Bala Vignesh Sundaram

Bala Vignesh Sundaram graduated this spring from the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University but is returning this fall as an assistant teaching professor.

Sundaram says that during his four years as a doctoral student in the engineering education systems and design program, the ASU community was amazingly supportive of his aspirations to be a great educator.

“I wanted to give back to the ASU community that made my dream come true,” he says.

Since childhood, Sundaram has been curious about how machines worked, leading to an interest in mechanical engineering.

“My father was an engineering professor and I liked how all the students admired, respected and smiled thankfully,” he says. “Those two things combined to spark my interest in teaching engineering courses, specifically the basics of engineering.”

Sundaram will primarily teach first- and second-year engineering courses.

“Students taking my class should be prepared for some fun, some excitement, some learning and a lot of communication,” he says. “They should be ready to learn how to give and receive critical feedback to peers and to me for all of us to grow and support each other in the world of engineering.”

Outside of the classroom, Sundaram is learning calligraphy as one way to calm himself and maintain his mental health.

He says he is excited to see how much he can use his knowledge as an engineering education researcher in the classroom to make the class more interesting and fun without hampering the quality of learning.

“The delight and excitement a student expresses once he, she or they understood a concept is magical to me,” Sundaram says, “and that magic is what is making me stay here as an educator.”

Meet the newest faculty members of the Fulton Schools of Engineering here.

Written by Erik Wirtanen