Dr. Steven Fawls lifelong journey from wanting to do chemistry at the age of 7 to writing the definitive college chemistry textbook at age 62, is the stuff of legend.
After teaching chemistry for nearly 40 years, including 32 at Napa Valley College, Fawl decided that it was about time that he put his years of experience down on paper.
To that end, he wrote an 800-page textbook. It took just three years to write, a feat that takes most authors 10 years or more to accomplish.
What makes the text notable is that he not only wrote the words but he also created all of the artwork. He drew nearly 2,000 images and graphics, including some that have never before been seen or conceived in any previous textbook.
The book, Insights in Chemistry, is receiving rave reviews from college chemistry educators who say Fawl is breaking new ground in a subject that has been around for approximately 24 centuries.
Fawl is already putting together a more concise, and even more graphically appealing, revised edition, due to be published in August.
I like chemistry because it answers the question, Why? said Fawl, who said he acquired an appreciation of art from his mother and a passion for writing from his father.
Fawl always had an aptitude for math and science but also had a strong interest in art.
In his senior year of high school he received a full-ride scholarship to art school, but turned it down in order to study chemistry.
I remember sitting down with my father to discuss my choices. He told me that if I went into chemistry, that I could still do my art, so now I do both.
So, throughout his teaching career Fawl has used art to explain chemistry.
There are topics in chemistry where we tell students that something happens and we never tell them why, he said.
Most of the time this happens because neither the books nor the instructors understand the topic well enough to explain it themselves. But when you use art, chemistry becomes real.
Through my art I have created images of things that have never been seen before. You understand it when you see it, and I have discovered ways of explaining these concepts through my art.
While his publisher had been happy to print several of Fawls lab manuals, more was expected of the longtime educator.
They asked me if I was working on anything else that might interest them and I told them that I had written the beginning of a chemistry textbook. They told me that they couldnt afford to publish a chemistry book because of the cost of the artwork. I smiled and told them, But I am going to do all the artwork, and they gave me the go-ahead.
As a result, I have created many images that have never been seen before and in some cases never conceived before. I am lucky because I dont have to depend on someone else to interpret my words in order to draw my pictures. I draw exactly what I see in my mind. If I hadnt been an artist, my students would never have seen the most important images in my book.
Through his art, Fawl has achieved an unprecedented insight into subjects that most instructors do not understand, especially in the area of quantum mechanics.
Quantum mechanics is hard, Fawl explains, but not because the topic is that difficult, I just think that it is taught poorly. For example, most instructors have little or no understanding of the shapes of atomic orbitals, but in my book, I explain exactly how and why these shapes are made.
This past year, Fawl was asked to give a presentation to a group of students who teach in NVCs Supplemental Instructor program.
Using his art background, Fawl gave these students jars of Play-Doh and some kitchen knives and a simple set of rules.
Following those rules, the students were able to create accurate 3D models of atomic orbitals that have never been drawn in any book. The technique is said to be groundbreaking.
Richard Thompson-Bremer, Emeritus Professor of English at NVC and one of Fawls mentors, complemented Fawl for writing a chemistry book that even he could understand.
The book has revelatory 3-D images, said Bremer.
Dr. Fawl offers leading-edge thinking, presenting concepts and methods not addressed in prior textbooks. His students are privileged to learn with a mentor who models critical and creative thinking.
Dr. Steven Farmer, chemistry professor at Sonoma State University, agreed.
This is easily the most proficient teaching textbook Ive ever seen, said Farmer. It contains several new methods for explaining general chemistry concepts.
NVC chemistry professor Josh Hanson said his students are reading the textbook because they enjoy it.
They can just open it up and start reading and learning, said Hanson, who taught at Woodland College, Cosumnes River College and UC Davis before coming to NVC this year.
The book presents an alternate way of looking at things, different than the way I learned and taught chemistry. I come from a different background, so its interesting to see students doing something I never taught them, and doing it well.
Hanson said he would not be surprised to see other college chemistry programs using the book.
I would like to see the book in more places because it is instructional instead of encyclopedic. Steve has a background in art and he uses that in his chemistry, Hanson said.
One of Fawls former students, Dr. Robert Cattolica, biology instructor at Chabot College, credits his academic and professional success to Fawls rigorous academic standards, coupled with highly effective and engaging teaching techniques.
Several of Fawls students, after they completed the chemistry series at Napa Valley College, moved on to UC Davis. Some, like James Carter, became tutors there.
Under Dr. Fawls apprenticeship I fell in love with chemistry, said Carter, who is studying for his doctorate at UNLV. When he applied to Davis, he wanted to become a tutor in organic chemistry but the school was reluctant to accept a community college as a prerequisite, said Carter.
They were not certain that any community college would be comparable or adequate, so they required me to take a placement exam. When I scored over the 90th percentile, they told me my education was good enough, and they offered me a position as an instructional aide, a tutor, doing academic workshops.
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Using art to explain chemistry, NVC professor writes and illustrates his own book - Napa Valley Register
