Kathleen Issen

Education Background

Theoretical & Applied Mechanics Ph.D. - 2000 Northwestern University
Theoretical & Applied Mechanics M.S. - 1997 Northwestern University
General Engineering B.S. - 1983 University of Illinois

Courses Taught

• ES220 - Statics
• ES222 - Strength of Materials
• ES442/ES542 - Fundamentals of Research and Graduate Study

Teaching Interests

Licensure
Registered Professional Engineer in Illinois (License No. 062-044422)

Teaching
Dr. Issen's teaching interests include:

• Use of collaborative learning, peer instruction, active learning and open ended problem solving methodologies in undergraduate engineering courses.
• Assessment of the effectiveness of instructional methods in increasing students' understanding of fundamental concepts, including development of concept inventory tools.
• Investigation of the influence of student learning styles and different instructional methods on student performance.

Recent teaching and advising awards include: NAE Frontiers of Engineering Education (2009), Residence Hall Faculty Award (2009), Kristin Craig Memorial Faculty Recognition Award (2007), Student Association Outstanding Teaching Award (2006), University Outstanding Advisor Award (2005), University Outstanding New Teacher Award (2003), Coulter School of engineering Teaching Excellence (2002-2010), every semester except sabbatical leave). Dr. Issen also the advisor for the Society of Women Engineers, the founding chair of the Coulter School of engineering Undergraduate Research Committee and serves on the Clarkson University Honors Council.

Research Interests

Dr Issen’s research interests fall within the field of solid mechanics, and materials and include: 1) Constitutive modeling of natural and manufactured heterogeneous and/or anisotropic materials and 2) Investigation of bifurcation phenomena and instability problems. Research currently focuses on high porosity materials: sandstone, metal foam, honeycombs and cancellous bone. Theoretical, experimental and computational approaches are employed to develop a fundamental understanding of the deformation behaviors of each material individually and of porous materials in general. Current work includes characterization and modeling of the onset, interaction and propagation of localized and diffuse instabilities. Research goals are to: 1) establish connections between material micro/mesostructure and macrostructural behavior and express these connections in constitutive models; and 2) develop theoretical frameworks to model the instability behaviors observed in porous materials with diverse micro/mesostructures.

Awards

Recent teaching and advising awards include: NAE Frontiers of Engineering Education (2009), Residence Hall Faculty Award (2009), Kristin Craig Memorial Faculty Recognition Award (2007), Student Association Outstanding Teaching Award (2006), University Outstanding Advisor Award (2005), University Outstanding New Teacher Award (2003), Coulter School of engineering Teaching Excellence (2002-2010), every semester except sabbatical leave). Dr. Issen also the advisor for the Society of Women Engineers, the founding chair of the Coulter School of engineering Undergraduate Research Committee and serves on the Clarkson University Honors Council.

Publications

• M.D. Ingraham, C.J. DeMaria, K.A. Issen and D.J. Morrison, "Low Cycle Fatigue of Aluminum Foam," Materials Science & Engineering, A, doi: 10.1016/j.mesa.2008.10.045, pp. 150-156 (2009).
• K.A. Issen and V. Challa, "Influence of the Intermediate Principal Stress on the Strain Localization Mode in Porous Sandstone," Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 113, B02103, doi:10.1029/2005JB004008 (2008).
• D.J. Holcomb, J.W. Rudnicki, K.A. Issen and K. Sternlof, "Compaction Localization in the Earth and the Laboratory: State of the Research and Research Directions," Acta Geotechnica, Vol. 1 (1), pp. 1-15, DOI:10.1007/s11440-007-0027-y (2007).
• V. Challa and K.A. Issen, "Third Invariant Dependent Single Yield Surface Model and Localization Conditions for High Porosity Sandstone," in Bifurcations, Instabilities, Degradation in Geometrics, G.Exadktylos and I.G. Vardoulakis, Eds., Springer Special Publication, ISBN 978-3-540-49341-9 (2007).
• D.J. Werther, A.J. Howard, J.P. Ingraham and K.A. Issen, 'Characterization and Modeling of Strain Localization in Aluminum Foam Using Multiple Face Analysis," Scripta Materialia, Vol. 54, pp. 783-787 (2006).
• K.A. Issen and V. Challa, “Strain Localization Conditions in Porous Rock under Axisymmetric Loading,” in SP245 High Strain Zones: Structure and Physical Properties, D. Bruhn and L. Burlini, Eds., Geological Society of London Special Publications, ISBN 1-86239-178-5 (2005).
• K.A. Issen, T.P. Casey, D.M. Dixon, M.C. Richards and J.P. Ingraham, “Characterization and Modeling of Localized Compaction in Aluminum Foam,” Scripta Materialia, Vol. 52, pp. 911-915 (2005).
• V. Challa and K.A. Issen, “Conditions for Localized Compaction of Porous Granular Materials,” Journal of Engineering Mechanics, Vol. 130, No. 9 , pp. 1089-1097 (September 2004).
• K.A. Issen, “The Influence of Constitutive Models on Localization Conditions for Porous Rock,” Engineering Fracture Mechanics, Vol. 69 , pp. 1891-1906 (2002).
• K.A. Issen and J.W. Rudnicki, “Theory of Compaction Bands in Porous Rock,” Physics and Chemistry of Earth, Part A, Vol. 26 , pp. 95-100 (2001).
• K.A. Issen and J.W. Rudnicki, “Conditions for Compaction Bands in Porous Rock,” Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 105, No. B9 , pp. 21529-21536 (2000).