Alon Kirschner and Shichao He have been named the TAs of the Year for their work in ChE 317 Intro to Chemical Engineering Analysis and ChE 253M Measurement, Control and Data Analysis Lab, respectively.
Both Kirschner and He will each be awarded the Paige H. and J. Jeff Weidner Endowed Presidential Fellowship in Chemical Engineering worth $3,500.
In the evaluation of Kirschner’s performance, the students described him as encouraging, fair, caring and great at conveying information.
“Alon’s exemplary TA service in 317 was critical to getting the students off to a solid start in their chemical engineering careers,” Dr. Benny Freeman, ChE 317 course instructor, said. ”The students bonded with Alon and viewed him as a role model based on his personal enthusiasm, brilliant lecturing and patient mentoring.”
“I myself had a lot of trouble with this class, and having a bad TA did not make life easier,” Kirschner said. “That made me want to put in a lot of effort to make the material clear and getting this positive feedback makes that effort worthwhile.”
He’s students described her as an incredibly knowledgeable and helpful TA who made lab and the students’ learning experience enjoyable.
“As a TA, Shichao worked productively, professionally and patiently with the undergraduates she was teaching,” Dr. Keith Friedman, ChE 253M course instructor, said. “She sought feedback on her teaching and implemented it and was genuinely invested in student success.”
“I appreciate this program and Dr. Friedman offering me this TA position,” He said. “I enjoyed working with all of the students through this course and it is encouraging to me to learn that the students found my teaching effective and helpful.”
The department is pleased to recognize the level of effort given and performance above and beyond expectations by these two exceptional TAs.
Posted August 24, 2017: TAs of the Year
