{"id":571592,"date":"2023-10-25T12:20:18","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T16:20:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=571592"},"modified":"2024-03-26T11:50:06","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T15:50:06","slug":"james-mcgrath-2023-goergen-awards-winner-571592","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/james-mcgrath-2023-goergen-awards-winner-571592\/","title":{"rendered":"James McGrath: \u2018Neat\u2019 way of teaching becomes a student rite of passage"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>The biomedical engineering professor\u2019s approach has spillover effects beyond the signature undergraduate course he\u2019s taught for 20 years.<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/hajim.rochester.edu\/bme\/people\/faculty\/mcgrath_james\/index.html\">James McGrath<\/a>\u2019s 20-year teaching career has been guided by a series of rules. The first of which is that neatness counts. Second: Working carefully is more important than working quickly. And finally, teach to the least-prepared student in the room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy goal is always to simplify the presentation so that everybody in the room is learning something,\u201d says McGrath, the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of <a href=\"http:\/\/hajim.rochester.edu\/bme\/\">Biomedical Engineering<\/a> at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\">Ä¢¹½´«Ã½<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s clear that students are learning a lot.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDr. McGrath\u2019s passion for biomechanics is palpable from the very first lecture,\u201d says Arthur Masiukiewicz \u201924. \u201cHe truly wants to make sure that every student understands the material. He executes this by encouraging students to ask questions in every lecture, and by prompting students with questions of his own to spark discussion of the material.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>A demanding teacher\u2019s legacy continued<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>McGrath, who grew up in Mesa, Arizona, earned an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at Arizona State University. After completing a master\u2019s from MIT in 1994 and a PhD from the Harvard-MIT Program of Health Sciences and Technology in 1998, McGrath interviewed for jobs in academia and industry.<\/p>\n<p>Yet the lure of teaching was strong, and in 2001 he joined the URochester, right when the biomechanical engineering department was being established. \u201cIt was so new that I was writing the curriculum for a class\u2014BME 201: Fundamentals of Biomechanics\u2014just in time for the department\u2019s first sophomore class to take it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>His mentor at Arizona State had been a demanding engineering professor named Daniel Jankowski. \u201cHe was harsh but brilliant,\u201d McGrath says. \u201cHe inspired me tremendously.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_571842\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-571842\" style=\"width: 350px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-571842\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/inline-james-mcgrath-1000w.jpg\" alt=\"Portrait of James McGrath smiling at the camera with his hands in his pockets against a brick background.\" width=\"350\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/inline-james-mcgrath-1000w.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/inline-james-mcgrath-1000w-420x630.jpg 420w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/inline-james-mcgrath-1000w-768x1152.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-571842\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">James McGrath, the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Biomedical Engineering, is among the recipients of the 2023 Goergen Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. (Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One aspect of Jankowski\u2019s teaching that McGrath adopted at Rochester was a commitment to neatness in students\u2019 homework. McGrath requires everyone in his BME 201 class to form lines using straight edges and circles using circle templates or protractors. \u201cSloppiness in a presentation is actually sloppy thinking,\u201d he explains, \u201cand neatness in a presentation is essential for clear thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s more than that, McGrath says: \u201cThis is the first real engineering course that many students have ever taken. I thought it was very important that they develop these good habits for problem solving early on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Biomedical engineering associate professor Mark Buckley was grading papers for a class last year when he noticed this attention to detail from one student after another. When he commended their immaculate work, they told him, \u201cWe learned it from Professor McGrath.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McGrath taught that course, which is required for biomedical engineering majors, for 20 consecutive years until taking a sabbatical last year. As a result, virtually every biomedical engineering student over the past two decades has had him as a teacher.<\/p>\n<p>While he\u2019s strict on neatness, McGrath is lenient on time. For his first 12 years, he gave students as long as possible to finish final exams\u2014literally. \u201cBack then, exams would start at 7:30 p.m., and the record was a student who turned in her exam at 6:30 a.m. because she had to catch a flight home,\u201d McGrath says. \u201cThe registrar eventually moved the final exam to noon and made this approach impossible. But I still give students as long as possible to complete the final.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Students have unlimited time to complete final exams\u2014and some take several hours. He waits until the last student is finished, reasoning that careful work should be rewarded over quick work. Buckley says students in his classes have talked about BME 201 \u201clike a rite of passage that they were proud of having successfully completed.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>How COVID-19 spurred a pedagogical shake-up<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down much of the River Campus in March 2020 and moved classes online, McGrath took the setback as a chance to shake up his teaching.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere were times in those 20 years when I felt like I couldn\u2019t inspire myself or the students,\u201d he says. \u201cThe only way to stay fresh is to step outside of your comfort zone and risk failure, and I decided this was the time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Prepping for his classes from home, he created more than 30 animated videos that cover fundamental concepts in biomechanics, providing the voiceovers himself. The videos were so popular that he used them when students returned to his class in person\u2014only this time, he provided live narration. \u201cFor the first time in 20 years, I was able to face the students to teach instead of turning my back to write on the board,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was very liberating.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>A teaching philosophy applied in the lab and beyond<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>McGrath\u2019s early research focused on the phenomena of cell migration. But since 2007, he has been leading the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.urmc.rochester.edu\/labs\/mcgrath.aspx\">Nanomembrane Research Group<\/a>, a highly interdisciplinary, multi-institutional team that is developing and applying ultrathin silicon nanomembrane technologies. He views the group\u2019s undergraduate and graduate researchers as his collaborators. \u201cI\u2019m terribly disinterested in being anybody\u2019s boss, but I have no choice,\u201d he says. \u201cI do my best over our years of work together to help a student address their weaknesses, but without being too heavy-handed. By the time they leave, my goal is that they are, in fact, a colleague and not \u2018my student.