‘Science isn’t about memorising a textbook’
How do you engage students? Sander van Kasteren knows how to do that like no other. ‘He compares immune cells to Pokémon and doesn’t just give information; he tells stories,’ students say about their favourite lecturer, Sander van Kasteren. The Professor of Molecular Immunology passionately teaches about the fascinating world of immunology. His students appreciate this: Van Kasteren has been nominated for the Leiden Science Teacher Award.
Who was a memorable lecturer for you when you were a student?
‘The best lecturers could bring the material to life with just their words, as if you were watching a theatre performance. These storytelling lecturers inspired me. I try to make my teaching as vivid as possible, too.’
If you had to choose: research or teaching?
‘The two are one: from the moment you enter the university until you leave, you are learning. Whether you’re learning something yourself, explaining something to a postdoc, or telling a story in a lecture hall, you're teaching about research. It’s precisely this interplay that makes my field so beautiful.’
What do students need to do to pass your course?
‘Persevere! Immunology is like a roll of sticky tape: sometimes you need to go through the entire roll before you find the beginning, but once you do, things can progress quickly.’
About Sander van Kasteren
Education: Life Science and Technology
Teaching: Moleculaire Celbiologie & Immunologie (BSc Life Science and Technology), Chemical Immunology (MSc Life Science & Technology).
Research: Van Kasteren conducts research at the molecular level into the functioning of in the immune system.
Other roles: Van Kasteren chairs the examination board of the Life Science & Technology master's degree.
What is the most important lesson you want to teach your students?
‘Take your time. More and more often, I see students giving up when they don’t understand the material straight away. When I, as a chemist, had to learn immunology, I struggled too. I didn’t understand a thing at first. By trying to grasp small bits and asking lots of questions, I gradually got a handle on it. I often see the same struggle in students. When I explain something again, I sometimes see the penny drop. Their faces relax, and sometimes there’s even a smile. Those moments make me happy as a lecturer.’
‘Suddenly, you watch someone go from a 6 to a 9. That’s so rewarding to witness.’
What do you learn from teaching?
‘I use my teaching materials to stay up-to-date with the literature myself. Every year I update about a quarter of the lectures in my master’s course to ensure the topics I cover remain current.
I also admire the resilience and growth of many students. I teach both second-year bachelor's and master’s students, so I often see the same students twice. It’s wonderful to see students who were uncertain and struggling in their second year discovering their potential in the master’s programme. Suddenly, you watch someone go from a 6 to a 9. That’s so rewarding to witness.’
What do you do when you get a question you don’t know the answer to?
‘I love that! In fact, I often ask questions that no one knows the answer to . That way, I try to teach them that science isn’t fixed but highly flexible. I hope to motivate students to keep thinking critically and searching for ideas themselves. Science is a creative profession and much more than just the knowledge in a book.’