Previous Winners - Teaching Assistant Award
Congratulations TA Teaching Award Winners
2010
Teaching: Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Engineering Winner: Catherine Matassa, Biology PhD, College of Arts & Sciences
Catherine Matassa received an MS in Marine Biology from Northeastern’s Three Seas program in 2006 and is currently a PhD student in the Biology department. Catherine is the co-author of 5 journal publications—2 of them as a first author. For the last 2 years Catherine has taught courses on Experimental Design in Marine Biology. Teaching research design and statistics courses can be very challenging. Catherine is an outstanding instructor who consistently receives teaching scores as high as 5. Comments from students are highly complimentary. “Catherine was well prepared, patient, understanding, and very available to help outside of class.” “ She is phenomenal.” “Great class, great professor.” “She made statistics fun.” Catherine describes her teaching philosophy as “to learn science, do science, and to teach science—do science! I keep experiential learning and the scientific process at the core of my classes.”
Teaching: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences Winner: Tammi Arford, Sociology PhD, College of Arts & Sciences
Tammi Arford received an MA in Sociology from Northeastern in 2006 and is currently a PhD student in the Sociology program. She is the author of one co-authored journal publication and 4 conference presentations. Tammi teaches courses in the general area of deviant behavior and social control. Teaching evaluations by students in her courses are exceptional with Trace scores ranging between 4.3 and 4.9. Comments by students reflect the high scores she is given. When asked what could be improved about the course one student said, “Nothing, the course is perfect the way it is” while another said “I do not have any suggestions because I really liked this class.” Says Tammi, “The techniques I use to teach are always developing. I consider the classroom a dynamic space in which I learn about students’ lives, their needs, and the most effective ways of communicating with them.”
2008
Mark Mixer of the Mathematics Department taught the largest course in that department, "Mathematical Thinking." His important curriculum development work included helping to develop a packet of required course materials to supplement the text, to introduce the major themes of the course, and give the course a greater coherenece. Mark was also designated by the Department as a Master Tutor, a leadership position in recognition of his special talents as a teacher.
Stanislav Vysotsky of the Sociology Department is one of the best teaching assistants Jack Levin and Judy Perrolle have ever had. His lecture on white power music over several decades was brilliant and a guest lecture on online hate groups was comparable to what one would hear at an American Sociological Assocation meeting. He has consistently received excellent student evaluations on par with those of the Department's most popular full time faculty.