You were given the prize Best Lecturer of BME. How did you take this honour?
Of course, this honour delighted me, since this survey gives feedbacks about my work as a lecturer. My task aims to transfer the given curriculum and way of thinking to my students successfully. Also, to help and motivate them during the learning process. To listen and evaluate the students’ experiences and to implement them into the methodology is an inevitable part of this.
The previous, 2019/20/II. semester was a highly challengeable one for both lecturers and students since, in March, we had to change to digital education within a week. The education we have got used to was swept away by new tools and processes. So, this positive evaluation is a confirmation of that we could stand firm and provide a sufficient education level to the students.
What could have been the key to your success?
On my classes, I always try to create a good atmosphere, to make soil for common “thinking” and work. A good atmosphere, in the manner, that students should come to my classes with interest and their own will to grow. Also, to actively take part and have the courage to take questions. The latter is outstandingly vital because, during the learning process, there is no wrong question, but a trigger of understanding and recognition.
I also emphasise helping to study outside the class. I always upload worked-out examples and exercises for practising. Anyone having difficulties can reach me personally and online. I consider myself a Y generation lecturer, so, I stand closer to the younger, dominantly Z generation students. I try to meet their expectations, for instance, respond to their questions in mail/Teams, and correct the tests as soon as I can. According to the survey, students appreciate this consistency and predictability.
What do you think, what makes a good lecturer?
According to the saying, good teachers make good teachers. I think, I am lucky, that I had several excellent pedagogues, including my teachers at my high school, Szent István Gimnázium, or at BME Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, whom I can be a fellow today already.
The common thing in them, that they could catch our attention beside the high-level knowledge transfer, and create a motivating environment, which made studying a joyful activity for me, even in the case of challenging subjects, needing a high level of abstraction skills.
I think a good teacher has empathy towards students, but keeps the level of education, requirements and transferred skills high as well. One can only find this optimum with extensive work, dedication and devotion. So, maybe this is the ’recipe’ of a good teacher, a good lecturer.
What would you like to improve in yourself, as a teacher?
I think, with my 5-year experience, I am still at the very beginning of my career as a lecturer. Although I have learnt a lot about education and pedagogy, I still think that I have to improve. Education is not a static process; you have to adapt to the audience, the needs, you have to keep an eye on the methods and ideas of the other lecturers.
Distance education initiated changes in education without has not happened much. Digital education shed light on the significance of personal contacts, but also such new online methods were formed, which improve education quality, and help the audience. Later these have to complete ’regular’ education. I think the greatest challenge of the next few years will be finding the new balance, which I also have to think about.
How are you connected with the math education of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering?
I started taking part in the mathematics education of the faculty as a BSc and MSc student, as a demonstrator and junior lecturer. We began to introduce such a methodology under the direction of Brigitta Szilágyi, focusing on the testing effect, which means an education based on constant recalling. This method promotes the students to constant, active out-of-classroom studying, besides lessons, and also gives feedback to the lecturer about how students progress. I was a PhD student at the Department of Applied Mechanics, but I remained in connection with mathematics education. I was a visiting lecturer of talent promotion and other courses, where I was speaking about the topic’s application in mechanical engineering. Besides, I also examine higher education learning theory and methodology, I am a supervisor for students’ scientific conference (TDK) publications, and I also publish scientific articles.
Your main fields are viscous-elastic-plastic constitutive models, describing the mechanical behaviour of polymer foams and finite elements simulations. What do they mean?
Modern materials, like polymer and microcell foams, have highly complex mechanical behaviour. Beside finite strain elastic deformations, they frequently show time-depending (viscous-elastic) behaviour and permanent deformations. Although, there is a demand from the industry to model and predict such complex mechanical behaviours as accurately as possible using finite element simulations.
With current supercomputers, we can study highly complex phenomena (like crash-tests and material removal processes), where it is essential to describe the mechanical behaviour of the material adequately.
The characterisation of the material behaviour mentioned above requires constitutive equations including some abstract mathematics, which define the connection between loads and deformations. In my PhD research, I was studying the modelling of cellular polymer foams, which is frequently applied in the industry, due to its excellent energy absorbing properties (impact and crash protection), and also has everyday application (e.g. running shoes, mattresses). Principally, I was focusing on analytical models and the parameter-fitting algorithms, which has resulted in more precise models, and, thereby, have enhanced the precision of numerical simulations.
Do you have plans?
I would like to continue my research in the field of material modelling, at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Applied Mechanics. I would like to widen my international relations and have short experience outside Hungary. Besides, I would like to involve as many students as I can, related to BSc and MSc theses and TDK papers.
László Benesóczky
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