Pierce wins Feynman prize

Niles Pierce, assistant professor of applied and computational mathematics, has been awarded Caltech’s 2003 Richard P. Feynman Prize for Excellence in Teaching. Provost Steve Koonin presented the award to Pierce at the February 24 faculty meeting.

He was “thrilled and surprised” to learn of the award, Pierce says. “I remember the first day I stepped in front of a chalkboard after I arrived at Caltech—teaching was much harder than I expected.”

Nonetheless, his manner and his method have resonated with both undergrads and graduate students. “I wanted to communicate in a way that would cause students to become excited by the ideas of applied and computational mathematics,” he says. “Given the tremendous demands placed on Caltech students, it is quite a challenge to generate intellectual excitement every other day during a hectic academic term. I guess I enjoy that challenge.

“Of course,” he continues, “some material is hard to love, and I try to be honest with the students”—taking time to explain to them why he likes certain topics, or why others are necessary, albeit boring. “My favorite lectures are the ones where the material is potentially hard to understand or absorb. It’s not much fun to give a lecture if there’s nothing challenging to explain and discuss.”

Still, in the final analysis, he muses, “I have no idea how to give a lecture. I just get up there and talk and write. I like to explain things clearly. I’m sure my teaching style was influenced by my experiences learning from my mother, who is an extraordinary teacher. Maybe I’m a little unpredictable. I try to feed off the intellectual playfulness of the Caltech student body.”

According to the official citation letter from the selection committee, Pierce was chosen for his “enthusiasm, dedication, and charisma” in teaching. “He teaches without oversimplifying and without intimidating, making the material accessible to the diverse group of students. He possesses an uncanny ability to anticipate the frustrations and challenges of the students, and has been able to hold the students’ attention, and attendance, throughout the quarter.”

After graduating as valedictorian from Princeton University in 1993, Pierce went to the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, earning his DPhil in 1997. He came to Caltech in 1998 as a senior postdoctoral scholar and joined the faculty as assistant professor in 2000.

The Feynman Prize, awarded annually, consists of a cash award of $3,500 and an equivalent raise in the winner’s salary. Past recipients include professors Joseph Kirschvink, geobiology; David Stevenson, planetary science; Donald Cohen, applied mathematics; Emlyn Hughes, physics; Barbara Imperiali, chemistry; R. David Middlebrook, electrical engineering; Yaser Abu-Mostafa, electrical engineering and computer science; Erik Antonsson, mechanical engineering; and Tom Tombrello, basic and applied physics.

Made possible by an endowment from Ione and Robert E. Paradise, with additional contributions from Mr. and Mrs. William H. Hurt, the prize was established in appreciation of Richard Feynman’s contributions to excellent teaching.
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