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His current colleagues are as impressed as his students.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s always thinking hard about the course, how best to teach it, how to meet the needs of his students and ensure that learning objectives are met,\u201d says Stephen McAleavey, and associate professor and chair of the biomedical engineering department. \u201cHis commitment to pedagogy is an inspiration to me and my colleagues.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_571862\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-571862\" style=\"width: 2000px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-571862\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/inline-2023-09-29_James_McGrath_0080.jpg\" alt=\"Downward view of James McGrath with his arms folded while standing on exterior stairs. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/inline-2023-09-29_James_McGrath_0080.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/inline-2023-09-29_James_McGrath_0080-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/inline-2023-09-29_James_McGrath_0080-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/inline-2023-09-29_James_McGrath_0080-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-571862\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u201cDr. McGrath\u2019s passion for biomechanics is palpable from the very first lecture,\u201d says Arthur Masiukiewicz \u201924. \u201cHe truly wants to make sure that every student understands the material.\u201d (Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>McGrath also is the cofounder of <a href=\"https:\/\/simpore.com\">SiMPore<\/a>, a membrane and nanotechnology company based in Rochester, New York, and serves on the board as a corporate director. Several undergraduates from his class have completed internships at the company over the years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEngaging with industry and start-ups over the years has given me an appreciation of the universal need for sound thinkers who can solve unanticipated technical problems,\u201d he says. \u201cWe do teach problem solving very well in BME, and I think we have done it well in many programs at Rochester for decades. So my experience has given me the confidence to know that Rochester students will have a positive impact in their jobs once they are done here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His familiarity with industry has motivated him to prepare his students by emphasizing the fundamentals of problem solving until the key steps become habit. \u201cState the problem clearly and in your own words so that you own it,\u201d he says. \u201cYou are not finished with your work until you check that your answers are at least sensible. Others must ultimately judge whether they are the correct answers.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr style=\"width: 50%;\" \/>\n<h3><strong>What James McGrath\u2019s students say<\/strong><\/h3>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cProfessor McGrath\u2019s use of animated videos of his lectures was unique and helped me effectively visualize and understand the motions of the particles and rigid bodies we were studying, and the methods to solve problems. During his lectures, he frequently stopped to answer all the questions of his students, often approaching explanations in more detail, or from a different angle, to ensure the student fully understood the answer to their question. This enabled me to learn the material and excel in his class.\u201d<br \/>\n<em>\u2014Wendy Zimmerman \u201924<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a student, Professor McGrath\u2019s teaching was clear, effective, and relevant. As a teaching assistant, he allowed freedom and creativity in the teaching environment. He often let us implement materials that we thought would be beneficial to students. I assure you that I am not the only student who believes Professor McGrath\u2019s class was essential in our education and that he did a fantastic job in furthering our learning.\u201d<br \/>\n<em>\u2014Priscila Passerotti Vaciski Barbosa \u201922<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe is a true inspirational professor, mentor, and a role model. It was a true honor to learn from him and a pleasure to work alongside him. I learned so much that cannot be taught anywhere else. I plan to stay in touch with him anywhere I go. Any time I reached an impasse, he offered me help that led to my growth. He\u2019s an exemplary professor that any student is lucky to meet.\u201d<br \/>\n<em>\u2014Michael C. Lee \u201922<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The biomedical engineering professor\u2019s approach has spillover effects beyond the signature undergraduate course he\u2019s taught for 20 years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":672,"featured_media":572202,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[486,18742,18632,19182],"class_list":["post-571592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community","tag-awards","tag-department-of-biomedical-engineering","tag-hajim-school-of-engineering-and-applied-sciences","tag-james-mcgrath"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>James McGrath: \u2018Neat\u2019 way of teaching becomes a student rite of passage<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"James McGrath&#039;s approach has spillover effects beyond the undergraduate course he\u2019s taught for 20 years at the URochester.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/james-mcgrath-2023-goergen-awards-winner-571592\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"James McGrath: \u2018Neat\u2019 way of teaching becomes a student rite of passage\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"James McGrath&#039;s approach has spillover effects beyond the undergraduate course he\u2019s taught for 20 years at the URochester.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/james-mcgrath-2023-goergen-awards-winner-571592\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-10-25T16:20:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-03-26T15:50:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/fea-james-mcgrath-2023-goergen-awards.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1050\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jim Mandelaro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jim Mandelaro\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/james-mcgrath-2023-goergen-awards-winner-571592\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/james-mcgrath-2023-goergen-awards-winner-571592\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jim Mandelaro\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/35537746af700f24d7e52e350d95b124\"},\"headline\":\"James McGrath: \u2018Neat\u2019 way of teaching becomes a student rite of passage\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-10-25T16:20:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-03-26T15:50:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/james-mcgrath-2023-goergen-awards-winner-571592\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1461,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/james-mcgrath-2023-goergen-awards-winner-571592\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/fea-james-mcgrath-2023-goergen-awards.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"awards\",\"Department of Biomedical Engineering\",\"Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences\",\"James McGrath\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Campus &amp; 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(Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ photo \/ J. 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