Faculty Archives

From Student to Teacher

Few can offer as fascinating a perspective as Dr. Gaetano when it comes to what it means to be not only a Hillsdale professor but a student as well. An ’05 graduate, Dr. Gaetano said that he was introduced to “the life of the mind” by his professors when he was a student at the College. His journey on the search for truth led to a desire to help others along a similar path of learning.

Spotlight on Dr. Theobald and Dr. Rose

Last year, Hillsdale College hired two new French professors, Dr. Anne Theobald and Dr. Sherri Rose. I was able to sit down with both professors and discuss their experience both with the study of French and at Hillsdale.

Dr. Barnes during a psychology presentation.

Psychology and the Liberal Arts

Dr. Collin Barnes’s interview at Hillsdale was by far his most difficult for an academic position, though he’d completed a few. The questions were unusually stimulating, not simply testing his knowledge of psychology but his ability to place his knowledge into a much larger context. Four years later, Dr. Barnes is not only better equipped to answer those questions but has become fascinated by the pursuit of understanding them.

What is Time?

People have pondered the nature of time since we became aware of time. And with good reason! One of the most common ways to measure our lives is how much time we have lived and how much time we may have left to live. Birth and death dates are listed on tombstones, and most of us quickly calculate from those dates the duration of the deceased’s life.

Completing the Puzzle

Professor of chemistry Dr. Lee Baron loves puzzles. “I’ve always liked to problem-solve. I just found chemistry the area where I was able to problem-solve most effectively.”

The Carus Coin Collection

The history of money is complicated due to the fact that anything two people consider valuable might be considered money. When a community deems something of value, it will be traded for goods and services needed or wanted by the members of that community.

Courtney Meyet

Hillsdale’s newest chemistry professor, Courtney Meyet, spent her early undergraduate years avoiding the very subject she now teaches. She even changed her major to avoid having to take organic chemistry. But thanks to enthusiastic professors who gave her unique research opportunities, she learned to love the subject while pursuing a second bachelor’s degree and went on to earn a Ph.D. in organic synthesis. In her first year of teaching at Hillsdale, she is eager to share her knowledge with science majors and non-science majors alike.

Finding Beauty in Quantum Thermodynamics

Some might be surprised to learn that Dr. David Gaebler pursued a degree in Biblical studies after graduating from engineering school. He explains, “I have always been interested in theology. In college, I had this desire to learn the original languages of Scripture, but never had time, so after I got my undergraduate degree in math and physics, I decided to spend some time at a seminary in California.”

Original Ideas That Have Value

Many people think imagination is the tough part of this equation. I’ve generally found it quite easy to generate all sorts of ideas, but some people find this intimidating. Like any other skill, however, it can be developed. Spend a few minutes every day considering the essential imagination question: “What if?”

A New Approach to String Teaching

To explain the nature of her research to non-musicians, Dr. Melissa Knecht uses an analogy to natural language. “Try to spell the word ‘vernault.’ If you guessed, “V-e-r-n-a-u-l-t,” you’re right—but there’s a catch. ‘Vernault’ isn’t a real word. Most people can spell that word without seeing it or knowing what it means,” Dr. Knecht explains. “This test implies that people are good spellers, not because they’ve memorized every word in the English language, but because they’ve learned to recognize patterns and statistical probabilities in the language.”

Faculty Spotlight: Jeffrey Lehman

Dr. Jeffrey Lehman identifies Augustine as one of his favorite authors because Augustine “focuses upon the most important things for our journey in this life—pursuing the truth and embracing love.” And Lehman believes that the liberal arts help students to approach those most important things.

$Math Chalkboard$

Do Quantum Systems Exist?

Dr. David Gaebler is an assistant professor of mathematics. His dissertation was on the “Unital Dilations of Completely Positive Semigroups.”