Dr Nivaldo José Tro

Professor Tro has worked as a chemistry professor for over 30 years. His academic credentials include a PhD from Stanford University and postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley. He’s an expert in his subject area, having written many world-class textbooks on the fundamentals of chemistry and all its different forms. He’s also revered by students who voted him Teacher of the Year in 1994 and again in 2001.  

Chemistry and education 

Professor Tro was drawn to the world of chemistry because he wanted to understand more about the structure of molecules and atoms. “It’s a triumph of the human intellect that we’ve been able to make this connection,” he says. “Especially when you consider how small atoms actually are – the ink in the period at the end of this sentence contains more than a quadrillion (1015) atoms”.  

When it comes to teaching, the professor believes in the power of education. He’s an advocate for two widely recognised educational theories – the Spacing Effect (the idea that spreading out one’s learning over time helps with long term retention) and the Retrieval Effect (the idea that retrieval from memory is more effective than passive studying for learning). And with the growth of digital and online learning methods, he sees the future of education as an ever-evolving thing. “The content delivery technologies spearheaded by Pearson allow instructors to easily implement these methodologies,” says the professor. “I am most excited about how we can continue to use technology to make research-proven educational pedagogy easy to implement – even in the largest of classes.”   

The professor’s work has given him a deeper understanding of the power of education. He sees it as having two main goals – to give learners an appreciation of how extraordinary the world is, and also to make them more informed citizens. “Education makes the student a deeper and richer person and makes their country and the world a better place to live,” he says. “These reasons have been the foundation of education from the very beginnings of civilization and continue to be the reason that education is so important.”      

Teaching today 

The recent pandemic has revolutionised the way the classroom works. Online sessions, remote seminars and interactive lessons have all become the norm. But for Professor Tro, the aim is still to inspire students through learning – to him, education is a key to a better life. “We live in a world filled with challenges such as disease, racial tension, environmental degradation, and political polarization,” he says. “The biggest opportunity for learners and higher education is to solve these problems.”