Chemistry TA Award Winners Announced
Below are our 2018 TA of the Year award winners with selected quotes from undergraduate nominators:
Alec Malooley
"Sometimes, labs can be done with no background knowledge of what is really going on in a microscopic level. The TA would give a brief lecture on why the procedure is done the way it is. During lab, he would always make sure everyone new what was going on and no one felt neglected. Everyone had conversations with him and relate with topics outside of class, which helped be more comfortable with the TA. Outside of lab, he was always welcoming in meeting when possible, and he was around a lot of times. He was very understanding, and he was very helpful with topics that I wouldn’t understand. Conversations never felt forced, and meeting with him was never dreadful. Overall, he was a TA that won’t be forgotten.
He inspired me to consider becoming a TA in the near future. Use good judgement, tell us to be safe and be careful doing lab. If we didn't understanding something from the lab he would explaining in a clear and straight to the point.
Very understanding of the subject at hand and is very enthusiastic about teaching Chemistry. He encouraged students to ask questions and helped us understand what we're doing, and not blindly following everything he writes on a board. He also welcomed all of his students in his office hours and sometimes went out of the way to help them.
I was sick and had to miss one lab period and Alec made sure that I understood everything and was able to catch up in the next period. He made himself available in office hours and even offered that I could come after office hours needed because I had class during them."
Tyler Reidl
"Tyler had a thorough understanding of the material, and was also very skilled at explaining it. Too often, TAs may not know the material very well or know it very well but not be able to explain it to students who do not, thus leaving students even more confused than ever; Tyler, on the other hand, was great not only in terms of knowing the material, but very importantly also in explaining the material. It never felt like he was obligated to be there; it always felt like he wanted to be helping students and answering their questions. He was also very approachable and more than willing to answer students' questions. He took the time and effort to make sure everyone had a thorough understanding of the material. He was very respectful of students' time and efforts, and he was a very fair and timely grader. He was very prepared, organized, efficient, and thorough, all of which are extremely important qualities for a TA to have. It takes a very good TA to engage students and have them understand such a tough subject as organic chemistry II, but Tyler was more than capable of doing so. If anyone deserves this award for their work, it is Tyler!"
Mona Hoseini Soflaee
"Mona always encouraged us to talk, she explained lessons over and over to ensure we understood, had use work in groups then helped us if we didn't understand the material. She is open to help us in private if we are too shy to ask infront of the class.She brought energy to the classroom and jokes to calm us down.
Overall, Mona was a great TA. She always knew how to explain concepts snd made sure she did in a way that everyone understood. She never made us feel bad for asking certain questions and instead of tell us the answers asked us questions that got us thinking.
She’s the best chemistry TA I’ve ever had. She took the time to ensure we understood every concept of lab and lecture. She always encouraged us to go up to the board and do problems rather than her show us. She tried her best to make sure we all got the concepts. She took time with it. She’s the best overall.
She always wanted us to understand the information, she wanted us to participate and made it very clear that she wanted us to pass and she just knows the subject so well she deserved it. She’s the best TA I’ve had in these past 2 semesters, in all honesty!
There was a time where a friend and I were studying and we caught her leaving her classroom and we pulled her aside and helped us with the problem and even gave us another examples. She really does want us to do our best in the class
If I had last minute questions I was able to send her an email obtain a response quickly. She also made sure to go over material she knew was the most important to prepare us more. We were able to not only talk about chemistry but other issues that had us stresses an she gave us amazing advice!"
Eva Allen
"Eva always went above and beyond for those in front of her (not just her own students but anyone that asked for help) she is very patient and competent in her field. Her attitude sets her apart from other ta’s. She is by far the most approachable, easy to talk to person which is especially important in chemistry. Basically she’s the bomb.com
Our class was getting super mixed up on how to read conversion charts and how to recognize which strategy to use when week after week. Eva took it upon herself to not only explain these concepts clearly on the spot, but also made a study guide to further explain in detail what needs to be used when and why, and shared it with the class.
I sent her an email late night before a quiz and she took the time to follow-up and ensure I had the answer before our quiz the next day. Her responsiveness made a difference in my grade! She also took the time to create a study guide of formulas that we learned throughout the semester. And lastly, she is planning to extend her office hours during finals week, which will be extremely helpful to all of her students."
Adtya Prajapati
"Aditya made sure that we all understood the lab and knew what we were doing, he suggested improvements to our methods and connected the material covered in lab to real life examples as well as to future chemistry course. He was approachable and had a good connection with his students. He deserves an appreciation award because he put much of his time and energy to clarify concepts that we were unclear about. He also knew the material very well and was always prepared coming into lab.The feedback he gave me on each lab report helped become a more critical thinker and analyze the results of the expeirments more closely and carefully.
This TA went really beyond any TA that I had. Staying late and answering questions that everyone had until they understood the problem and could answer it conceptually."