Outstanding Educator Award

Associate Professor CHENG Li

PhD, MS, B Eng (Tsinghua University)
Department of Mechanical Engineering

“ I attempt to create excitement and wonder of engineering through real-life examples and participatory learning. ”

Current Teaching Portfolio
  • Fracture Mechanics;
  • Mechanics of Materials.

Teaching Achievements
  • contributed to the quality and standing of NUS graduate education in engineering with the initiation and development of cutting-edge PhD level programmes such as a module in fracture mechanics;
  • increased the competitive edge of NUS undergraduate education in engineering by introducing into the first-year programme new knowledge such as a foundation module in Mechanics of Materials and concepts and applications of thin film.

Teaching Strengths
  • possesses infectious enthusiasm and passion for the subjects she teaches;
  • brings to her lectures a sense of excitement and wonder through the creative use of animated visual aids, IT tools, case studies and live demonstrations;
  • practices teaching methodology based on learning through discovery;
  • fosters life-long learning by relating engineering principles to the real world;
  • successfully integrates teaching with research by injecting her research findings to her course materials to make them vital and relevant.

Publication Credits
  • author of Mechanics of Materials: A Course Companion, McGraw Hill, Oct 2004;
  • translator of Mechanical Metallurgy: Principles and Applications by Marc A. Meyers and Krishan K Chawla into Chinese. Chinese National Press of Higher Education, 1992;
  • papers published in prestigious international journals including Journal Mechanics and Physics of Solids, International Journal of Solids and Structures, International Journal of Fracture, and Acta Materialia.

International Standing
  • reviewer for international journals such as International Journal of Fracture, Engineering Fracture Mechanics, and International Journal of Solids and Structures ; textbook reviewer for McGraw-Hill;
  • Visiting Associate Professor, Brown University, 1991-1996.

Awards and Accolades
  • Engineering Educator Award 2003/2004;
  • NUS Excellent Teachers' Awards 2002/2003;
NUS Excellent Teachers' Awards 2001/2002;
  • Outstanding Educator Award 1999/2000;
  • Innovative Teaching Award, NUS Faculty of Engineering, 1998/1999;
  • NUS University Teaching Excellence Award, 1998/1999.

Teaching Aspiration
to help students see the beauty as well as generality of the principles of mechanics by applying them to areas as diverse as geophysics and microelectronics.