Passion for the Field Drives Engineering Professor Diosdado de la Peña
February 13, 2025By Fatima Magana '22
ALLIANCE- Have you ever been interested in something that became a passion? Engineering is that passion for Dr. Jose Angel Diosdado de la Peña, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Mount Union.
Diosdado de la Peña after receiving his PhD from Youngstown State University
“My curiosity for how things worked would lead me to take them apart,” said Diosdado. “I was interested in how automobiles worked the most. Therefore, I realized that mechanical engineering was the career I should pursue.”
Diosdado de la Peña (second to the left, back row) visiting Mount Royal University in Canada with Universidad de Guanajuato, his alma mater.
His interest in working with cars led Diosdado to work in the auto industry shortly after graduating from college in Mexico. However, when he spoke with a cousin, Diosdado confirmed that he could apply his skillset as a mechanical engineer to any career he chose to pursue.
Engineers will always have a curiosity for how things work; I can put things back when I take them apart now. I want to prove and improve how things work, and I can do that as an engineer.
Diosdado pursued a PhD in material science and engineering because he felt a career in academia would deepen his understanding of the field by conducting research and helping students achieve their goals. Already working at a higher education institution, Diosdado learned about Mount Union and its impact on students’ collegiate journeys and was intrigued, leading him to join the Brenton School of Engineering faculty in 2024.
Diosdado de la Peña in his new office during Christmas time in Oak Hall at Mount Union
“I read about the mechanical engineering professor position at Mount Union through a bulletin board; I was interested when I read about the professor-to-student ratio,” said Diosdado. “Faculty and staff care about students’ well-being whereas the institution I previously taught at focused primarily on conducting research.”
While Diosdado is still getting to know his students, a long-term goal of his as a professor at Mount Union is to positively impact his students’ engineering journeys so that he builds a strong professor-to-student relationship. He ultimately hopes to keep in touch with students after graduation and hear their success stories. Learn more about the mechanical engineering major at Mount Union.