Construction science professor Choi named Montague Scholar

Early career excellence in undergraduate teaching has netted Kunhee Choi, assistant professor of construction science, recognition as a Texas A&M Center for Teaching Excellence [Montague Scholar] (http://cte.tamu.edu/content/montague-cte-scholars) .

Established in 1991, the award includes a $6,500 grant to encourage further development of teaching excellence.

Choi said that he demonstrates construction management theories and principles by using real-world projects in all his teaching materials and assignments.

“I also strive to strike a balance between practice and theory to give students a better chance to become either a practitioner or researcher,” he said.

Choi said he promotes two-way interactions with his students to engage them in class discussions and to help them discover the wonders of construction and project management.

“Maintaining an open-door policy to further communicate with students outside the classroom as a way to provide immediate help whenever they seek it is critical, whether it’s just a few minutes spent answering questions on a Sunday night, office hours, tutoring sessions, or casual conversations before and after class,” he said.

Choi said he plans to use the Montague funds to provide them with research opportunities that could heighten their interest in pursuing graduate degrees and to purchase equipment and software to aid his teaching.

The award is named in honor of Kenneth Montague '37, a distinguished alumnus and outstanding trustee of the Texas A&M Foundation, who had a long and storied career in the Texas oil industry.

A member of Texas A&M’s faculty since 2010, Choi is interested in transportation infrastructure construction and project management. His work investigates unique building challenges facing state transportation agencies and the business sector focusing on infrastructure modeling, optimization and information technology to improve the efficiency and sustainability of the U.S. transportation system.

Choi earned a Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering at the University of California-Berkeley in 2008, a [Master of Science in Construction Management] (http://cosc.arch.tamu.edu/graduate/) degree at Texas A&M in 2002 and a Bachelor in Architectural Engineering degree at Korea University in 1999.