Fabien Sorin, discipline, soccer and the joy of hard work

EPFL’s student association AGEPoly gave out its annual Polysphère excellence in teaching awards last fall. These awards, voted on by students, recognize EPFL’s standout faculty members. We interviewed Fabien Sorin, a tenure-track assistant professor who heads up the Laboratory of Photonic Materials and Fiber Devices.

Can you share a memory with us from your school days?

When I was five or six years old and the teacher would ask us math questions. I enjoyed coming up with the answers and would always try to raise my hand faster than my friend.

What did you have in your backpack?

Panini stickers of soccer players – especially those from Paris Saint-Germain. And then when I was older, a programmable graphing calculator.

Who would you like to sit next to in class?

Someone who is good at spelling but less so at math, so that we can swap best practices.

Which teacher inspired you?

A math teacher I had when I was 15 years old. He was great at motivating us and made me appreciate the benefits of studying hard. He was also ambitious and broached difficult subjects in class, but if we put in the effort we would do ok. He would say we should always go the extra mile – which, incidentally, was also what my soccer coach also used to say.

And which one made you sweat?

While preparing for my college entrance exams in France, I spent an entire Saturday working on a number-theory assignment from my math teacher. I was stuck on the second question out of around a dozen. At that point I was really sweating and was about to give up – when something clicked and I got it. Then I was able to finish the rest of the assignment easily. It was a turning point for me as a young student; I learned that I could get through anything if I stuck at it long enough – and I discovered the thrill of finally cracking a problem!

When you’re standing in front of your students, do you feel like an actor, a gladiator, or a tamer?

I teach the basics of materials science to first-year microengineering and electrical engineering students. It’s hard to keep them interested and get them to understand the concepts when you’re in an auditorium with 200 people. So you have to be an actor: overcome your shyness, keep their attention, make sure there’s no dead time and vary up the pace. All while carefully and thoroughly explaining the theory, showing calculations and conducting experiments. You can’t be too ambitious. You have to manage your time and the content of your lessons wisely, and be well-prepared for your “performance.”

Do you prefer to teach or be taught?

I like both. I loved being a student and sometimes I still take courses online. But I also like teaching and thinking about the best way to break down and explain a concept. That means you have to thoroughly understand the concept yourself, which also benefits my research. Sometimes I can be a little severe in class because I want my students’ full attention. If I hear them making noise I’ll stop my lesson and say something. It’s for their own good.

What’s one good thing you can point to?

Teaching first-year students right off the bat. That’s a very important year for students, and the experience introduced me to the challenges of university teaching. Before that I had worked in a company.

Any clouds on the horizon?

I tend to always look at the bright side of things. I’m happy with where I am.

How would you define education?

I see education as a two-step process. First, teaching students the fundamentals of a subject. And second, helping them develop analytical thinking skills and their creativity. These two steps apply to students of all levels, weighted by how much knowledge they already have. But it doesn’t work the other way. I think teachers should also try to transmit important values like being meticulous, working hard, persevering and taking pride in what you do. My teachers showed me the satisfaction you can get out of working hard and learning new things, and that’s what I try to pass on to my students.