By TINA IYER
Features Editor
 

Besides his position in the physics department, Smedley is also an avid guitar player and music afficionado who has already given performances this year at The Ronj and also for the Chaplain's "Busy Life, Peaceful Center" series.

Smedley's broad array of interests are also made clear by the types of courses which he teaches; Smedley is an active proponent and example of the true "liberal arts" education and its ideal of integrating disciplines and fields.

As Smedley bit into his smoked turkey sandwich on wheat (a light wheat that Smedley said didn't "look very wheaty, but I'll survive"), he talked about a course that he is currently teaching on musical acoustics.

The course was originally taught as a short term, and has now been taught twice as a semester-length course. This year, it is "more hands on, more practical," said Smedley.

Smedley sees this particular course as "integrative," because while it emphasizes a strong component of physics and quantitative analysis, "it is a little bit broader than the average physics course; it's a little more applied."

Smedley explained, "It's about how people interpret the physical sound waves they hear ... also, it gives me a good excuse to keep a guitar in my office."

In fact, there are hardly any physics majors taking the unit; it tends to attract non-science students. Rather, the classroom is filled with music majors, students trying to fill general education requirements, and those who are taking the course out of pure interest. Smedley currently has his hands full with two sections of 30 students.

It is this idea of "integrative" teaching and learning, this combination of different aspects of different fields, that appeals to Smedley. "I enjoy that [combining disciplines] a lot. I think it is a part of the Bates education, but we largely leave it to the students to find the connections themselves," he said.

Thus, it is another bonus for Smedley that he has been able to offer the cross-listed Physics 228/Religion 228/Environmental Studies 228 course, Caring for Creation: Physics, Religion, and the Environment, a class that he teaches with Professor of Religion Thomas Tracy.

Working with Tracy is enjoyable for Smedley because the two professors share in each other's fields, and are able to take turns leading class discussions, knowing that they will always be able to supplement each other's lectures. This mutual interest and engagement between fields and professors is one that Smedley hopes will send a message to students.

Smedley sees problems in the reductionism that students of both the sciences and the humanities are prone to, and notes that "there is a lot to be gained" from focusing on the connections between the two rather than the differences. He is interested in seeing a history of physics course be added to the Bates curriculum, and hopes that students will be "open to different perspectives. There are different approaches to learning that you need to succeed."

Not one to preach what he doesn't practice, Smedley moves easily from physics talk to jazz. From a brief mention of Gary Peacock, an esteemed jazz bassist, the conversation turns to Keith Jarrett, the pianist that Peacock often plays with. Both fans of Jarrett, Smedley and I are able to toss the names of musicians around, and the importance of a solid foundation in "classical" musical training before one can become experimental.

Needless to say, our talk veers to Smedley's own musical background.

Smedley began his musical training on the guitar at the age of eight, when he was inspired by the Beatles playing on the Ed Sullivan show. His first guitar was, most unfortunately, lacking in a few vital parts, and Smedley had to "strum this fake guitar with no strings."

He soon upgraded to a guitar with strings, and then on to an electric guitar when he was nine or ten. Smedley played mainly blues-rock style music in his junior high and high school bands, inspired by the likes of Cream and other such groups, but it was at college that his musical interest took on a new direction.

"Colby was transformative in that sense. I started jazz guitar at Colby, and that was a major breaking point," he said.

Smedley has maintained this love of jazz over the years, and is responsible for getting musical acts to come to play at the College. Most recently, Smedley said he brought up jazz guitarist Jimmy Bruno.

When asked if he ever considered pursuing a career in music, Smedley answered, "The question is, did I never not think about it?"

Upon graduation from Colby, Smedley did spend some time playing in a jazz band in Hartford. "It's hard to find steady work," Smedley said of the music business, and the prospect of spending a lifetime teaching and in science was not a horrible one. However, "the challenge of trying to be a musician is still an engaging one," Smedley said.

Smedley's wife is a singer, and his son Ian, 7, has been playing the violin for three years now. His daughter Anna, 5, has just begun to play the piano, and Smedley hopes that his infant son Julian will pick up the bass or drums, so that the Smedley family can have their own band.

Although Smedley has taught at Bates for 10 years, his academic career began while he was an undergraduate student at ... Colby.

"People started asking me about Colby as soon as I got here," he said, smiling.

"A lot of my experiences and interest in education is based on my experience at Colby," continued Smedley. Although not actively involved as a Colby alumnus, Smedley did serve as an alumni interviewer for the school when he lived in Boulder, Colo., and there are still people on the faculty that Smedley considers his mentors.

Smedley takes no offense at the rivalry between his alma mater and Bates. "When it's localized in the context of a [friendly] sporting event, it's okay," he said.

Smedley sees Bates and Colby as comparable schools, especially considering "the connections that students can make with their professors."

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