Paul Arena, assistant professor in the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences, was unsure of what career he wanted to pursue until he was pushed in the direction of teaching.
While completing his master’s at NSU’s Oceanographic Center and working as a lab assistant, several professors suggested he teach. However, at that time, he wanted to pursue academia or work for the government.
Then, in a job interview to work with the Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources to manage artificial reef deployment and monitor marine sites, the interviewer said Arena should be a teacher and that the world needed more teachers like him.
“When he suggested it to me, I thought to myself ‘Well, this is going to be an easy decision then,’” said Arena.
Arena became an adjunct professor at NSU, and, after completing his doctorate, a teaching position coincidentally opened.
Having attended undergraduate school at Rutgers University in New Jersey, Arena feels his experiences as a student affected his teaching style.
“I came to NSU because it was a nice, small school,” Arena said. “I was never really comfortable at Rutgers and didn’t develop too many friends. It’s hard when you’re sitting in a lecture hall of 400 people. I was ready for that small setting and the Oceanographic Center had that intimate feel. I very quickly fell in love with it, the people, and the professors.”
Arena now teaches second-year biology, fish biology, the natural history of South Florida, vertebrate zoology, a freshman sustainability seminar and an Alaskan biodiversity field course.
He recently spent 13 days in Alaska this summer teaching the field course with seven students and traveled there from July 11-23, exploring marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
“The great part about a field course is when students get out there, they observe what they had previously learned firsthand and it has a greater impact,” Arena said. “It helps them remember these things for a much longer time, and I think it’s important to have that personal experience along with the knowledge previously gained. It makes students appreciate it more.”
Arena tries to develop good relationships with students by having small classes with field days on Fridays. This gives his students opportunities to be comfortable with him.
“I try not to be intimidating because that puts students off. I try to be as easygoing as possible so that they are comfortable,” he said. “It allows them to ask questions in class and participate in discussion.”
Not only is he an adviser for Nature Club and a member of the Florida Association of Environmental Professionals, but he also works with NSU’s student chapter of the National Association of Environmental Professionals. His goals are to teach a sustainability seminar one day and start an edible garden on NSU’s campus.
“I love coming to work,” Arena said. “I wouldn’t have done anything else differently, for sure.”
