INSPIRING INTEREST IN NUMBERS:
Roman Wong, Ph.D.
On a typical morning at Washington & Jefferson College, Roman Wong bustles around his small, square office on the third floor of Old Main, preparing for another busy day of teaching. The open door welcomes visitors into his tidy space, where dozens of mathematics books line the shelves. Behind his desk, Wong sits in a worn, high-back brown leather chair. The mug cupped between his hands explains the pleasant aroma of tea, and his warm smile reveals his passion for teaching—a passion he has passed onto W&J mathematics students since 1978. At 9:15 a.m., class begins. Wong stands on his tip-toes and thrusts his arm toward the ceiling in order to reach the blackboard’s upper edge as he discusses the z-score. Twenty students frantically scribble notes to keep up with the fast-paced lecture. At 9:28 a.m., the sound of chalk against the blackboard ceases. Wong exchanges his piece of chalk for a large, black eraser. He has run out of space. Wong was born in China. After completing his undergraduate studies in Hong Kong, he moved to the U.S. to obtain his doctorate from Rutgers University. He spent one year teaching at Syracuse University before accepting a position at W&J, where he has been teaching ever since. When Wong joined the faculty, W&J had been co-educational for eight years. He believes the College was well adjusted to the change at that time, though he admits that few females were enrolled in his math courses. “I think there were more males than females in my classes not because co-ed was new, but because, at the time, not many females chose to be math majors,” he said. Today, the number of male and female students in Wong’s math courses is equal.
For Wong, “math is timeless.” While the department adjusts courses to incorporate new technology, the actual material has not changed in more than a century. Unlike the content of his math courses, Wong’s role at W&J has changed greatly since 1978. He came to the College solely as a professor, and he taught both math and computer science courses for 10 years. During the last two summers, Wong received grants to conduct research with several of his math students. “Math research opportunities are really hard to get,” Chelsea Cerini ’11 said about her summer research experience. “Dr. Wong gets very involved with his students and gives them amazing opportunities to do research on campus. At the national math conference in San Francisco, we presented alongside some of the smartest mathematicians in the nation.” In addition to providing his students with career-broadening opportunities, Wong also enjoys teaching unique Intersession courses, which, like female students, were introduced to W&J in 1970. He once taught a course on origami mathematics, and the students’ colorful projects still decorate his office. “I enjoy those classes a lot,” he said. “Most of the students are not math majors. I teach those courses to make students, especially freshmen, not feel intimidated to take math courses and to maybe become math majors.”
“Teaching is just such a rewarding profession.”
At W&J, Wong teaches exclusively in Old Main. He appreciates the building’s high ceilings, old age and charm, and stresses that the older technology does not present a problem. Grinning, he adds, “Fortunately, for math, we rely on blackboard and chalk.” When asked why he loves to teach, Wong flashes his widest smile yet. He pauses for a moment, then replies, “Sometimes you get something from your former students and they come back to see you. Some visit me back home. Teaching is just such a rewarding profession.” – AMANDA GABER ’12
In addition to working with college students, Wong occasionally teaches child-level math courses through a community outreach program. While the material may be very different, his teaching method is the same. “You have to be patient to be a teacher,” he said.
WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON COLLEGE
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