Ron Gronsky

Professor, Materials Science and Engineering

Ronald Gronsky, who has taught in Materials Science and Engineering since 1977, received his B.S. from the University of Pittsburgh and his Ph.D. from Berkeley. "Ron is arguably the world's pre-eminent high voltage electron microscopist/materials scientist," according to Thomas Devine, Chair of MSE. "By connecting his teaching of E45 (Properties of Materials) to his research activities, Ron has been able to achieve the difficult balance between breadth and depth in his lectures. It is this excellence in research that is the source of his excellence in teaching." "An amazing lecturer, with an incredible knowledge of the material," wrote one student on an evaluation. "Why can't all professors be like him?" In addition, students and colleagues cite his "open door" office hours policy: if he is in his office, students are welcome to come in. Another undergraduate's comments probably best summarize his abilities: "Gronsky knows MSE. Gronsky knows people. Gronsky knows what it takes to be a great educator--it takes heart."

Statement Of Teaching Philosophy

My teaching goals are to connect with all of my students, to make their learning experiences exciting, effective, and efficient, to prepare them for solving the most technically difficult problems, and to leave them curious.

Engineering education has always been highly valued, but in today's technologically advanced society, it is critical. The knowledge base required to solve the world's problems in health, safety, energy, infrastructure, transportation, communications, and the environment is formidable, yet engineers are continually called upon to find solutions.

In this context, my primary teaching objective is to cultivate a lifelong commitment to learning. Today's engineering students will be working in rich hyperdisciplinary teams, facing problems that have no precedent solutions, using tools that have yet to be invented, tools that they are most likely to invent. Simply being facile with modern technology is not enough to invent new technology.

My second objective is to inspire a will to succeed. An engineer cannot back away from a problem because he or she “doesn't understand it.” The will to succeed drives the will to understand, which eventually, at least in Berkeley engineering students, brings a solution. It also helps immensely to experience recovery from failure in an imaginary challenge before attempting it in a real challenge.

My third objective is to deliver technical content. With the overwhelming impact of the information age, this requires being light on facts, heavy on concepts. But it also demands relevance. I try to extract technical content from my own research, from the technical literature, from available textbooks, from helpful URLs, and from the popular press.

And my fourth objective is to fairly assess academic performance. For engineers this requires a balance between individual effort and team effort, a balance between defining the problem and solving the problem, a balance between timed sprints and take-home marathons, and a balance between content and communication.

My twenty-three years of teaching experience on the Berkeley campus began with a Lecturer appointment in September of 1977, and includes seven different undergraduate courses and seven different graduate courses. When I stepped down as Department Chair in 1996, I renewed my commitment to teaching by taking on more courses than ever before, currently five per year. My experience as a parent of Cal students (two undergrad alumni, one currently enrolled) further deepened my resolve to be more responsive to our students. I can honestly say that I understand them now. And this of course makes teaching all the more enjoyable. I've got the best job on the planet.