The College of Biological Sciences recently announced six winners of the 2024 Teaching Assistant Awards. The award is given to teaching assistants who have shown excellence in teaching or other forms of instruction that enhance the educational experience of students in the College. This year’s recipients are:
Summer Gerhardt
Teaching assistant in Genetics, Cell Biology and Development 4161
“I've taught at the U for over 30 years and cannot recall a TA who has impressed me more than Summer. She has a contagious passion for developmental biology and went the extra mile to ensure students in the class learn how to think critically about developmental processes rather than memorize facts. She was outstanding.” — faculty nominator
Taylor Price
Teaching assistant in Plant and Microbial Biology 2022
“She was excited to teach every day and we could tell. She explained all her lessons clearly and illustrated them well. Any questions we had were answered. I did not feel talked down to or scared to ask questions. She made me feel comfortable and excited to come to class every week. I couldn’t wait to tell people what I had learned that day.” — student nominator
Samantha Robitaille
Teaching assistant in Biology 1003
“Sam’s personality and warm demeanor make her extremely approachable. We have observed that students feel comfortable asking Sam questions that they might be shy about asking the instructors…. In Fall 2023, Sam exceeded our expectations when she reached out to a student who was struggling and met with them every week for most of the semester. The student later told us that he would not have passed the course without Sam’s support.” — faculty nominator
Adam Smiley
Teaching assistant in Biochemistry 8007 and 8008
“Adam was an incredible TA. He made himself available at a level far exceeding what could ever be expected of him. He gave thoughtful feedback, and was patient when I or other students demonstrated a lack of background knowledge on any of the articles assigned during the course. I would happily take more courses that Adam was a part of.” — student nominator
Ben Van Schaick
Teaching assistant in Biology 1951
“Ben’s support during the course has been of the highest quality and he always exceeds expectations. He is respectful, patient, and a gifted teacher. He has never missed a class. Ben has risen above the level of TA, and towards being a co-instructor.” — faculty nominator
Noah Zimmerman
Teaching assistant in Biochemistry 4025W
“Noah always went above and beyond the call of duty. He voluntarily took on responsibilities... “I’d love to give a presentation in class” “We would like to rewrite the post-lab assessments.” “We will grade that.” “Can we write an exam?” The whole team comported themselves as professional educators.” — faculty nominator