“The trick to teaching might sound dumb, but it’s true,” said Jadrian Wooten. “You just have to care. When students realize you care — about the material and about them — they work harder.”
This sentiment was echoed by Alma Robinson, award-winning advanced physics instructor, who was the College of Science commencement speaker for 2024.
“So much of teaching comes down to relationships and community-building,” said Robinson. “I’m really teaching them problem-solving skills and how to believe in themselves, but I’m doing it through physics.”
Education is a college priority fiercely championed by Dean Kevin Pitts.
“At Virginia Tech, we’re not just pushing facts at our students,” said Pitts, the Lay Nam Chang Dean’s Chair, “we are preparing students to have the mindset of a problem solver. This skill will make our graduates a critical player in any profession they choose.”
The College of Science’s commitment to enhance educational excellence within Virginia Tech’s science community is evidenced through its Center for Advancing Undergraduate Science Education, which was launched in 2024.
“At the heart of this effort is the acknowledgment that education is a science that can be improved through research and practice,” said Estrella Johnson, an associate professor of mathematics who directs the center.
With approximately 425 teaching faculty within the College of Science, the center is rapidly becoming a supportive community where educators can collaborate and exchange ideas.
“Our educators are world-class scientists who are passionate, not only about their students and their discipline, but about students learning their discipline,” Johnson said.
Education is an investment in research, as better students equal higher quality research. Education is an investment in the economy, as better students mean a stronger future workforce.
But for Johnson, for Wooten, for Robinson, for Pitts, and for many others who have made the choice to educate and to care about Virginia Tech students, it speaks to the spirit and mission of the institution.
“The purpose of a university is to educate students,” said Wooten. “If the students weren’t here, Virginia Tech would not be here.”
The flip side of teaching science is of course learning science, and through educational experiences in the classroom, in the field, in the lab, and throughout campus, Virginia Tech College of Science students discover a passion for science and an understanding of why it matters.