Two Penn State faculty honored with 2025 C.I. Noll Award
The Penn State Eberly College of Science has honored two faculty members with the 2025 C.I. Noll Award for Excellence in Teaching. Instituted in 1972 and named in honor of Clarence I. Noll, dean of the college from 1965 to 1971, the award is the highest honor for undergraduate teaching in the college. Students, faculty members and alumni nominate outstanding faculty members who best exemplify the key characteristics of a Penn State educator. This year's awardees are Ben Lear, professor of chemistry, and Russell deForest, assistant teaching professor of mathematics.
Ben Lear
Since 2019, Lear has concentrated on undergraduate education at Penn State, making significant and multifaceted contributions through a blend of innovative teaching, mentoring, outreach and curriculum development.
Lear has been praised for continually enhancing his courses to improve student learning — pioneering new formats in CHEM110: Chemical Principles I, refining CHEM110H: Chemical Principles I - Honors, and creating SC103N: When Data Meets Design, a unique interdisciplinary course that blends graphic design, data processing and artificial intelligence (AI) tools. In his courses, he emphasizes clear communication of learning objectives, guided hands-on learning and the use of emerging tools like AI and ChatGPT, the latter of which he published about in the Journal of Chemical Education. Lear has mentored nearly 20 undergraduate researchers and eight Research Experiences for Undergraduates program students, many of whom have gone on to prestigious graduate programs and careers.
A student nominator wrote, “Not only does Professor Lear build the foundation of a student’s chemistry understanding, but he also contextualizes and integrates this knowledge with other subjects to advance their professional careers as scientists. Through weekly recitations, we got to discuss chemistry-adjacent topics involving history, philosophy, and psychology while supplementing it with ethics and data visualization. By connecting seemingly unrelated subjects, he deepened both our understanding of chemistry and the world around us.”
His service includes co-chairing curriculum revisions, evaluating teaching effectiveness and advising honors students. He is active in educational outreach, including leading summer programs for high school students and organizing national workshops on AI in education.
His excellence in teaching has been honored with the Penn State Department of Chemistry’s Priestley Prize, along with numerous invited presentations at national conferences such as the American Chemical Society meetings. Lear has also successfully pursued funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation for research on AI-assisted education. In addition, he is writing a book on coding for experimental chemists, aiming to address the growing need for educational resources that help undergraduate science majors develop coding skills.
Lear joined Penn State in 2010 as an assistant professor of chemistry and was promoted to full professor in 2023. Before arriving at Penn State, he conducted postdoctoral research at Ohio State University. He earned both his master’s and doctoral degrees in chemistry from the University of California, San Diego, where he also completed his undergraduate studies in biochemistry.
Russell DeForest
DeForest’s teaching pedagogy at Penn State has evolved from a performance-based lecture model to a deeply student-centered approach, focused on creating engaging, supportive learning environments. He emphasizes active learning through flipped classrooms in courses like MATH140B: Calculus and Biology I, MATH141B: Calculus and Biology II, and MATH 33: Mathematics for Sustainability, where students engage with material before class and collaborate during class time. This format fosters peer interaction, encourages problem-solving and normalizes confusion as part of the learning process.
A central innovation in deForest’s teaching is the development and implementation of a specifications grading system in the biocalculus sequence. This mastery-based framework aligns grading with clearly defined learning objectives, allowing students multiple opportunities to demonstrate proficiency and promoting growth through feedback. The system has significantly improved student confidence and performance, especially among those with less mathematical backgrounds.
To further support his students, deForest initiated a peer outreach program using undergraduate learning assistants as teaching assistants, thanks to a Teaching Transformation and Innovation Grant from the Penn State Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence. These TAs not only lead in-class activities but also provide proactive outreach and encouragement to students. Student feedback has confirmed the positive impact of these efforts on confidence, help-seeking behavio, and persistence in learning.
One of his student nominators said, “Having experienced Professor deForest’s teaching as a student, learning assistant, and later as part of the first teaching assistant cohort, I have seen firsthand how he continuously refines the specifications-graded calculus course to maximize student engagement and learning outcomes. His dedication to evidence-based teaching is reflected in the foundations of his specifications-graded approach. He isn’t content with simply teaching calculus — he is shaping the way calculus is taught.”
Across all his teaching efforts, deForest demonstrates a deep commitment to inclusion, continuous improvement and empowering students as active participants in their education. His work has inspired greater engagement with his colleagues, improved outcomes, and a shift in students' attitudes toward mathematics.
DeForest joined Penn State in 2009 as an assistant teaching professor of mathematics. He earned his doctoral degree in mathematics from Penn State and completed his undergraduate studies in mathematics, with a minor in economics, at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.