Rob Lewis: Med Student to Math Instructor

In the front of the class stands a humble man. He wears a green plaid long sleeve button up with blue jeans, and sneakers. With his wavy locks slicked back and ready to teach. He asked, "Any Questions"?  The class rambles on with side conversations as Lewis precedes to turn on the overhead. Let’s give a warm round of applause for West Point, Virginia's very own, Instructor Robert Lewis.

Lewis has a Masters in Math from Duke, Masters in Animal Science from Montana State, and a Ph. D in Animal Science from OregonState University. He is a husband to Cathy Lewis and a father to Jimmy Lewis. On his spare time he enjoys training Border collie’s to herd sheep and cattle. He also enjoys hiking, Ping-Pong, and tennis.

He makes math accessible and applies it to the real world. He tells a story about René Descartes (1596-1650) and how the rectangular coordinate system, also known as the Cartesian System.

Lewis climbs on the table and lays down on his back. He mentions flies on the ceiling and how Descartes could get other people to see the exact spot a fly was on the ceiling. He came up with the Cartesian System we use today. Go up a couple square ceiling tiles and over a few ceiling tiles. That's where the fly will be. 

When asked why he became a math instructor, Lewis said, “I wasn’t happy being a med student.” Lewis began as a med student because he thought it would make his parents proud of him, but he wasn't happy. It was never his intention to become a math instructor, but after taking some time off from school and realizing what truly made him happy, he took off and ran with it.

Lewis has been a dedicated math instructor at Linn Benton Community College since 1992. Over the years he has taught several math courses, but really enjoys teaching Math 60. Lewis said, “It is the fundamentals of Math 60 that I enjoy.”

Currently Lewis is teaching Math 60 Introduction to Algebra, Math 111 College Algebra, and Math 241 Calculus for Business Management. During spring term 2014 Lewis will teach Math 111 College Algebra, Math 241 Calculus for Business Management, and Math 243 Introduction to Statistics.

Lewis is an instructor with a student’s best interest in mind. As a previous student of Lewis, Kassie Johnson said, “I would recommend that students take a class with Rob Lewis, he helped me so much, and a lot of people I know in his class now say the same about Rob.” As a current student of Lewis, Todd Votroubek said, “He’s a good teacher, always making jokes, and always willing to help.”

Rob Lewis is a kind person and instructor. He has won the Pastega Award for Teaching Excellence. He has been part of the Oregon Mathematical Association of two year colleges.  Lewis has made an impact on both students and staff. Fellow instructor, Hollis Duncan said, “Rob is a cool dude and an awesome guy.” He’s not only an instructor of math, but an instructor of math accessibility.

At a glance:

Subject's name: Rob Lewis

Job: Math Instructor

Age: Fifty-eight years young

Family: Wife Cathy and son Jimmy

Years at LBCC: Twenty-one years

Education: Masters in Math (Duke Univ.) Masters in Animal Science (Montana State), PHD in Animal Science (OSU)

Hobbies/Interests: Training Border Collies to herd sheep and cattle, hiking, Ping-Pong, and tennis.

Hometown: West Point, Virginia

Organizations:  Oregon Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges

Awards/Honors: Pastega Award for Teaching Excellence

Phone: 541-917-4759

Email: rob.lewis@linnbenton.edu