decision-making, and social dilemmas.

Hydrology

CEE 4304/5334
Students can enroll in the undergraduate (CEE 4304) or graduate (CEE 5334) version of this course. At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to describe, understand, and/or implement the following hydrologic concepts and principles: fundamental hydrologic processes (e.g., precipitation, ET, infiltration, routing, etc.), hydrologic measurements and data, water-balance concepts, watershed delineation, frequency analysis, detention basin design, and hydrologic modeling and simulation. The course will make extensive use of HEC-HMS, one of the most widely used hydrologic modeling software in use today. Students will be able to create, run, calibrate, and analyze basic HEC-HMS models at the completion of this course.