20 IN FOCUS Young Faculty Prof. Liem was one of the first hires in the University’s aerospace engineering program, joining the University in , and still teaches two courses that she created: Introduction to Aerospace Engineering and Aircra Design. While the aviation industry is facing its biggest challenge in decades due to the COVID- pandemic, Prof. Liem remains a firm advocate of careers in the sector with many options beyond the traditional jobs of pilots, maintenance and aircra engineers, including artificial intelligence and internet of things for aviation applications, financing, and aviation law. “I myself am working with industry and government to develop new methods and algorithms to improve overall air traffic efficiency by optimizing route coordination of arriving aircra , so the prospects are not that gloomy,” she said. “My personal experience has taught me that education means hope and a better future, and it can truly change one’s life” Noting in her acceptance speech at the UGC award ceremony that learning about aerospace engineering can never be easy, she stressed that it can be made enjoyable, even when difficult, through lively discussion related to real-world examples, such as air crash investigations, and case studies on amazing aircra designs. Another key element in the learning process, according to Prof. Liem, is the involvement of the students. One significant way she encourages this is to allow members of her courses to choose their own topics for term papers as part of the self-learning experience and to take ownership of their own learning journey, which she regards as “the best motivation a student can have”. “I have treated my students as partners since the very beginning,” she said. “It’s important that students feel they are acknowledged.” She also believes it is important to be a role model to girls interested in engineering. This was brought home to her following a talk she gave at the University of Indonesia in . A er the session, many students approached her saying they were hesitant about pursuing engineering because they kept being told it was not for women. “To them, seeing a female engineer talking about aircra design was an eye-opener. Well, their candid sharing was an eye-opener for me too,” she said. “I hope that other fellow female engineering faculty members and I can continue reaching out to girls whenever such opportunities arise.” Prof. Liem considers herself fortunate that neither her family nor her all-girls high school in her home country of Indonesia questioned her choice to study mechanical engineering, noting her father taught science to his daughters as well as his son when they were growing up. However, in her first job as an R&D engineer, she was the only female engineer working on a project in a team of more than . She recalled that one day, the manager had pulled her aside to ask: “ ‘Are you sure you can cope with this engineering work since you are a female? We’ve never had any female engineers before.’ My response was: ‘I have a mechanical engineering degree too, so how does being a Prof. Liem on the ight simulator at Cathay City. Receiving the UGC Teaching Award for early career faculty.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDk5Njg=