Dr. Steven Forsey has been a member of the University of Waterloo family for many years. He began his career here in 1979 as an undergraduate student, and ultimately chose to pursue his Master’s and PhD degrees here as well. He is now a lecturer for organic chemistry for both the science and engineering faculties.
This month, the Iron Warrior took some time to get to know our favourite organic chemistry professor a little more personally.
Here’s what he had to say:
Why did you choose to study chemistry and pursue graduate studies?
Like everybody, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. For my undergrad I majored in biology for two years, but then I switched into chemistry, because that’s what I did best in, and I enjoyed it. During my undergrad I was only in the regular stream, but I started working for professors who were doing research for antibiotics. So when I graduated, I decided to do my masters in synthetic organic chemistry, which was natural product synthesis. The drug that I synthesized during my masters was an anti-cancer agent, and it is still used today, although not extensively. I then decided to do a PhD in Earth Sciences in groundwater contamination, using chemical oxidants to remediate ground water.
Why did you choose to become a professor?
It’s kind of funny; for me, doors just opened at the right time. As I was finishing off my masters, a job came up to run the first year chemistry labs, and at that time my wife was expecting our first child, so I needed a job. I did that for a number of years, and at the same time I was also lecturing organic chemistry for chemical and systems design engineering, and CHEM 226. I remember I would come in during Christmas and weekends and summer to do research or take day courses as well. Then, as I was finishing off my PhD, the full time lecturing position became open for organic chemistry, so I was lucky to get that position as well. And I like teaching too of course; it fits my personality.
What would you be if you weren’t a professor?
I was going to go into consulting, but if I did my whole lifestyle would have changed. I mean, who can beat riding to work every day, since I only live about 4 km away? If I went into consulting I would probably have had to move, but it would have been a lot of fun as well. I still work with people from civil engineering and earth sciences though, so when they have a subject or topic that has a lot of chemistry I go on their PhD committees and work with the grad students.
What’s the best part about being a professor?
My research now is focused on educational research, and what’s nice about that is I don’t have to worry about publishing or writing grant proposals. So for me it’s great because I can put all my efforts into teaching, and that’s why you guys have gotten so much like your course notes and other online resources (i.e. Top Hat Monocle). Aside from being a lecturer, I’m also on undergraduate and curriculum committees, and I help the department run smoothly.
What is most challenging about being a professor?
I wouldn’t say it is challenging, I would say it is interesting. You do have to deal with individual personalities and attitudes, but I don’t find that too challenging, because I’m a very easy-go-lucky person so I can deal with that, and I think all the rules are set out clearly already. With the Nano class I’ve never experienced anything like that – they are always really good students.
The challenge right now, I would say, is trying to make the classroom a learning experience. At university, I would say 80% of the learning is done outside of the class, whereas in high school, not so much, and so that’s the big transition. When I was younger, you went to class just to get notes, and now still, not much of that has changed. But the way that I lecture is I try to have more questions ready and try to get people to read ahead and come a little bit prepared, and actually think and learn during class, so that when they go home and do the majority of the learning they have a good base. So I would say that’s the challenge, to make the classroom a learning experience as opposed to just writing notes down.
Can you describe your teaching philosophy and the reasoning behind it?
I used to teach the traditional way of just simply lecturing while the students took down notes, and it’s boring for me! All you are doing is just repeating the same stuff, and you are not engaging with the students.
So by asking more questions and getting them to do more practice questions in class, you are engaging the students, and you are getting to know what they do know and what they don’t know. Also, this way, the students themselves become more self-aware. If I ask a question and they don’t know, well hopefully they say, “I better learn this.” As opposed to if I was just up there explaining it, they go “Oh yeah, I get that,” but when they go home and try to do a question, do they really know it? So hopefully in my class they are getting that feedback, whether or not they are keeping up with the course.
What strategies did you use to be successful in university?
For me, the big turning point was in 2A, because when you start getting into second and third year, you have no background in most of the courses you are taking. So you have to really become more efficient in your study.
What really worked for me was making study notes, and not really doing sample problems. I got really good at it in my 2B and 3A years, where you spend all your time trying to understand the concepts. So making study notes, condensing the whole course into two or three pages, and then once you understand the concepts, if you have time, and that’s a big if, then do sample problems. Because if you do sample problems first, and then you have to look at the answer, you actually haven’t learned anything. If you had to see if your answer was right, and you look at it and go, “Oh I wasn’t quite right, but oh ok, now I understand,” well you don’t. You only know it if, the next day, or two days later, you try the same question and you get it right. So if you spend all your time trying to understand first, then you are much more efficient.
What do you like to do for fun?
Bike. For me, I’m busy; aside from lecturing I’m also involved with writing a textbook, and all the committees and that, so I have my dog, and my dog runs beside me while I go biking. And I bike all year round, even to work.
I used to play a lot of squash, but I just don’t seem to have the time anymore. I also play guitar with a band every Friday night.
Do you have any advice for your students?
You will find that as you go through life, doors open, and if you are there at the right time you just slip through. With your first co-op, you may end up being dragged into a field that you may not have thought you would have liked, but as you get to learn more and more, it becomes more and more interesting. And then you start becoming more knowledgeable and becoming the expert in that field, and all of a sudden, you’re here, wherever here is. Whereas when you started you never would have thought you would be doing this. That’s basically what happened to me. So just know that sometimes life has a funny way of working itself out.
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