{"id":723972,"date":"2026-10-20T11:47:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T15:47:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=723972"},"modified":"2026-10-20T11:47:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T15:47:18","slug":"ben-hafensteiner-helping-students-connect-the-dots-723972","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/ben-hafensteiner-helping-students-connect-the-dots-723972\/","title":{"rendered":"Benjamin Hafensteiner: Helping students connect the dots"},"content":{"rendered":"

An engaging and approachable teaching style in chemistry earned him URochester\u2019s highest award for undergraduate instruction.<\/h2>\n

As Benjamin Hafensteiner<\/a> \u201903 stands at the front of Hubbell Auditorium in Hutchison Hall, he builds every chemistry lecture like a story.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m teaching, I try to connect the dots,\u201d says the associate professor of instruction in the Department of Chemistry<\/span><\/a> at the University of Rochester<\/span><\/a>. \u201cThe story arc of the lecture foreshadows what is to come next and highlights the layers of understanding that each topic builds on and to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hafensteiner\u2019s approach to instruction is fueled by a passion for helping people, and his teaching style earned him this year\u2019s Goergen Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching<\/a>, the University\u2019s highest award for teaching.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen is a dedicated instructor and innovator in education whose enthusiasm, skill, mentorship, and innovations in the classroom and beyond have positively impacted the educational experience of thousands of URochester students,\u201d says Kara Bren<\/a>, the Richard S. Eisenberg Professor of Chemistry and chair of the department. \u201cThe respect that he earns from his students is reflected in his having been selected as the Undergraduate National Sciences Professor of the Year by the URochester Students\u2019 Association twice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bit by bit, putting it together<\/h3>\n
\"Benjamin
Benjamin Hafensteiner (URochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hafensteiner began his college career at URochester as an undergraduate student in 1999 with designs on attending medical school after graduation. Those career aspirations would change after taking an organic chemistry class with Jack Kampmeier.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved the way he taught,\u201d Hafensteiner says, adding that Kampmeier \u2014 a professor emeritus of chemistry and former University dean who died in 2011\u2014skillfully explained why the fundamentals of organic chemistry worked as they did, and how principles were interconnected.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was so satisfying to me as a student. It was the first time my job wasn\u2019t just memorizing. I had to work hard to be good at that class. But it was effort that translated into understanding. And when I understood it, I could apply it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like his former teacher, Hafensteiner\u2019s approach to instructing is to share \u201cthe why\u201d with his students. Nothing makes him happier than seeing the light-bulb moment when a student grasps a concept, especially during his group office hours\u2014his favorite part of his job.<\/p>\n

Colleagues praise his commitment to helping students succeed.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite teaching courses that many students initially view as among the most challenging requirements in the curriculum, he creates a learning environment that is both rigorous and supportive,\u201d says Ellen Matson<\/a>, the Marshall D. Gates, Jr. Professor of Chemistry. \u201cHis classroom presence is engaging and approachable, and he fosters a culture in which students feel comfortable asking questions, seeking help, and actively participating in their own learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Between chalk and a hard place<\/h3>\n

A framed poster in Hafensteiner\u2019s office features an image of him smiling while gazing at the loaf-of-bread-sized eraser as he cradles it in his arms. The photo caption reads: My emotional support eraser<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get bent out of shape when I can\u2019t find that thing,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

That eraser, and the chalk that goes with it, is a critical component of his instruction and ability to connect with students.<\/p>\n

\u201cI teach with chalk because I can pace a lecture much more effectively than when using slides,\u201d says Hafensteiner, who uses three large chalkboards in his lecture hall. \u201cAnd if I am drawing on the board, I am close to the speed at which students are drawing in their notebooks as they are taking notes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Erasing the chalkboard provides an additional benefit: a pause in which to ask, \u201cWhat questions do you have?\u201d It helps him spot areas where students may be struggling, and he uses that information to structure future lectures.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also not above filling the respite with a story about his kids, or his latest musical obsession, in the hopes of \u201ceroding the \u2018sage on the stage\u2019 stereotype and letting students see me as the quirky, normal human I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

But student success is what drives Hafensteiner, and at the start of every school year, he shares with them a simple but important message.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to say something along the lines of \u2018this class is you and me against the book\u2026 we\u2019re here together to try to figure this out.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

What URochester students say about Ben Hafensteiner<\/h3>\n

\u201cIn a lecture hall filled with around 300 students, Dr. H managed to make every student feel like they were receiving a private lesson. His lectures were filled with simplified, paced explanations and a genuine desire to clear any confusion students may have. He would leave no question unanswered, offering every opportunity to listen and clarify in a way that kept the class running smoothly.\u201d
\n\u2014<\/strong>Yasmin Soufan\u00a0\u201928, biology major<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHaving the opportunity to learn from Dr. H as both a student and a workshop leader has made a significant difference in my academic journey, for which I am deeply grateful.\u201d
\n\u2014Penelope Chen \u201927, biological sciences major <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cDr. H made me want to teach. Not just to explain content, but to truly teach. To help students feel capable, to make difficult ideas approachable, and to create the kind of learning environment where people leave believing more in themselves than they did when they entered.\u201d
\n\u2014Grace McInerney \u201928, clinical and traditional sciences major<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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