A spin off of our Salve Celebrities series covering different faculty members. Our first edition: Professor Alfred Kwolek.
By: Eleni Dimitrakos | Staff Writer
Little did I know when I selected Earth Science with Professor Kwolek to fulfill my science credit that I would be choosing one of my favorite classes so far. My first impression of Professor Kwolek was that he was an energetic, enthusiastic, fun professor who was extremely passionate about Earth Science and teaching it.
Among his students, he is known for his use of crossword puzzles and other fun handouts that he passes out after his lecture. When he first told us about these crossword puzzles, I remember thinking about how unique the practice is. He had told us that if we decided that the crosswords and handouts were not helpful after our first exam, he would stop giving them to us. After quite a successful first exam as a class, we were eager to keep the handouts; especially the crosswords.
“Learning is seeing, listening, and writing,” he says. “That’s why the crossword is the important one of them all!”
Once I joined The Mosaic, I learned that there was a column called “Salve Celebrities,” in which our staff writers would feature and highlight a student of Salve. I decided that it might be fun to have a sub-section of that column: Salve Celebrities: Faculty and Staff Edition. When I pitched the idea, it was greeted with excitement and I was asked if I had anyone in mind. “Professor Kwolek,” I answered almost immediately. Professor Kwolek frequently tells us personal stories that relate to the topics of the lecture and one that mentioned recently was that he regulated the drinking water in Rhode Island for 10 years.
I was so excited to be able to interview Professor Kwolek for this article. My first question to him was “Would you mind telling me a little more about yourself?” I had multiple other questions I had intended to ask Professor Kwolek over the span of our interview, but his stories were so engaging that he ended up answering every single one of my questions just based off my initial question.
We spoke for over an hour about his life, careers, struggles and general beliefs. He told me that at one point in his life, he had five jobs all at the same time. “I was working at the labs, I was teaching at Salve, I was officiating hoop, I was working at North Kingstown Recreation, and I was a real estate agent.”
Professor Kwolek attended and graduated from URI in 1974 and earned a liberal arts degree. “I took a job as a lab tech in an engineering firm,” he told me. “After, I was a lab tech for about two years.” He then told me that after taking another exam that the Lab offered, he rose ranks to Bacteriologist and remained in that position for six years. At this time, he was put in a lab where he was analyzing water samples for lead, arsenic and other elements. “Then, I found out that a friend of mine was approved to earn an M.S. at URI… I raced to the director’s office and earned an M.S. in Environmental Science in one year.”
One day in class, Professor Kwolek showed us an image of him using a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. I asked him a little more about the device. “I became an unbelievable expert operating it,” he told me. “I was even on 60 Minutes! I analyzed all of the hazardous waste samples in Rhode Island.” Thinking back to the photo he showed us in class, it really was clear how comfortable and knowledgeable he was at that instrument. “At one point, individuals across the United States were referred to me if they had a question about the instrument!” He worked for a total of 15 years as a leading analyst with the machine.
Further, he worked at a private lab in Rhode Island where he further made his mark, enhancing the systems and processes for the ease and timesaving of employees. His new process automated everything. “What used to take them three hours, took them five minutes,” he said.
Eventually, he was hired again at his old lab, this time as a water sampler. After a little while, he got moved to an office position and eventually ended up becoming the regulator for all the drinking water in Rhode Island. “The water systems loved me, because just like teaching, I wanted to help people out. Others in the office wanted to fine them.” His main goal, no matter his career, seems to have been to help people out.
When he was interviewed to teach at Salve, he knew he would be hired. “Because I’m enthusiastic; I love science!” He was hired to teach online and taught Chemistry in Society and later, Environmental Science, which he taught for two years and absolutely loved it. Eventually, he was switched to Earth Science.
Professor Kwolek shifted the conversation to his struggle with his speech impediment. “I could not say three words in a row. I stuttered horribly.”
He proceeded to tell me this incredible story about someone at a hoops session who changed his life. At an event, a person that Professor Kwolek did not get along with was shooting around with him. One day this individual came up to Professor Kwolek and said, “You don’t realize this, but you and I are more alike than you realize. I notice that when you talk, you have trouble. I also used to do the same thing.”
He referred Professor Kwolek to multiple resources to work on his stutter. “The individual never showed up again,” he told me. “I don’t even know who he is, but I wish I knew! Because he literally changed my entire life.”
“In my eyes, I don’t only teach to earn. I genuinely have an interest in everyone in that room,” he says. Professor Kwolek goes out of his way to make everyone feel not only included, but comfortable attending class. He relates to students and encourages them to attend class, promising that he will walk them through every step of the way.
This is something that I truly value about Professor Kwolek’s class: not only am I learning the material, but I genuinely enjoy attending class. “I like teaching you all about science,” he said after a thoughtful pause. “I try to teach you the reality. So that you can choose the right individual in office, you can choose to live your lives and protect Earth. That’s what I have an interest in.”
When asked to give advice for young college students, he replied immediately. “In everything you’re involved in, even if you’re sweeping a floor, sweep it like nobody else. Do not be happy with average. Just because everyone else in the classroom, on the team, in your office is slaffing off, don’t join in. Be the hardest worker. Exert the most effort.”
“Because I had to,” he admits. “Because I could say hardly anything. Exert an all-out effort in everything and treat everyone like you would like to be treated.” Salve Regina is lucky to have the type of person and educator that Professor Kwolek is.
Photos provided by Professor Kwolek and WikiCommons.
