Foreword to the surveys by Aigner and Perrin

Abstract

Gian-Carlo Rota always considered the academic role of great importance and spent as much time and effort in teaching as in doing research. In light of this we mention his very noteworthy quote (Los Alamos Science 12, 1985): “A good teacher brings out the best in his students. What young people need the most is encouragement. Left to themselves, students may not know how to decide what is worthwhile. They may drop an original idea because they think someone else must have thought of it already.”