Rob Lue, Harvard Professor, dies at 56
Rob Lue, Harvard Professor, dies at 56, graduated from St. George’s College in 1982
You can read more details immediately below or click on the link to read the original article.“When Rob lectured, you could hear a pin drop as he enthralled the freshmen with his ability to engage them in the topic of the day — they hung on his every word — and he was a master of active learning in which he regularly challenged
Biologist Rob Lue, founding HarvardX faculty director, dies at 56
Celebrated for interdisciplinary research and teaching innovations
Lue, who died Wednesday at 56 from cancer, had an impact felt deeply among undergraduates on campus and beyond. He was professor of the practice in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, founding faculty director of HarvardX, faculty director of the Harvard Ed Portal, Richard L. Menschel Faculty Director of the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, UNESCO Chair on Life Sciences and Social Innovation, and faculty director and principal investigator of LabXchange.
“Rob was one of the most creative teachers at Harvard,” said Harvard President Larry Bacow. “He was always thinking about how we could do a better job of engaging our students, and he was particularly gifted in imagining how technology and data could be used to enhance the learning experience. One of my last in-person meetings before we began working remotely was with him. His confidence in our ability to teach even complex lab-based courses gave me hope when hope was in short supply. The kindness and thoughtfulness he brought to his work over the years infuse many of the pedagogical improvements made at Harvard. He was a valued colleague, and he will be missed.”
As the director of life sciences education at Harvard, Rob Lue led a complete redesign of the introductory undergraduate curriculum.
“Rob was a consummate innovator who brought incomparable vision and creative energy to his many wide-ranging projects, to the great benefit of teachers and learners across the globe,” said Claudine Gay, the Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). “He was among the most warm, energetic, and generous colleagues I have been fortunate enough to know in my years at Harvard — and a master teacher on top of it. His leadership at the Bok Center reflected all of that and the important work he began there will continue. He leaves behind a tremendous legacy of imagination.”
Born in 1964, Lue graduated from St. George’s College in 1982. He earned a B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross in 1986. He then took a year off to paint at Brandeis University. Art would remain a source of constant joy even as his professional career veered toward the sciences. He earned his Ph.D. in biology at Harvard in 1995 and joined the molecular and cellular biology faculty four years later.
His teaching methods and use of technology quickly garnered recognition. As the director of life sciences education at Harvard, he led a complete redesign of the introductory undergraduate curriculum that created some of the largest and most popular science courses on campus.
“When Rob lectured, you could hear a pin drop as he enthralled the freshmen with his ability to engage them in the topic of the day — they hung on his every word — and he was a master of active learning in which he regularly challenged students with questions,” said Richard Losick, Maria Moors Cabot Professor of Biology at Harvard and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor.
You may also like
Happenings
Father Roy B. Campbell, SJ
