Patrick Atkinson

Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Patrick Atkinson PhD started at Kettering in 1998 and has focused on research in Bioengineering and Crash Safety.  Dr. Atkinson serves as a Thesis Advisor for topics in these areas to support projects in these specialty areas.

"One thing I have learned in the classroom is that variety is key to learning.  I try and achieve this through periods of lecture, student homework in class, and hands-on projects.  I know I have a limit to how long I can pay attention, and the students are no different.  Changing the lecture every 20-30 minutes helps keep things fresh.  Another aspect is taking breaks.  About 25-30 minutes into a 2-hour lecture, we take a 5-minute break to clear our heads and refresh.  After 1 hour, we take a 10-minute break.  I encourage the students to get up and walk during the break.  Research shows that people are more creative when walking because it frees up their minds to have new thoughts.  In addition, each step you take helps pump blood up to your heart from your legs, and you experience more blood flow to your brain.  In addition, if you had low energy coming into class, walking helps build you back up for the remainder of the lecture.  I find that most of our students look forward to our ‘walking breaks’; sometimes students from past years will stop me in the hallway and share how they take more walks and that it really does help their overall performance in the classroom."