Tom Chen

Professor

“Take advantage of everything you can at SMC. We’re in a great environment here, not only academically, but also culturally.”

“I always say that I’ve got a Southern Chinese accent!” says Tom Chen, who taught for 20 years at the University of Tennessee. “I enjoyed those years, but there, I was up in front of 500 people. Here, I’m only teaching maybe 30. And that’s one of the best things at SMC,” says Tom. “There is so much close interaction between students and teachers. And the diversity of our students just means that people will be much more well rounded because of being exposed to other cultures.”

Tom learned another culture—the American variety—when he came here from Taiwan more than 30 years ago to study. “I got a good education in Florida, did my post-doc work in Colorado, then spent most of my time teaching, doing research, and in public service in Tennessee. I’m very fond of America, but Santa Monica is among the best of all places,” says Tom. “We’ve got a great climate and a lot of great people who are open-minded.” And for Tom, being open-minded in these troubled days means being aware of some of the issues involved in his passion: Science.

“This is surely going to be the ‘Century of Biology’ because of the bioterrorism we’ll be facing,” says Tom. “My fondest hope is that—after learning the basic concepts of biology in my classes—students will be able to think more critically. They’ll be able to evaluate all the new information we’re getting these days and sort out what is useful for them to know. In my classes for non-Science majors,” Tom continues, “I certainly try to make complex issues very understandable. Biology is now more of an essential science to understand than it ever was.”

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