For Benjamin Lear, professor of CHEM 110H and SC 103N at Penn State, his students know him for his interpersonal connections.
Hannah Priller took CHEM 110H with Lear her freshman year and then joined Lear’s research group. As a team, they looked into how electrons of different elements behave and researched ways to 3D print with new materials.
“He was really helpful and kind when I was joining [the research group], as well as helping me with it now,” Priller (sophomore-chemistry and mechanical engineering) said. “He was very willing to show me around his lab and find graduate students for me to shadow when I first got here.”
Priller also said Lear is an “amazing professor” because “it is clear that he cares about teaching and about you as a student.”
She said he cares more about his students learning how and why “something is the way it is” — rather than just memorizing the facts.
“Since then, he has been very supportive in helping me with research, as well as finding professional opportunities,” Priller said.
Graduate student Danny Glickman — now studying at the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey — conducted research with Lear for three years and wrote a thesis on gold nanoparticle synthesis under his guidance and mentorship.
“Dr. Lear understands his students much better than other professors,” Glickman (graduate-medicine) said. “He is easy to relate to, and his explanations regarding even the most difficult concepts were always easy to understand. He truly wants his students to succeed, and this comes across every day during class.”
Lear, similar to his past students, said his aptitude for connecting with students comes from a simple idea — “students are people, too.”
“It’s about realizing that you’re balancing the interests and demands of students,” Lear said. “Part of it is about being cognisant – maybe about a month ahead – of what’s going to be required moving forward.”
Beyond the classroom, Lear said he also acts as an adviser for the Penn State ERO Billiards Club, plays squash with students and faculty, and meets up for informal talks and lunches with his students.
“There’s a lot of ebb and flow, and it’s the same way with students,” Lear said. “Sometimes, your courses click along and it’s just fine, and sometimes, all of your classes have exams and essays due at once.”
Balancing his activities, research and teaching is something Lear said can be hard, but he takes an empathetic approach.
“You want to have a level of empathy for people,” Lear said. “You want to have conversations with people… [and let] people know it’s okay to struggle with material and work through it.”
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