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The Graduate School honored 24 graduate students Thursday, March 7, with excellence in teaching and excellence in research awards. The students were chosen on the basis of recommendations from faculty, and in the case of the teaching awards, from students as well. Short profiles of the winners are presented.
Teaching awards

Andrea Frohne, a PhD candidate in art history, teaches classes that focus on how the concepts of race and gender are constructed and on the impact of globalization on arts of the African world. One student wrote, “Andrea’s passion for the material she taught us in the class was absolutely infectious. What I learned has not only remained with me as though I took the class yesterday, but in particular it also resonates in all of my art historical work since.” Frohne’s recommenders also describe her as attentive, integrated and considerate. Her nominator wrote, “Andrea is a highly intelligent and creative scholar whose sense of justice informs her research with sensitivity and insight, just as it informs her teaching.”

Rick O’Gorman, a PhD candidate in biological sciences, has a wide range of teaching experience as a teaching assistant, co-instructor and facilitator. According to his recommender, O’Gorman is regarded, as a teaching assistant who can be counted upon to do “a high quality, careful, and responsible job.” Another faculty member said he “clearly has an engaging style with the students that encourages them to participate, along with a contagious interest in the subject matter that causes students to go beyond caring about their grades to caring about the subject itself.”

John Gitua, a PhD candidate in chemistry, has assisted in undergraduate chemistry courses and taught organic chemistry as an instructor of record. Describing his teaching philosophy, Gitua said, “my major objective is to prepare, develop and mold students’ interest in learning. This is achieved by bridging the teacher-student gap for the mutual interest of education, learning the fundamentals and applying them where required with greatly improved comprehension level.” Students and faculty members commented on his intellectual strengths. One faculty member wrote, “the basis for John’s great success lies in his intelligence, self-discipline and dedication to fulfilling his responsibilities to the fullest.”

Gabriel Asaftei, a PhD candidate in economics, has taught several courses as a teaching assistant and instructor of record. Describing his teaching philosophy, Asaftei said “education means taking the acquired knowledge, being able to understand and process it, and most importantly, being able to apply knowledge to real world situations.” His recommender stated: “It was obvious throughout his association with my courses that Asaftei had unusual insight into students’ struggles to master difficult concepts.” One of his students commented on his dedication to his students and he wrote: “He taught the class in such a way that each of us wanted to go above and beyond the curriculum for our own enlightenment.”

Senanu Asamoah, a PhD candidate in economics, has taught extensively in the Economics Department and the School of Management. He has taught courses in international economy, domestic financial systems, principles of macroeconomics and managerial economics. He believes that the goal of being an educator is to provide students with relevant information, allow them to appreciate the practicality of the subject and to develop the skills necessary to advance within the discipline. One of his recommenders wrote, “What impresses me the most is the calm and confident manner in which he overcomes challenges and his drive and determination to succeed.” A student wrote, “Senanu Asamoah has been my inspiration and my mentor, without his guidance and support, I would have missed out on some valuable opportunities to further my career.”

Eric Matthew Lafferty, a PhD candidate in English, described his teaching philosophy as, “My role in the classroom is of fellow learner and of leader, of confidant in the process of writing and of role model in the practice in critical thinking.” One student wrote that Lafferty, “is truly gifted as a teacher, mastering both the analytical skills required but even more the artistic or creative skills required.” Another noted, “ I am particularly impressed with his developing paradigm of teaching, one that is based upon a student-centered perspective rather than the more traditional teacher-centered perspective.”

Eva Tettenborn, a PhD candidate in English, has taught several courses in her department, including Oral Traditions in American Literature and African-American Women Writers. Her students describe her as a devoted teacher and caring mentor. In the English Department, Tettenborn organized the TA Training and Development Program and assisted in organizing the annual Graduate Student Conference on Teaching. In addition, Tettenborn made numerous presentations and participated in several campus-wide workshops on teaching issues. According to one nominator, Tettenborn has a strong commitment to reflective teaching.

Lori Koban, a PhD student in mathematical sciences, recently earned a master’s of arts in teaching. She has extensive teaching experience and is recognized in her department as a talented, creative and dedicated instructor. She has served as a teaching assistant, instructor of record, and mentor in the Math Department and has helped organize the Preparing Future Faculty Program. Peers describe her courses and faculty as exceptional and her teaching style as encouraging student participation. One particular strength cited is her ability to cater to the needs of the weaker students while still challenging the stronger ones.

Jamie Griffith, a PhD candidate in psychology, has taught a general laboratory course and has taught and assisted in statistics courses to undergraduates and graduate students. His nominators said Griffith has explicit and fair expectations of his students and an outstanding ability to express complex and challenging subjects with enthusiasm, clarity and humor. His recom-menders said Griffith’s manner, delivery and mastery of material make him an excellent teacher. Faculty, peers and students cited his passion for teaching, and his contributions as a dedicated and skilled instructor.

James MacKillop, a PhD student in psychology, was cited as being a student leader. He has taught courses on physiology of behavior, and drugs and behavior. One student noted, “His passion for the subject not only gave me a great interest for the course, but it also made me more interested in clinical psychology.” MacKillop described his teaching role as being a facilitator for student learning and making the classroom an open forum for discussion and debate and said this role in turn enhanced his learning as a teacher.

Lindah Mhando, a PhD candidate in sociology, has taught several courses in sociology, Africana studies, Latin American and Caribbean area studies and human development. She has also been an active mentor to both graduate and undergraduate students and participated in the Grad- uate School’s TA mentoring program. She was cited for her frequent interactions with students, and encouraging undergraduate participation in the classroom as well in the community. Recommenders described her as a challenging teacher who set high standards of excellence for herself and her students.

Israel Silva-Merced is a PhD candidate in sociology. Recommenders described him as an experienced and respected instructor whose courses are in high demand. His teaching experience includes more than 20 courses. He described his teaching role as being a facilitator for classroom discussion and debate, and said his commitment to social justice is reflected in his teaching. According to one recommender, Silva-Merced encourages students to “think in analytically interesting ways about controversial issues.” Another said that his passion and devotion to teaching have formed lasting impressions on his students and colleagues.

Research awards