|
CMS Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant
Award
The UNCW Center
for Marine Science
has created a new and
very important honor for marine science students: The CMS Outstanding
Graduate Teaching Assistant Award. Award recipients have
demonstrated exceptional competence in teaching and mentoring of
undergraduates. They must have clearly mastered their subject material
and communicated it with enthusiasm and clarity to undergraduates.
2008 Recipients
Sarah Katharine Braly
was nominated for her excellent job of teaching undergraduate
Botany labs. Katherine took a great deal of initiative for significant
additions to the BIO 205 Botany Lab. She took the students to a variety
of plant ecosystems on and close to campus to study the physical
environment and relationships between the plants and animals living
there. Instead of just emailing lists for the Greenhouse Manager to
bring to the lab, Katherine spent considerable time in the Greenhouse
picking out suitable materials. Bio 205 is an introductory level
course, and because Katherine made it so enjoyable, many students were
recruited to pursue further study in botany. While working in the
Greenhouse, the students often mentioned that Katherine has a gift for
teaching and is able to make difficult plant physiology concepts easy.
Her passion for plants is contagious.
Teaching Philosophy: I believe my teaching methods are evolving but
the most important concepts I carry with me are that you can’t know
everything, and science is ever changing. When teaching biological
sciences, it is important to make clear there are exceptions to every
rule and life is dynamic, things are not concrete by a long shot.
Keeping this in mind helps to make teacher as well as student mistakes
learning processes rather than demeaning experiences. Also relating
teaching topics to seemingly unrelated things in everyday life seems to
hit home and help with retention. On this note I definitely think it is
important to be hands on, go outside and experience the study topic
first hand.
Jennifer Dixon Brown was highly recommended
for this teaching award because she has gone above and beyond what is
expected of a TA, and she is always cheerful and willing to volunteer
extra time, and to help out students and profs alike. Jen has taught
introductory chemistry labs and she was hand-selected to teach
environmental chemistry labs because she is so competent in this subject
material. Students commented that Jen was an amazing lab instructor who
truly made the material fun and interesting. Students said that Jen
helped, but didn’t simply give the answers; students had to understand
concepts to figure things out in lab. She explained things in an easy to
understand manner. She was always willing to help. “Thanks Jen. You are
awesome. Jennifer rocks!”
Teaching Philosophy: I enjoy teaching because I enjoy learning. I
go into my labs with an open mind because for as much as my students
learn from me I always learn something new from my students. It may be
another way to explain a chemistry concept that’s easier to understand
or it may not even be science related at all. I think that too often
people don’t take the time to learn from each other. We all have
something to offer and I try to remember that when I interact with my
students. I will always be a student underneath it all because I love
learning and trying new things. I try to portray that trait to my
classes because I think that it is what makes me a successful teacher.
2007 Recipients
Holly Gabries was nominated for her
excellent job of leading discussion sessions on ten different topics in
the Seminar in Environmental Studies (EVS 495). Each student also
developed a formal term paper with an initial defense and final oral
presentation. Holly exhibited a high level of maturity and acumen in
dealing with a wide range of subject matter and student-related issues
in this capstone class that requires subjective assessment of student
performance. Holly is able to anticipate what is needed, and her
rapport with the students is excellent.
Teaching Philosophy: I enjoy environmental science because
generally there is no one right or wrong answer to any problem. I enjoy
watching how the students interact with each other to discuss some of
the most prominent environmental issues of our time. Many times
students get stuck in multiple large, lecture-dominated courses which
have become all too common in undergraduate academia. This seminar
course, however, allows the students to break out of their shell and
gain real world skills which will stick with them throughout their
careers. I pride myself on being a part of that experience and hope
that the students take as much out of the course as I do.
 Barbara Jacobson was nominated for her
dedication and effectiveness as a graduate teaching assistant. One of
Barbara’s first assignments as a TA was to make hundreds of agar plates
containing several solutions. The agar didn’t gel right. It was late on
Friday and the plates were half-way gelling. Most TAs would have
declared them “good enough” and closed up shop. Not Barbara. She got
on the internet and found that the agar was not heated sufficiently.
Barbara spent all weekend redoing them. The lab was more successful
than it had been in years. There were many instances where almost right
was not nearly good enough for Barbara. Barbara teaches the socks off
her Bio 105 students. As we all know, non majors are difficult to
teach: they don’t want to be there. Barbara rewards effort and
interest and never gives in to the whiners. Barbara mixes super
organization with fast paced, interesting content and a dash of humor.
