Nothing to It but to Do It
I greatly enjoyed reading Leslie Garisto Pfaff’s article “Yes We Can” (Fall 2011) about Santina Muha, Ms. Wheelchair New Jersey. Ms. Muha, with her determined spirit and upbeat attitude, serves as an inspiration for all of us, disabled or not. I’m glad the article brought attention to the “Glee Syndrome,” as I call it: I was greatly disappointed to discover that the casting directors of the television show Glee chose to fill the role of a wheelchair-bound person with an actor who was not disabled. When I realized this, I staged my own little rebellion by picking up my remote and changing channels. Best of luck to Ms. Muha. There’s no doubt that we will be hearing more from her. I’m willing to bet that she will be hugely successful.
Terry (Levitch) Applebaum RC’78
The Art of the Lecture
I enjoyed the article “The Art of the Lecture” (Fall 2011). The lecture is, unfortunately, an underrated discipline but it can have a powerful effect on a person’s future. Lecturers, I believe, should not use PowerPoint presentations or rely on similar electronic devices. One of the best talks I had in medical school was given by a visiting professor who had forgotten to bring his slides. He had to use a blackboard and chalk. I learned more about carbohydrates during those 60 minutes than I did in one year of school, and I remembered the information for years. Unfortunately, most of the lectures I attended had beautiful projected pictures that were animated by a red laser beam that raced around the room. I realized years ago that my brain goes at chalk speed and I could not retain the information or concepts presented by other means.
The courses that enriched my life the most were freshman philosophy, English literature, and art history. The science classes I had were important, but the humanities made me more able to adapt to change and also got me interested in many things other than medicine.
Robert E. Stoner RC’60
Lectures are indeed an art, but in physics at least, much research in PER (physics education research) has shown that they are ineffective in transmitting information. As was pointed out in the article (“The Art of the Lecture,” Fall 2011), “lecturing has the magical power of enthralling a student to the wonders of learning and intellectual rigor,” but I doubt the “intellectual rigor” part. “Lectures” from the church pulpit could propel the Crusades because of the “magical power” the article cites, but it was a power of emotion and belief, not intellect, and it was anything but rigorous.
It would be interesting to see in Rutgers Magazine how faculty members (as there are surely some) are going beyond lecturing in teaching—not that anything more than 2,000 years old is necessarily wrong, but that new tools for learning have arisen since then.
Gordon Aubrecht RC’65
After spending my first 86 years in New Jersey, I am now a resident of the state of Washington and thankfully still get Rutgers Magazine to keep me connected with my home state.
I was a pretty good student in grade school, and because of that, I skipped the first half of the eighth grade, causing me to no longer be a good student. I struggled through high school. Upon matriculating at Rutgers–Newark under the G.I. Bill after serving in World War II, I was not a good math student and didn’t have high hopes for top marks in differential calculus.
But, there was a wonderful professor who made a new man out of me. His marvelous way of teaching, of explaining the intricacies of the math, enabled me to attain a grade of A. I did not make myself into a smart math student; it was all the professor’s doing. He was a wonderful teacher. He gets all the credit.
Marvin Gershenfeld NCAS’50
Edison’s Wedding Gift
My family and I recently visited the Edison National Historical Park in West Orange, New Jersey, so I was very interested to read “In Search of Thomas Edison” (Spring 2011). The Edison Papers project sounds fascinating and provides amazing insights into the enigma of Thomas Edison, including the fact that Edison received an honorary degree from Rutgers College in 1879.
A little-known fact that we did learn while visiting the park is that Glenmont was not built for Thomas’s wife Mina. Glenmont was actually built in 1880 by Henry Hudson Holly. Edison bought the rambling terra cotta-colored house as a wedding gift for Mina, for what was then the bargain-basement price of $125,000 after the original owner, a businessman named Henry C. Pedder, was convicted of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from his employer.
Andrea Sheldrick Tietjen DC’89