Graduate Students Recognized for Outstanding Teaching

Graduate students were honored this week for their outstanding teaching and mentoring skills as part of NC State’s Graduate Education Week. The Graduate Student Association’s Teaching Excellence Committee recognized the students during an awards luncheon.

Directors of graduate programs submitted nominations for students in six awards categories. The nomination packet includes letters of recommendation from faculty and students, teaching evaluations and teaching portfolios.

Most applicants, who represent the best of graduate student teaching in their programs or departments, receive a certificate of recognition. The best overall also receive a monetary award from GSA.

Students were recognized in these categories:
• Recognition for Excellence in Classroom Teaching
• Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching
• Recognition for Excellence in Laboratory Teaching
• Award for Excellence in Laboratory Teaching
• Recognition for Excellence in Mentoring
• Award for Excellence in Mentoring

Honorees are listed below by category, with their degree programs.

Recognition for Excellence in Classroom Teaching
These graduate students exemplified their program’s highest degree of teaching achievement in the classroom environment during spring and/or fall 2016:
Aditya Joshi, Mechanical Engineering
Alison Rodriguez, English
Allison Michaelis, Marine, Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences
Arthur Berger, English
Chandra Maldonado, Communication, Rhetoric & Digital Media
Christina Martinez, Chemistry
Diana Dang, Foreign Language & Literature
Erin Rose Coffin, English
Grace Taylor, English
Heather Sanchez, Sociology & Anthropology
Huachen Li, Economics
Jonathan Leirer, Statistics
Jonathan Miller, Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering
Jordan Wood, Animal Science
Karen Eisenhauer, English
Kat Cooper, Chemistry
Lee Parton, Economics
Lindsey Chandler, Foreign Language & Literature
Madison Davidson, Chemistry
Mary Guerrant, Psychology
Sahand Saberi Bosari, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Shashank Mathur, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Shelly Glimcher, STEM Education
Travis Klondike, Landscape Architecture
Travis Price, English
Youness Alvandi-Tabriz, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Zachary Slifer, Veterinary Clinical Sciences
Zekun Xu, Statistics

Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching
These graduate students exemplified the University’s highest degree of teaching achievement in the classroom environment during 2016:
Chang Yuan, Teacher Education & Learning Sciences
Koohee Han, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Sanaz Goldani, Industrial & Systems Engineering
Todd Wilson, Statistics
Vivek Samu, Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering

Recognition for Excellence in Laboratory Teaching
These graduate students exemplified their program’s highest degree of teaching achievement in a laboratory setting during spring and/or fall 2016:
Alyssa Koehler, Entomology & Plant Pathology
Amr Helal, Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering
Anamaria Trandafir, Physics
Andrew Maurer, Applied Ecology (Zoology)
Antonio Lopez, Chemistry
Bailing Ma, Physics
Bhavya Singhi, Textiles
Dominick Manusos, STEM Education
Eugene Cheung, Biological Sciences (Zoology)
Fahim Sidi, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Gabrielle Corradino, Marine, Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences
George Van Den Driessche, Chemistry
Jacob Dums, Plant Biology
Jacob Vasser, Microbiology
Jarratt Broadwell, Forestry & Environmental Resources
Kayla Brooks, Animal Science
Martin Barrett, Parks, Recreation & Tourism
Muhammad Zubair, Textiles
Nastassja Rhodes, Chemistry
Nathalia Ortiz, Chemistry
Nicholas Perry, Chemistry
Nicole Lindor, Plant Biology
Rong Huang, Textiles
Sara Jafaripazoki, Physics
Sibei Xia, Textiles
Theodros Nigussie, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Veronica Hubble, Chemistry

Award for Excellence in Laboratory Teaching
These graduate students exemplified the University’s highest degree of teaching achievement in a laboratory setting during 2016:
Cara Ruth Pace, Crop & Soil Science
Dominick Ali, Chemistry
Jin Qin, Economics
Michelle Nugent, STEM Education
Sam Sridhar, Physics

Recognition for Excellence in Mentorship
These graduate students exemplified positive impact on students beyond the classroom or laboratory in their programs during spring and/or fall 2016:
Abhijit Jain, Business Administration
April Maclaga, Graphic Design
Armita Mohammadian, Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering
Brandon McConnell, Operations Research
Chandan Dash, Business Administration
Deeksha Lal, Electrical & Computer Engineering
James Yarnell, Chemistry
Jessica Klink, Architecture
Katie Basinger, Industrial & Systems Engineering
Nazia Zannat, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Rachael Paine, Graphic Design
Rachel Atkins, Marine, Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences
Rafael Luiz de Silva, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Ran Bi, Operations Research
Zhao Wan, Electrical & Computer Engineering

Award for Excellence in Mentorship
These graduate students exemplified positive impact on students beyond the classroom or laboratory in the University during 2016:
Betty-Shannon Prevatt, Psychology
Jenna Armstrong, Psychology
Mohannad Ibrahim, Electrical & Computer Engineering

The 2016-2017 Teaching Excellence Committee is made up of representatives of graduate program chapters who are delegates to the Graduate Student Association. Members of the committee, which also held a fall social event for graduate student teachers and sponsored the teaching awards are:
Avoni Gharde, Textiles, Chair
Andrea Stewart, Forestry & Environmental Resources
Judith Rivera, Biomedical Engineering
Krystin Gollihue, Communication, Rhetoric & Digital Media
Niru Sanghani, Business Administration
Rachel Atkins, Marine, Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences
Rachael Graham, English
Siddhartha Nambiar, Industrial & Systems Engineering