{"217121":{"#nid":"217121","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Prof\u2019s Tactic: Do Things Most Wouldn\u2019t Do","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA quote on a piece of paper \u2014 this is what John Cressler ends every class with.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI like to do activities with my students that other professors might shy away from,\u201d said Cressler, Ken Byers Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. \u201cFor example, during the last two to three minutes of each class, I will put a piece of paper with a quote on it, quote side down, on everyone\u2019s desk.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBefore the students turn the paper over, Cressler shares a story from his own life related to subjects such as success, love, or work\/life balance. And then everyone reads the quote, which will be relevant to his story.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBy letting them know who I am, my students are comfortable letting me know who they are \u2014 which leads to them feeling more connected to the course,\u201d said Cressler, who received the 2013 Georgia Tech Class of 1934 Distinguished Professor Award.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd providing the quotes written on paper so that the students can keep them is key to the success of the activity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe students really like to hold onto the quotes to share with friends and family or to keep for inspiration,\u201d he added.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERead on to learn more about Cressler and his time at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDid you always want to be a teacher?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003EActually, no. I earned my bachelor\u2019s in physics here at Tech, and while working in the co-op program, I was able to work at IBM. From that point on, I thought I would be a research scientist at a company. And I was \u2014 until a friend suggested that I teach calculus as an adjunct at a college. I thought I would hate it. But the moment I stepped in front of the class, I had this overwhelming feeling that this is what I wanted to do. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow did you arrive at Tech?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EI started teaching full-time at Auburn University in 1992. Several years later, I bumped into one of my old Tech professors who suggested that I take a position here.\u0026nbsp; I\u2019ve been here since 2002. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDescribe your research.\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EIn my lab, we are trying to create new types of transistors to help electronics run more quickly and efficiently. For example, one project we might take on is figuring out how to make more efficient parts for a cellphone to help the battery last longer.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is an average day like for you? \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOnce I get to the office, I spend my mornings completing office tasks. I usually take an hour before I teach (two afternoons each week) to unglue myself from other distractions. My afternoons are often spent meeting with my graduate students.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWould you ever teach a massive open online course?\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI might. On the one hand, I appreciate the fact that these courses provide education to people who might not have access to it otherwise. But I also feel like these courses sacrifice the intimacy that comes with teaching a face-to-face class of 30 students. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us something unique about yourself.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI just published my first novel, Emeralds of the Alhambra, a love story set in medieval Muslim Spain. (I\u2019d like to invite the campus community to my book signing event on \u003Cbr \/\u003EJune 25 at 6:30 p.m. at the Barnes \u0026amp; Noble @ Georgia Tech.) I\u2019ve written several nonfiction books for both scientific and general audiences. But this book was so creatively satisfying to write, which is great because it\u2019s the first in a trilogy. I\u2019m already 450 pages into the second!\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA quote on a piece of paper \u2014 this is what John Cressler ends every class with.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A quote on a piece of paper \u2014 this is what John Cressler ends every class with."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2013-06-11 09:00:14","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:23","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-06-10T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-06-10T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"217091":{"id":"217091","type":"image","title":"John Cressler","body":null,"created":"1449180130","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:02:10","changed":"1475894882","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:48:02","alt":"John Cressler","file":{"fid":"197149","name":"cressler_color_high_res.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cressler_color_high_res_1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cressler_color_high_res_1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3237435,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cressler_color_high_res_1.jpg?itok=ng3XyYYu"}}},"media_ids":["217091"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"67871","name":"Class of 1934 Distinguished Professor Award"},{"id":"7763","name":"John Cressler"},{"id":"166855","name":"School of Electrical and Computer Engineering"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-4142\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}