This page is dedicated to providing important information to the participants of the IUP Chinese Language Immersion Program. Please direct any questions to us at chinese-immersion-program@iup.edu. The information below is also available to all participants through the program course in D2L.
Program Leadership
Dr. Waleed Farag
Program Primary Investigator
Director of the IUP Institute for Cyber Security
Waleed Farag is a full professor of computer science at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the director of IUP’s Institute for Cyber Security. Farag has secured more than $10M of federal funds to support his research and is currently the PI of several major federally funded grants. His work on these funded projects has led to the establishment of unique programs and initiatives that contribute to the enhancement of cybersecurity research and education across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and beyond. He has several contributions in his targeted research areas and has authored over 70 articles, book chapters, papers, and presentations. His work was awarded Best Paper in ACM SIGITE’2012 and other conferences. Farag can be reached at farag@iup.edu.
Dr. Shijuan Liu
Program Lead Instructor
Professor of Chinese
Liu has been involved with teaching Chinese as a foreign/second language since 1995. She received the Cengage Learning Award for Innovative Excellence in the Teaching of Chinese as a Foreign Language from the national Chinese Language Teachers Association, USA, in 2014. Liu is a recognized leader in the application of technologies for language learning. She has been invited to give presentations and workshops at international conferences and various prestigious institutions (e.g., Michigan State University and Pennsylvania State University). She has served as the column editor on new technologies for the Journal of Technology and Chinese Language Teaching since 2010. Liu can be reached at sliu@iup.edu.
Instructors and Program Assistants
Lung-Hua Hu
Program Instructor
Senior Lecturer in East Asian Studies, Brown University
Lung-Hua Gail Hu received her MA in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Teachers College, Columbia University. Prior to joining Brown in 1999, she taught at CLASS (Chinese Language and Area Studies School in Taipei, under US State Department), Princeton University, Princeton in Beijing, Middlebury Chinese Summer School, Duke University, and Columbia University's summer programs in Beijing. While teaching at Princeton, she earned her nickname “the Tone Police” for her relentless emphasis on students’ correct pronunciation. She was president of NECLTA (New England Chinese Language Teachers Association) and was on the board of directors of CLTA-US (Chinese Language Teachers Association). She is currently a board member of NECLTA. She received the Brown University John Rowe Workman Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Humanities 2014–16, and her Intermediate Chinese curriculum design was selected by the College Board as one of the top 10 Chinese courses in the US. She is the author of Mandarin Grammar and Mandarin Vocabulary Quick Study Academic and co-author of Chinese Skill Builders Level I Textbook and Teacher’s Guide and Chinese for Living in China, Volume 2.
Xiwen Lu
Program Instructor
Assistant Professor, Brandeis University
Xiwen Lu (陆熙雯), PhD in learning sciences and technology from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, is an assistant professor at Brandeis University. She currently serves as the director of the undergraduate Chinese program, the codirector and graduate advisor of the Chinese language and culture master program, and the vice chair of the Foreign Language Oversight Committee. She is also a board member of the New England Chinese Language Teachers Association. Since joining Brandeis University in 2008, she has taught Chinese language courses at the elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels, and has also offered courses for the Chinese language and culture master program such as Practical Modern Chinese Teaching Methods and Chinese Teaching in the United States. Her main research directions and language teaching research activities involve language teaching on online platforms, learning sciences, and second language acquisition. She has published several papers in core journals and conferences both domestically and internationally. In 2019, she co-authored the book Cases of Multimedia-Assisted Chinese Teaching, and her primary-authored first-year textbook The Journeys (启程) was published by Vista Press in 2023. She has received multiple research grants within the university, such as the Theodore and Jane Norman Award (2021–23) and the Brandeis University Teaching Innovation Grant (2019–20).
Tianshu He
Program Instructor
Senior Lecturer and Chinese Language First Year Coordinator, Duke University
Tianshu He, senior lecturer and Chinese language program first-year coordinator at Duke University, teaches courses such as Elementary Chinese, Advanced Chinese for Chinese Heritage Speakers, and Classical Chinese. Since 2007, she has served as the chief lecturer for Duke University's summer program, teaching courses across different levels. Her research interests include second language acquisition theory and teaching strategies, multimedia instruction, and the teaching of classical Chinese language, literature, and traditional culture.
Xiaoling Shi
Program Instructor
Language Faculty and Advisor for East Asian Students, Cambridge School of Weston
Xiaoling Shi is currently working at a leading progressive high school, Cambridge School of Weston, in Weston, MA. Before coming to CSW, she worked at Allegheny College for 12 years and received her tenure in 2017. Besides research on Chinese literature and Asian American literature, Xiaoling has engaged in designing theme-based digital curriculum for Generation Z since 2018. In 2021, Xiaoling led her team to receive the prestigious Level 1 Digital Humanities Advancement Grant for their proposal “An Engaging Digital Curriculum for Intermediate Chinese Language and Culture.” Built upon advice from the board, Xiaoling currently teaches on Miro, a visual collaboration platform. Xiaoling reports that consequently, students feel that her class is visual, interactive, and collaborative. Ultimately, Xiaoling's goals for language teaching are consistent with her research interest in cross-cultural studies: she would like to build a bridge across cultural differences and create a space for students where they can truly enjoy and love Chinese language and culture.
Ye Tian
Program Instructor
Director of Chinese Language Program, University of Pennsylvania
Ye Tian is the director of the Chinese language program at the University of Pennsylvania. He oversees the daily operations of the Chinese language program and curriculum articulation. Previously, he taught Chinese at various institutes, including Harvard University, Middlebury College, and Bucknell University. With a PhD in education, society, and culture from the University of California, Riverside, his research is centered on Chinese language education, with an interest in educational technology and a focus on investigating Chinese language education through sociocultural and historical frameworks and methodologies.
Tianxue Yao
Program Instructor
Senior Lecturer, Carnegie Mellon University
Tianxue Yao is a senior lecturer in Chinese, Department of Languages, Cultures, and Applied Linguistics, Carnegie Mellon University. She holds MAs from Carnegie Mellon University and Jilin University.
Linus Morales
Lead Program Assistant
Linus Morales graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2018 with a BA in Asian Studies. While at IUP, he tutored Chinese language, served as an RA, and participated in IUP’s exchange program at Nanjing University in China. Currently, Linus teaches middle and high school Chinese language as well as linguistics and history courses at the Stone Independent School in Lancaster, PA. He is excited to apply his experience as a non-native speaker/teacher to help other Chinese language learners. Outside the classroom, Linus enjoys playing guitar, chess, and Magic the Gathering.
Kenneth Au
Student Assistant
Kenneth is currently pursuing a bachelor's in computer science and game development with a minor in information and technology at Kutztown University. He is also planning to get his master's in software engineering with a focus in Data Science. Kenneth is the third son of a first-generation Chinese American family, allowing him to speak Cantonese at a proficient level. He is familiar with the culture of Hong Kong and studied three years of Mandarin. In addition, Kenneth also served as vice president of the Chinese Student and Scholar Association University for two years and is an active member of the International Student Organization, both at Kutztown.
Wilson Hong
Student Assistant
Wilson is a current college student pursuing a computer science degree at Lafayette College. He is also planning to undertake a second major in Chinese, inspired by his desire to connect with his ethnicity and family's culture. Along his academic journey, Wilson has developed a growing interest in sustainability. He has contributed to Lafayette College achieving its first gold rating in the STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System) program, in which numerous colleges participate.