When it comes to family history and earth history, the two may be more related than we think.
For associate dean Bart Kowallis, the combination of subjects has expanded his understanding of the past — and, for his teaching of family history, and his excellent service as an instructor, he has been awarded the Religious Education Transfer Professor Award by BYU this year.
The Religious Education Transfer Professor Award honors one faculty member outside the College of Religious Education who teaches religion classes.
In teaching two different subjects, Kowallis has found some similarities. “In geology, we look at rocks and interpret what happened in the past,” Kowallis said. “With family history, we look at clues from documents and try to understand what happened in the past. They both deal with old, dead things. That makes both of them quite similar.”
“Teaching family history . . . it’s really not much different than [teaching] geology,” Kowallis said. “In both subjects, we’re like detectives trying to find clues, interpret those clues, and understand what happened without actually having been there.”
With both geology and family history, Kowallis encourages his students to personally interact with the subject at hand. Whether it is geology students going on field trips up Rock Canyon, or genealogy students digging into their own family history, they can have a hands-on experience with history.
“I enjoy the great students we have here at BYU,” Kowallis said. “They’re bright, good, and want to learn. That’s the thing I enjoy most — the interaction with them.”
Kowallis strives to get to know his students on a personal basis. He conducts discussion-based classes.
“One of the most effective things is getting to know every student’s name and something about them,” Kowallis said. “That connects you more directly with the student and makes them more interested in what you’re talking about.”
During his career, Kowallis has taught a wide variety of geology classes and has worked with a number of undergraduate and graduate students on research projects. His research in mineralogy and petrology has focused mostly on rocks in Mexico and Utah. Kowallis and his students have presented the results of this research at various conferences across the United States and around the world. In the process, he has met many interesting people.
Although he has mostly taught geology and physical science throughout his 34 years at BYU, winning various awards during that time, Kowallis has also enjoyed teaching family history.
“I enjoy the fact that [students] are getting to know and connect with their family and their ancestors,” Kowallis said.
– Camilla Stimpson, College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences