John Campbell, new alumnus of the Faculty of Science after graduating with a PhD from the Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences-after 35 years teaching high school students. Photo credit: Dawn Graves
After 35 years teaching high school students, John Campbell decided to move to the other side of the classroom. Now, a short decade later, Campbell is graduating with his PhD from the Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences-after completing his undergraduate degree in honours math and a master's degree, of course.
For Campbell, the decision to return to the University of Alberta as a student was inspired by the act of teaching itself. "Teaching for 35 years, and teaching calculus for the last 20, brought back and intensified my interest in math. Having to explain concepts invites one to investigate them at a deeper level," explained Campbell. So, after an illustrious career as an educator, he returned to campus to pursue his passion-pure mathematics.
"When I returned to the classroom as a student, I felt awkward for a few weeks, but after getting to know some of my classmates-some of whom were former students of mine-I gradually settled in," said Campbell.
"The first term was quite pleasant. The work was interesting and not overly difficult. With each passing term however, the intensity increased, and I realized I wasn't really retired; I had just exchanged one job for another."
Campbell's undergraduate studies continued, and he completed his bachelor of science in honours mathematics in 2012, more than three decades after completing his bachelor's degree in education.
As for the strangest thing about returning to campus? "I suppose that the biggest change from my first university experience was the use of the internet for registration, communication, and so on," reflected Campbell. "When I signed up for classes during my education degree in 1971, one had to go physically to a location, line up for half an hour or so, and then hope that one's desired section wasn't already filled. I think today's students would find that hard to believe."
Other than that, he said, not much is different. "The derivative of x^2 is still 2x," he said with a laugh.
Teaching the teacher
Following his undergraduate degree, Campbell began graduate studies, first a master's and then a PhD, with Gerald Cliff, now a professor emeritus of mathematics. Together, the pair studied an area of mathematics called characters of groups, in which scientists examine the inner structure of any set of objects that can be multiplied.
"I wanted to pursue graduate studies so that I could do some original work," explained Campbell. "After completing my master's, I had the chance to extend the work with the PhD. Since I already knew the topic was interesting, and I could work well with Dr. Cliff, it was easy to opt for the PhD."
"It was such a pleasure to supervise him," added Cliff. "He has great commitment, to go along with his strong mathematical abilities."
As for what's next, Campbell remains open-minded. While he's curious about returning to teaching in some form or another, he is also interested in continuing some of the research he began during his PhD studies. But one thing is certain: Campbell's passion for math remains steadfast.
"I am always inspired by the nature of the subject; mathematicians know a secret-their subject is actually beautiful."
Congratulations, John!