Faculty of the Week: Eric Olson

By SAM ALTMAN, ADELLE PITTS, KEVIN  THANT, and JULIA ZHOU 

Among the new faculty introduced at opening assembly this year, one particularly accomplished teacher stood on that stage, coming to us from halfway across the world: Dr. Eric Olson, Instructor in Science. Although he’s only been here for a few weeks, he’s already making an impact in the classroom, the dorm, and on the water. 

Dr. Albert Leger, Chair of the Science Department, commented on the circumstances surrounding Olson being chosen. “We were advertising for a position in physics and chemistry, now that Mr. Hiza, who taught both, retired last year. And it’s great to have the flexibility of someone who can teach both subjects.”

Before teaching, Olson did extensive work in industry and research. “He has his PhD in Chemical Physics, and prior to finding his passion in teaching, he worked in industry at GE Global for ten years,” Leger said. 

“Before I was a teacher, I was a senior scientist,” Olson said. “I worked at a global research center where we built light-emitting devices and characterized them with million-dollar microscopes. I worked on materials that were used in next-generation jet engines and wind turbines. So I have a background in using microscopy and characterization tools to invent new materials. I also have a patent related to high-temperature structural materials for turbines and power generation.” 

“I think it’s great to have someone who’s done so much research,” upper Erin Han said. “I think that’s part of why he’s been emphasizing from the very beginning the scientific method, not only the chemistry itself, but how you should look at science, how you should study science. There’s also already been an emphasis on labs and I think that may also stem from his lab work.”

“We do a lot of interactive work around the table, and we’ve done a lot of labs,” lower Alex Lim said.. “Even on the first day of class, we did a ton of cool labs, which was really a great introduction to chemistry [in contrast to biology].”

Before coming to Exeter, Olson lived and taught in Singapore. “I was living overseas in Singapore for six years,” Olson said. “In the past, I’ve owned five different houses in the US, and now, I don’t own a home right now that I would live in. So I really was attracted to the idea of living in a residential school setting. I also loved the idea that I could coach rowing right next to where I teach science.” 

He continued, “In Singapore, students were more quiet and resistant to engaging in conversation. But my teaching style very much requires students to be in dialogue with each other. They thought that, as a PhD scientist, I should be talking most of the time and teaching them what I know. It was difficult to convince them that they’ll learn better if I talk less and they talk more,”

Olson has also shared some of the more unique parts of his background with his students. According to Han, “He often talks a lot about his funnier, fonder memories of Singapore. One thing he’s mentioned quite a bit is how gum is banned in Singapore. So whenever he sees a kid chewing gum here, he’s taken aback for a second. I think that’s a testament to his very unique background.”

Instructor in Science Melissa Mischke explained some of the possible differences in teaching in Singapore. “In Singapore, they do what’s called IB chemistry and IGCSE chemistry, which is a more European model—a cyclical model compared to the subject model.”

Despite having been in that different environment, Olson has adapted quickly, and his teaching style seems to be fitting in well at Exeter.

“My style is to really surrender some control to the students and allow the students to take the class in some different directions,” Olson explained. “So I describe it as being comfortable going on tangents with the students if a student’s interests or a student’s questioning brings you there. You won’t always know what’s going to happen. I don’t really repeat things from one class to the next. Right now, I teach four Chemistry 310s, but it’s very rare that the same thing happens in different classes.”

“He’s a very easy going guy. He’s not overly serious and he jokes around, trying to keep things conversational,” upper Edward Wu said. 

“I feel like Dr. Olson brings a very warm and energizing presence to the classroom. He often talks about his background, which is very diverse. His style is very organized, I’d say. At the beginning of class, he does this thing where he passes out half sheets, which are kind of just ungraded quizzes, meant to see if you comprehend the material, which I’ve appreciated a lot,” Han said.

Wu also mentioned the paper slips. “At the beginning of every class, he hands out these half sheets on which we write about an observation, a problem, and a question we had. This is a tool that allows him to know us better even beyond regular class time. For example, the observation portion could be anything — even that it was really cold outside this morning. It could also be course-related or an actual chemistry question.” 

