Each week, the College of Engineering features an outstanding member of the engineering community to be part of our spotlight campaign. This week, we are highlighting Wil Tsai, associate professor and program coordinator of mechanical engineering, and interim chair of the Engineering Technology Department at Cal Maritime.
What brought you to Cal Maritime?
My brother is a 2012 mechanical engineering graduate from Cal Maritime. The following year, I was looking for an opportunity in the Bay Area and applied for a faculty position at Cal Maritime. I knew that this was a small institution with an emphasis on undergraduate education. I also knew how transformational the education at Cal Maritime was and saw this as a worthwhile pursuit. In my 12 years here, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to mentor and educate amazing students, collaborate with wonderful staff and faculty, and continue my own learning and growth.
What is your background and the path that led you to your role at Cal Poly Maritime Academy?
I was born and raised in Los Angeles and am a product of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Growing up, I was always interested in aircraft and remember my days running through the terminals of LAX. After high school, I attended the University of California, Berkeley, where I earned my bachelor’s (2003), master’s (2006) and Ph.D. (2009) in mechanical engineering. In graduate school, my research was in experimental fluid mechanics. Upon graduating, I worked for three years at the Aerospace Corp. in El Segundo as an engineering specialist in the fluid dynamics group. I enjoyed the work, but for family reasons I pursued opportunities back in the Bay Area. This led me to discover the opportunity at Cal Maritime in 2013, where I’ve been proud to serve as a faculty member in the Mechanical Engineering Department. I now look forward to a new chapter at Cal Poly and the new opportunities it creates for both campuses.
What are some of the upcoming projects you are working on?
Much of my work right now is in support of the integration of the engineering programs at Cal Poly and Cal Maritime. My goal is to facilitate the integration of curriculum, people, policies and procedures while limiting disruptions to our students as they pursue their degrees. Outside of that role, I am collaborating with library colleagues to carry out work on a project funded by the California Education Learning Lab to develop instructional materials for quantitative laboratory coursework. Our goal is to generate open educational resources (OER) for faculty interested in incorporating AI instruction. I have also been working with a colleague in physics on experimental measurements and modeling of thermal conductivity properties of additively manufactured parts.
What are some of the things you hope students take away from their training at Cal Maritime?
Given the experiences our students have at Cal Maritime, I have full confidence in their ability to work with any hardware, understand systems and solve engineering problems. Although they may not realize it initially, I hope students graduate with the ability to think critically (especially in challenging situations), communicate effectively and act ethically. These are skills graduates might not appreciate until they have advanced well into their career, but they are critical for their success from the outset.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I enjoy working with students and engaging them in conversations. Often, it’s technical discussions about lecture or lab materials. Other times, it’s career planning advice. Sometimes, it’s just a conversation about something interesting like rockets, airplanes or 3D printing. As important as instruction is, many times it’s those one-on-one interactions that have the greatest impact.
How do you like to spend your free time?
On the mornings that I can, I take my Labrador out for a walk at Point Isabel, an off-leash park near me with a beautiful view of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. I have also been playing hockey (ice and roller) since I learned to play in club sports at UC Berkeley. I still play as a goaltender at Nor-Cal Inline on the weekends.
What is the most helpful advice you’ve received?
Life rarely goes exactly as planned, but there are great opportunities when it takes a turn. All the way through my undergraduate education, I thought I could have everything planned out and follow that plan to reach a specific goal. However, as I’ve developed in my career, I’ve learned it is more important to be able to adapt and correct course to figure out new ways to be successful and grow as a person.
How does engineering apply to your daily life?
In my daily life, the aspects of engineering I use most are problem-solving and design. It’s not just technical problems that can be solved with this approach — you would be surprised how taking the time to understand a problem, develop solutions and test them out (or think them through) can help with nontechnical problem-solving.
How do you encourage engineering students to make an impact on the community?
The skills you learn as an engineering student allow you to contribute in many ways. As a student, keep an eye out for opportunities to mentor youth considering becoming engineers. This could take the form of community engagement, outreach activities for a club or volunteering at a local museum. Share your knowledge and experiences, including times when things did not go according to plan, with those looking to learn. You would be surprised how sometimes it’s your smaller actions or statements that have an impact.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
As we move forward with the integration of Cal Poly Maritime Academy, I look forward to unlocking opportunities and benefits for both campuses. There are many talented and smart people designing what this integrated entity will look like. For engineering, the integration brings new majors, including the return of engineering technology programs to the College of Engineering after a two-decade hiatus. With the arrival of the training ship Golden State in 2028, I hope we can provide Learn by Doing opportunities in the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. For the students at Cal Poly Maritime Academy, I’m excited that integration will open access to many student clubs and organizations we have not traditionally had due to our small size.
By Taylor Villanueva
