Taped to the wall of Mike Brook’s childhood bedroom was a poster that proved prophetic.

On the poster was a quote that was both a motivator and a warning – “there’s no heavier burden than a great potential.”

Mike showed that poster during his final lecture in a theatre full of current and former students and colleagues. His exit lecture – Four Decades of Silicon Chemistry at McMaster University – was a look back on a career that included 317 published papers, 12 granted patents, more than 500 presentations, one scientific monograph, national and international awards and some of the University’s highest honours, from being named a Distinguished University Professor to receiving multiple teaching awards from students and the president.

Yet to reach those milestones, Mike first had to wander through his wilderness years. “I made a zillion mistakes and actually learned from some of them. That’s why I’m now the voice of experience.”

In late 1984, a group of men – and back then all 31 faculty in the Chemistry Department were men – sat around a table and decided, as Mike put it, to give “this kid” a shot. He joined McMaster in July 1985 as an assistant professor funded by an NSERC University Research Fellowship.

He stumbled out of the gate – showing up on his first day wearing a tie was the least of his problems. Mike received an NSERC operating grant that was cut by 10 per cent in the second and third years. He was expected to somehow equip his lab with $25,000 in start-up funding from McMaster spread out over two years. His first PhD student decided he’d rather build a house than work in Mike’s lab. Between 1985 and 1989, his lab published just eight papers – five were independent. McMaster agreed to grant Mike tenure – but denied his promotion to associate professor. “They basically held their nose and said you don’t cut the mustard yet – do better.”

So what was the problem? “I had no idea how to be a professor.”

Looking back, Mike says he had no mentors, no network and no idea that science is a team sport. “I was too young and too proud. I thought I was supposed to sit in the corner and do good stuff by myself.” There’s no heavier burden than a great potential, indeed.

His wilderness years ended once Mike got to work building a network. He gave special thanks during his exit lecture to four key mentors and research collaborators – Bob Pelton (20 co-authored papers), John Brennon (23 co-authored papers and 2 patents), the late Mark McDermott (11 co-authored papers and one patent) and Heather Sheardown (21 co-authored papers). And despite a slow start as a collaborator, Mike would go on to open his lab to 280 different students, postdocs and professors.

Mike couldn’t pass up the opportunity to offer parting advice to university administrators. “It’s my last shot.” In retelling the story of Don Quixote who was forever tilting at windmills, Mike said “there will be administrators who say I should really be called Mike Quixote.” While he didn’t tilt at windmills, Mike was relentless in suggesting ways to make McMaster better for students, faculty and staff.

Mike’s advice to current and future administrators? Be transparent – if you want us to get on board, tell us where we’re going and why. Stay connected with the people working below you on the org chart – listen and then act on what they tell you. Know that hypocrisy is a morale buzz kill. Before making any decision, ask two questions – will this make teaching better and will this make research better? And, above all else, respect and be a staunch defender of McMaster’s deeply held and sacrosanct culture of teaching and research collaboration.

Mike also used his final lecture to deliver a call to action to his faculty colleagues. In his career, Mike taught nearly 11,000 students in 20 courses. He says it’s not enough to help students acquire a body of knowledge – that’s something students can get on their own from reading textbooks and going online. Faculty should make it their mission to play a part in transforming students into problem-solvers and critical thinkers who are resilient and curious and leave university as both future-ready graduates and functional citizens.

“So how are we doing? Maybe not so well.” Mike cited a New York Times story published in January where half of Gen Z say they aren’t prepared for the future. Employers strongly agree with that self-assessment, warning that freshly minted grads lack initiative and essential communication, collaboration and problem-solving skills.

“We’re part of the problem,” says Mike. As just one example, Mike points to how exams have changed over the years. Gone are the three-hour mid-terms and finals, replaced with 90-minute exams or no exams at all. University is supposed to be hard, says Mike and it’s in facing challenges and overcoming setbacks that students learn to build lifelong resilience.

Mike closed out his final lecture with a round of heartfelt thanks, starting with the department staff – the unsung heroes who work behind the scenes to support his research. Research scientist Dan Chen joined the lab as a postdoc 25 years ago and remains the lab’s Swiss Army knife, says Mike.  And through it all, Mike says his incredibly patient wife and three daughters were his rock while he dove into his research and tilted at administrative windwills. “The support I received was really, really special.”

Looking back on his 40 years at McMaster, Mike says it was belatedly joining and then actively helping build a community of scholars across and beyond the university that made all the difference. “Team spirit made my career magic.”

While he retired from teaching in July 2024, Mike continues to be actively involved in research as Professor Emeritus in the Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology. He is also the Chief Scientific Officer for two start-up companies engaged in sustainable elastomer development – EnRoute Interfaces and Neopara Materials. Dan serves as Chief Technology Officer for both companies.