Change your point of view
This seminar will focus on pedagogies of engagement that might help engineering students to change the way they conceptualize energy conversion systems and our relationship with energy. Pedagogies of engagement are crucial for fostering active learning, critical thinking, and a deep understanding of the complexities surrounding energy. By combining such pedagogies with a reimagined energy relationship, universities can produce graduates who are not only technically skilled but also environmentally conscious, socially responsible, and capable of driving positive change in the energy sector.
Bio: Leon Liebenberg is a Teaching Professor at NPRE. He is also a faculty fellow of the UIUC’s Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, a faculty affiliate of the Siebel Center for Design, and an affiliate of the Center for Global Studies. Leon’s university research has focused on development of industrial energy-efficient technologies, cancer therapies using energy restriction methods, and developing novel pedagogies of engagement in engineering education. Leon’s published work enjoys an h-index of 30.
At the UIUC Leon founded the strategic instructional innovations program called ENGINE (ENgaGement In eNgineering Education) where he collaborates with 20 faculty and graduates from various disciplines. In 2021, he co-founded the Reimagine our Future sustainability competition for UIUC undergraduates. The 2023-competition is a fully-fledged international competition.
Leon teaches a variety of subjects, including Energy Conversion Systems, Energy and Sustainability, Heat Transfer, Advanced Heat and Mass Transfer, Thermodynamics, Fluid Dynamics, Automatic Control Systems, Design for Manufacturability, Mechanical Design, Statics, Dynamics, Aerodynamics, Aeronautics, and Innovation. Leon won the Rose Award for Teaching Excellence in 2021, two Two-Year Alumni Teaching Awards (2022, 2023), and several Outstanding Advisor Awards. He has been voted onto the Teachers Ranked as Excellent by their Students list 12 times since beginning lecturing at UIUC in 2018.
Leon has authored a textbook on energy systems which Wiley will publish in March 2024. The book features some of the pedagogies of engagement which Leon also employs in his classes.
Leon Liebenberg holds a diploma in advanced mechanical engineering from the University of London, a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Imperial College London, and bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Johannesburg.
