Dr. Sarah Zappe, Ph.D.
Director, Leonhard Center, Assistant Dean for Teaching and Learning, Research Professor
My journey to the Leonhard Center:
I started working in the Leonhard Center as a graduate student in 2000. After a brief stint working elsewhere, I realized how much I missed the Leonhard Center and returned full-time in 2007 as the director of Assessment and Instructional Support. I earned my doctorate in educational psychology, specializing in applied testing and measurement. As a graduate student, I never imagined that I would develop a career in engineering education. In fact, my dissertation focused on the cognitive processing of law school students! But I quickly found an affinity for working with engineering faculty and students and began conducting research and publishing across a variety of areas in engineering education.
In 2022, I became director of the Leonhard Center and assistant dean for Teaching and Learning in the College of Engineering. In this role, I have the opportunity to think broadly about how we can support both faculty and students and create educational experiences that are engaging, creative, meaningful, and human-centered.
Much of my work has focused on professional skills in engineering, particularly creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. More recently, I have become especially interested in the intersection of art and engineering and the ways that engaging with the arts can encourage creativity, observation, curiosity, reflection, and new ways of thinking. My recent work has included co-curating Structures, Systems, and Society: Work at the Interface of Art and Engineering at Penn State's Palmer Museum of Art and developing the Leonhard Center's annual Art + Engineering Competition. I continue to explore ways to bring the arts into engineering education and to create opportunities for faculty and students to think beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries.
I am also interested in holistic approaches to faculty and student well-being. Through the Leonhard Center, I have helped develop programs and resources focused on mindfulness, mental health, community, joy, and sustainable approaches to academic life. I see wellness, creativity, and connection as important parts of creating environments in which people can learn, teach, and do their best work.
I have been actively involved with the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) throughout my career, including serving as Chair of the Educational Research and Methods Division and deputy editor of the Journal of Engineering Education. In 2026, I was named an ASEE Fellow in recognition of my contributions to engineering education.
Outside of Penn State, I am also an artist and the owner of Kaleidoscope PA, an art and wellness company that brings together creativity, community, and well-being through workshops and other creative experiences.
Interests include:
- Engineering faculty development
- Creativity and curiosity
- Art and engineering
- Faculty and student well-being
- Mindfulness
- Art, especially watercolor and mixed media
- Building community through creativity
Proud moments:
- Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), 2026
- Co-curator of Making Connections: Art, Engineering, and Community exhibition at the Bellefonte Museum of Art, 2027
- Co-curator of Structures, Systems, and Society: Work at the Interface of Art and Engineering at the Palmer Museum of Art, 2025
- Recipient of the 2016 and 2017 Helen Plants Award for Best Special Session at the Frontiers in Education Conference
Contact:
Contact by email if you want to learn more about the Leonhard Center, faculty development, art and engineering, faculty and student well-being, or collaborating on new ideas!
