The pedagogy that led Costa Metallinos to earn the Faculty of Mathematics and Science Award for Excellence in Teaching isn\u2019t flashy or wild.<\/p>\n
He doesn\u2019t pack lectures with buzz words and trends or teach Chemistry in iambic pentameter.<\/p>\n
His students and peers appreciate the careful foundational learning approach he uses, where each block of learning builds upon the next and at each step there is a clear \u2018big picture\u2019 to tie all the avenues of exploration together.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday there is a drive to include evidence-based research and experiential learning in everything we do,\u201d Metallinos said. \u201cLuckily, chemistry is dedicated to evidence, and what are labs if not the crucible of experimentation?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Chemistry Professor was honoured with the teaching award Friday, June 17 during Brock\u2019s Spring Convocation, where he also delivered a Convocation address.<\/p>\n
During his 19 years at Brock, Metallinos has remained consistent in creating an atmosphere of inquiry. He tries to disarm the fear students may feel toward challenging subjects like organic chemistry, organometallic chemistry and spectroscopy.<\/p>\n
\u201cProfessor Metallinos takes every opportunity to tune into his students\u2019 needs,\u201d said Ejaz Ahmed, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Science. \u201cHe has a talent for removing nervousness in the learning process and creating a classroom where students are encouraged to delve into discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even during the pandemic, Metallinos made sure he was teaching live from his office to show his students he\u2019s committed to them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted my students to feel that even though they couldn\u2019t be here, that I\u2019m here for them,\u201d he said. \u201cAlso, it was important to me that students could freely ask questions, as the material was presented in concept-heavy courses that involve a lot of problem solving.\u201d<\/p>\n
Metallinos listens to and learns from student feedback and feels it\u2019s important to adjust as needed. The feedback is almost unanimously positive and, in a gesture reserved mainly for theatrical finales, he has even been given a standing ovation after a lecture.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was taken aback when the students rose and clapped,\u201d he said. \u201cThat had never happened to me before, but it motivated me to continue trying to make my lectures relatable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ovations are remarkable, but the main reason Metallinos said he enjoys being a professor is seeing the work his students produce.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir work is what makes me feel accomplished in teaching,\u201d he said, referencing one recent highlight: the work produced by Ontario Trillium Scholarship winner and PhD Chemistry graduate Maria Laura Sechi.<\/p>\n
Sechi and Metallinos, along with Professor Travis Dudding, earned a cover feature in Advanced Synthesis and Catalysis<\/em>, a leading primary journal in organic, organometallic and applied chemistry. Sechi has since found further success landing a role at the pharmaceutical company Eurofins Alphora.<\/p>\n \u201cOur students apply what we teach them in whatever career they choose,\u201d Metallinos said. \u201cThey represent the legacy and quality of what we teach, and I feel that\u2019s a special and motivational reason to put in the work to support them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The pedagogy that led Costa Metallinos to earn the Faculty of Mathematics and Science Award for Excellence in Teaching isn\u2019t flashy or wild.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":79003,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7,41,1,4],"tags":[48,156,11691,8525,4710,348,1759],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79002"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79002"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79002\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79004,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79002\/revisions\/79004"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}