At Northwestern, learning doesn’t stop with theory. Various instructors incorporate their full-time industry experience to develop a unique curriculum grounded in their professional background.
Miri Eliyahu (TGS ’23, Weinberg ’18) is an adjunct professor of sociology at NU in addition to being a consultant at Euromonitor International, where Eliyahu performs syndicated research on international food markets and completes consulting projects for clients.
Eliyahu earned a Ph.D. in sociology from NU prior to transitioning to a corporate job due to the tendency for professors to have to relocate, Eliyahu said, but chose to continue teaching in addition to the industry role.
“There was no doubt that if I can, I will continue to teach,” Eliyahu said. “One of the things I love the most in the (Ph.D.) program was teaching, and I started teaching even as a graduate student.”
Eliyahu led three and a half years of independent instruction during the Ph.D. program. Eliyahu’s dissertation on food markets from an economic sociology perspective correlates to NU’s Food and Society and Economic Sociology classes, which Eliyahu teaches.
Teaching college students also helps Eliyahu stay in tune with the current perspectives of a younger population, which is difficult to experience directly via corporate contacts. Interacting with students helps inform Eliyahu’s assessment and interpretation of societal food trends.
“If you don’t stay connected to younger generations, I feel like research gets really stale really fast,” Eliyahu said. “Just seeing what my students were interested in every year really showed me cultural shifts that are happening that we don’t see.”
Larry Marturano (McCormick ’97) joined NU in 2017 as an adjunct lecturer at the Segal Design Institute to fulfill his passion for education, which he came to realize as a teacher’s assistant during his electrical engineering Ph.D. program, also at NU. Marturano is the head of learning and development for project management at Honeywell and is in charge of professional development for 830 product managers in the company.
Marturano teaches the Design Thinking and Communication course, a required class for McCormick students. The class teaches design via a team-based project for a real-world client.
Marturano said he enjoys seeing when the intertwining facets of the design process click for a student.
In his role at Honeywell, Marturano said he employs the skills he teaches in DTC firsthand — especially teamwork and clear communication. He said he is excited to help freshmen develop highly applicable skills for a professional career.
“I love teaching, I love coaching, I love working with people and I really am passionate about design as well,” Marturano said. “So DTC for me is a perfect way to give back.”
Marturano said he appreciates the “symbiotic” relationship between supporting students by bringing “industry experience into the classroom” while also incorporating what he learns while teaching at NU to his position at Honeywell.
Stephanie Jund (SESP ’16, Weinberg ’12) is an adjunct lecturer for the education master’s program and a tenured social studies teacher at Glenbrook North High School where she teaches economics and other subjects.
Jund completed her undergraduate degree in economics and master’s in education at NU, which she said she employs both at Glenbrook and NU. As an adjunct lecturer at NU, Jund teaches a course on social science education in SESP, which is broken down into economics, geography and government.
Drawing from her professional experience as a teacher is a crucial part in Jund’s curriculum development at NU, she said. She strives to ensure the class is applicable for when her students enter the workforce as educators themselves.
“It’s so fulfilling emotionally to work with people who are going to be teachers one day, who are so excited and passionate about using their hearts and their minds to change the world,” Jund said.
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