Her sense of fair play and her dedication to the hard-working students
is legend among the other TAs.
Teaching Philosophy: As a teacher, I am continually learning new
ways to teach my students about biology. I love sharing with my
students my love of biology and I try to impress upon them why we study
the natural world and what information it provides us with as a result.
I feel it is important to be honest and approachable as an instructor.
I encourage students to ask questions and if I don’t know the answer to
a question, we find it together and we both learn something in the
process. Instructing non-majors presented a different mode of teaching
and as a result, I molded my lessons to what they would identify with
and what information they should retain (for more than just a week). I
enjoy interacting with students from every discipline, and relating what
they learn to their future, in both their career and life. As long as
they understand the lessons and get the point of the lab, I have done
what I set out to accomplish.
2006 Recipients
 Sara
Althof was nominated for teaching Introduction to Physical
Geography, which includes laboratories dealing with topics including
hurricane hazards, beach erosion and vegetation and soil patterns of
the Coastal Plain. Her broad interests in the biological,
environmental and marine sciences make her well-suited to teach this
lab. Sara brought exceptional preparation, professionalism and
enthusiasm to her teaching assignment. She was always well-prepared,
very well-informed, and always willing to answer questions.
Teaching Philosophy: When a student can identify with
something familiar, the student is more likely to understand and
retain the information. Consequently, I exploit every opportunity
to use real-world and local examples to illustrate laboratory
concepts. As an instructor, I feel it is important to be candid,
honest, and human. When I teach, I encourage students to ask
questions, and if I do not know the answer, we research the question
and find the answer together. Lastly, I think that an instructor
must be firm with grading, but compassionate.
 Gwen
Shaughnessy was nominated for her professional and
enthusiastic teaching of General Chemistry labs. Gwen has a strong
passion for teaching that extends beyond the traditional classroom
setting. She has taught in outreach programs for local aquariums as
well as coached swimming classes for high school students. She is a
team player and volunteers for extra duty without hesitation. Gwen
is a perfectionist who comes to lab fully prepared with an
understanding of the labs far beyond what is required.
Teaching Philosophy: First and foremost, displaying
consistent enthusiasm for the subject material engages students in
the learning process. I strive to be flexible and adaptable to
different situations and learning styles. A single way of
demonstrating a technique or solving problems may not be
comprehensible to all my students. I try to relate chemistry to
everyday examples; sometimes my students think my examples are silly
and they get a good laugh, but they do end up understanding the
material. As long as they get it, I have done my job well.
 Brooke
Stuercke’s letter of nomination states that her knowledge of
both botany and phycology has made her a valuable instructor in the
Plant Biology labs. Brooke has created new interest in plants for
students who are generally not enthusiastic about botany. She is
highly organized in her teaching plans. Brooke exemplifies the high
standard of teaching for which UNCW is well known.
Teaching Philosophy: My teaching philosophy is still evolving
because I am still evolving as a teacher. Teaching to me means
listening to students and providing them with a base of knowledge to
build upon. Teaching is important to me because each person has the
ability to do wonderful things and without the power of knowledge
these potentials may not be reached. I believe that passing on
knowledge is one of the greatest gifts one can give. Teaching is an
opportunity to share more than a syllabus. Teaching is an
opportunity to share a part of myself, a chance to make abstract
things concrete, to make the impossible obtainable, and to do it in
a way that grows exponentially with every new student I reach.
2005 Recipients
(first year of award)
|
J.
Brooke Landry was nominated for her
work in teaching the lab for BIO 366 Ecology. Brooke was called a
“Model TA” by her supervisor. She contributes beyond her own
responsibilities. She is always extremely well prepared, pleasant
and professional. Brooke is exceptionally even-handed and sensible
in all her dealings with people.
Chris
Thornburg was nominated for his work in
BIO 425 – Microbiology, the highest level course taught by a
graduate student. Chris has assumed responsibility for all aspects
of preparing and teaching this lab. In order to teach this lab,
Chris had to prepare approximately 50 different live bacterial
cultures including potential pathogens often weeks in advance of the
lab, which required preparation of hundreds of tubes and plates
using a multitude of media. Chris has made this lab more efficient,
safer and more student friendly. Chris is an excellent teacher, very
demanding but well liked and respected by students. His
organizational skills are fantastic. He was called a “once in a
lifetime TA” by his supervisor.
Danelle
Lekan
Katherine
Sullivan
Laura
Truxal
Barbara Jacobson
Sarah Manley