Mechanical engineering professor to innovate undergrad labs

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Siu Ling “Pansy” Leung has joined the Penn State Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME) as the director of undergraduate laboratories and assistant teaching professor of mechanical engineering.

In her new position, Leung plans to enhance the lab experience for all mechanical engineering undergrads, enriching their experience and skillset. Previously serving as an undergraduate program coordinator in biomedical engineering at Penn State, she brings a wealth of experience she plans to apply to ME’s labs.

“I’m excited to re-think the way we’re teaching lab courses,” she said. “We don’t want it to be just instruction, but provide practical training in how to solve problems independently.”

With a focus on empowering problem solving instead of answering questions, Leung says her philosophy as a professor is to provide guidance, not answers. “I’m happy when students ask me, ‘This is what I’m planning to do, is this correct?’ That’s how students learn best.”

With degrees from the University of Arizona and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Leung also completed a post-doctoral position at the University of Arizona. “My experience has ranged from biomedical to mechanical, working on an artificial heart there,” she said.

As Leung joins ME, she hopes to make a lasting impact on the undergraduate labs. “I want to use this platform to change the ways students learn,” she said. “For their future careers, no matter where they go, they will need to know how to problem solve and that is what I hope the labs will help teach them.”