Rustem Ismagilov Receives Feynman Prize for Excellence in Teaching

Each year, a Caltech faculty member is selected to receive the Richard P. Feynman Prize for Excellence in Teaching for demonstrating "in the broadest sense, unusual talent, creativity and innovation in undergraduate or graduate classroom or laboratory teaching." Recipients, chosen by a committee appointed by the provost, are nominated by faculty, students, postdoctoral scholars, staff, and alumni.

This year's recipient of the Feynman Prize is Rustem F. Ismagilov, the Ethel Wilson Bowles and Robert Bowles Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Merkin Institute Professor, and director of the Jacobs Institute for Molecular Engineering for Medicine. The committee commended Ismagilov for his "ability to teach 'creativity' and to inspire students to 'think big' and solve difficult problems via collaborations and innovations." The committee also recognized Ismagilov's "effective teaching of fundamental and difficult to grasp concepts in ChE 63 [Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics]. Collectively, these two courses show his great ability to teach to many kinds of students."

"In teaching thermodynamics," Ismagilov says, "I ask students to just look around themselves. When you start asking 'why' and 'how,' you'll find that thermodynamics is everywhere." Ismagilov relies on examples such as water desalination to teach reverse osmosis, and perfume and wine to illustrate the vapor–liquid equilibrium that makes these liquids so fragrant. "At the undergraduate level, there aren't many new things you can do with the underlying science of thermodynamics, but being able to make connections between the equations we use and the real-world phenomena they were designed to understand and predict is crucial."

Ismagilov also regularly teaches a class for both graduate students and undergraduates in their final year. The course, titled "Creativity and Technological Innovation with Microfluidic Systems," is aimed primarily at teaching the role of creativity in the scientific enterprise, using microfluidics as context. "Creativity isn't mystical," Ismagilov says. "It can be taught and practiced." Ismagilov believes that while students are well prepared to work at what he calls "the first level of learning," where there are right and wrong answers to standard scientific questions, they have usually had less practice in working at the second and third levels of learning, where creativity becomes crucial.

"The second level of learning is understanding that there are many ways to get to the truth," Ismagilov explains. "Some more creative than others," he adds. In the third level of learning, Ismagilov helps students to learn that "in many real-world problems, the questions aren't well defined. The answers depend on how you formulate the questions. So, thinking creatively about the right questions is hugely important."

Ismagilov does not regard the "higher" levels of learning to be more important: "We need all three," he says. "We need to train students to have the flexibility and experience to switch between these levels depending on context."

For Ismagilov, it is particularly satisfying that the prize he received is named after Feynman, whose views on teaching inspire him. "My understanding is that Feynman really emphasized these same things: curiosity and creativity," Ismagilov says. "First, getting students to look around at plants and seeds and potatoes and humans and see how they all reflect the laws of physics and thermodynamics. And second, that it's important to not just do what other people do, but to think about new problems and new approaches."

Ismagilov came to Caltech in 2011 and has focused on how science and engineering can be harnessed in the service of global health. His group works on diagnostic devices, gut health, and the behavior of microbes, among other topics.

The Feynman Prize was endowed by Ione and Robert E. Paradise and an anonymous local donor. Nominations for the Feynman Prize are solicited in the fall of each year. Recent awardees include Lulu Qian, professor of bioengineering; Rob Phillips, the Fred and Nancy Morris Professor of Biophysics, Biology, and Physics; and Melany Hunt, the Dotty and Dick Hayman Professor of Mechanical Engineering.