For Dr Shasha Wang, engineering began long before university classrooms, laboratories or research papers. It started at a construction site, watching her grandfather and relatives build the house where she would grow up.
She remembers seeing the structure take shape “brick by brick, layer by layer”, while her grandfather worked across traditional Chinese timber construction, brick houses and reinforced-concrete buildings. The experience left her with a simple question: what if she could one day build houses too?
Her early curiosity gave her direction in pursuing a career in civil engineering, structural engineering research, and teaching. Today, Dr Wang is an On-campus Lecturer in Civil Engineering at the Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT) in Melbourne, where she brings research and practical learning together with a belief that students should understand not only what they are doing, but why.
From Building Curiosity to Engineering Research
Dr Wang holds a PhD in Civil Engineering, specializing in structural engineering, from the National University of Singapore. Before joining EIT, she worked as a research fellow there and as a sessional lecturer at Victoria University.
Her research has focused on cement-based materials and concrete structures under impact loading. Her published work includes studies into high-performance fibre-reinforced cement composites under high-velocity projectile impact, strain-hardening cement composites at high strain rates, and the compressive strength of high-strength concrete.
For Dr Wang, research and teaching are closely connected.
“Research keeps me curious and up to date, while teaching gives me the opportunity to bring that knowledge and way of thinking into the classroom,” she explains.
Rather than presenting engineering knowledge as fixed, she wants students to see a discipline shaped by continual learning, questioning, testing and improvement.
Making Engineering Real
A central part of Dr Wang’s teaching philosophy is helping students connect theory with practice.
She uses demonstrations, laboratory activities, practical assessments, real-world examples, industry guest lectures, equipment training and site visits to show how classroom concepts translate into engineering work.
“Getting your hands dirty, so to speak, is a very important part of learning engineering,” she says.
One experience she particularly values is seeing EIT students work together in the civil engineering laboratory at the Melbourne Campus, producing concrete samples using procedures like those used on construction sites or in industry quality-assurance laboratories.
Students measure materials, follow procedures, work collaboratively and observe how calculations and theory translate into a physical result.
“For me, this is when engineering starts to become real,” Dr Wang says.
Instead of only learning about concrete from a textbook, students make it, test it, observe what happens and learn from the results. That applied mindset is also reflected across EIT’s civil engineering offering, including the Bachelor of Science (Civil and Structural Engineering) and Master of Engineering (Civil: Structural) programs.
Teaching Students to Think Independently
For Dr Wang, the most rewarding part of teaching is not simply seeing students arrive at the correct answer. It is seeing how their thinking changes.
She describes a progression from asking, “What is the right answer?” to “Why is this the right approach?” before students become confident enough to solve problems independently.
That confidence, she believes, also depends on understanding students as individuals. Different backgrounds, strengths and challenges require different forms of support.
Her emphasis on independent thinking extends to engineering standards and specifications. Dr Wang encourages students not to follow them mechanically, but to understand the principles behind them.
The classroom becomes an early form of engineering practice, where students develop the judgement and problem-solving habits they will later use in industry.
Preparing for an Engineering Profession in Motion
Digitalization, automation, advanced materials, data-driven technologies and artificial intelligence are transforming how engineering professionals work, while the need for more sustainable and resilient infrastructure continues to create new challenges.
Dr Wang believes students should expect the tools they use to evolve throughout their careers. What remains essential are strong engineering fundamentals, critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, teamwork and adaptability.
Most of all, she stresses lifelong learning.
“Lifelong learning is not an option in engineering. It is a necessity.”
That message reflects both Dr Wang’s own path and the wider learning culture she contributes to at EIT. Across laboratories, classrooms, research and industry engagement, the aim is not only to teach what engineers know today, but to prepare students to keep learning as the profession changes.
Her advice to those beginning their engineering journey is fittingly simple: stay curious.
For Dr Wang, good engineering starts with asking why, understanding the principles behind a decision, learning from mistakes and remembering that engineering is ultimately about people. Technical knowledge matters, but so does communication, collaboration, ethics and professional responsibility.
It is an approach that reaches beyond any single classroom and reflects the kind of engineering community EIT continues to build: practical, curious, responsible and always willing to learn.
This article was published September 29th, 2026 and the content is current as at the date of publication.