Wu continued, “He organizes this class at a very manageable pace. He regularly checks in with us. Every Wednesday, he gives us this sheet that we’ll fill out telling him what concepts we understand very well and what concepts we don’t.”

“For me, Dr. Olson’s teaching style is a nice mixture between Harkness and that classic teaching style. He asks for everyone’s individual opinion on the reading and how we think of something, but he also goes up to the board if we are struggling or if there’s a new topic and does take the lead,” upper Neal Veeranna said. 

“I think he’s doing great,” Mischke said. “One of the reasons we hired him is because he’s got a great personality. He loves teaching, and that was very obvious when we talked to him. He was just very dynamic and had a lot of good things to say.”

“He’s incredibly versatile,” Leger commented. “The first time I spoke with Dr. Olson over Zoom, he seemed a very enthusiastic instructor. After a few weeks at Exeter, he’s happy to be here, he loves the students and age group he’s teaching, and I think he feels lucky to be at a school like Exeter.”

“I try to be excited when I teach chemistry,” Mischke reflected. “And I think that really helps engage the students, especially those that might be on the fringe of enjoying the class. Or even, if they hate the subject, maybe this isn’t as bad as they thought it was going to be. I feel like Dr. Olson is the type of person to inspire those thoughts also.”

In the science department, Olson is getting to know his fellow faculty. “I share a classroom and lab with Mr. McLaughlin, and I get along very well with him, partly because I see him every day,” he said. “Right across the hall from me is Mr. McTammany, whom I’ve also gotten to know well. And then there’s Dr. Leger, who works with me both on the river and in the science department and is someone I really like. It’s actually one of the reasons I accepted the job—I had so many interactions with him during the interview and felt really good about him.” 

Olson will also be working on coaching boys’ crew for this coming year. “Originally, I was hired to be a coach in the spring for the competitive season, but the fall crew also had a lot of interest and large numbers of students, so they needed my help as a coach in the fall too.”

“Just yesterday, I was out in a boat and, since my approach to coaching is to model just like in the classroom, I tried to give them an example of something to imitate on the water,” Olson continued. “They’re able to watch the example that I set, and then eventually they get good enough that then I just step out of the boat, and then they’re doing it without me.”

“He’s an experienced crew coach,” Leger, who also coaches the crew team, explained. “He volunteered to coach two seasons of crew, which is not easy, and he loves it. He loves being out of the water, helping kids learn how to row at all different levels. I know he has experience rowing himself, teaching middle schoolers scull rowing, and high schoolers sweep rowing.”

“The boathouse is amazing,” Olson added. “I live close to it on the other side of campus, and I love to spend time in the morning running along the river.”

Olson is also settling into being dorm faculty at Peabody Hall. “I do like the kitchen in Peabody. I baked a cake in the kitchen recently because I was on duty two nights in a row. I didn’t want to just come and sit here for eight hours over two nights—I wanted to do something different. I also like that we have two common rooms and that it’s not huge so that I can get to know everybody’s name quickly.”

“He really wants to get to know us,” lower and Peabody Hall resident Holden Sage-Murillo said. “I feel that he’ll be a great addition to the Peabody team. He’s also very open to talking about how the general faculty system works and about how check-in is supposed to work. He’s just very bubbly, very outgoing.”

Sage-Murillo continued, “One way he’s been interacting with the dorm is baking while on duty, which I know the preps have been especially involved with. He has a bag with baking gear in it, and these past few days he’s made some apple pie and tonight he made some cupcakes for the dorm.”

The faculty at Exeter do so much for the Exeter student body in more ways than just teaching in the classroom. And, as more students get to know them, each faculty member makes a larger impact on their colleagues and students. To this end, his fellow faculty members had some final reflections.

“I’m just excited to learn more about Dr. Olson and work with him. It’s great to have just another colleague who’s interested and engaged and paying attention,” Mischke remarked. 

“I’m looking forward to seeing him develop as a science teacher and a crew coach and integrate fully into the fabric of the school. We are lucky to have Dr. Olson with us at Exeter,” Leger concluded.