junior faculty spotlight: leon bellan
each month, the cft newsletter highlights the work of our junior faculty teaching fellows. this month, leon bellan, mechanical engineering, talks about his teaching philosophy and interests.
my research focuses on developing scalable fabrication techniques for making microfluidic materials with unique properties. we use these microfluidic materials for biomedical, structural, and energy related applications, keeping in mind that the processes involved should be easily translated to large-scale manufacturing lines. a major focus of the lab is to develop non-traditional fabrication techniques that are well suited for patterning microfluidic cell-laden biomaterials for regenerative medicine applications. additionally, we are developing technologies that leverage thermoresponsive polymers for transient circuitry, forming devices that function in warm aqueous environments but irreversibly disintegrate when cooled.
i teach a mechanical engineering module for the es140 introduction to engineering course in the fall, and the sophomore level me2171 instrumentation lab in the spring. my teaching approach places a strong emphasis on hands-on learning, and developing practical troubleshooting skills.
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