CTL Celebrates the 2024 TA & Future Faculty Awards
On April 19, 2024, the Center for Teaching and Learning hosted the annual TA and Future Faculty Awards Day Ceremony to honor Teaching Assistants (TAs) at Georgia Tech. This ceremony celebrates excellence in teaching throughout the Institute and acknowledges the invaluable role TAs play in shaping the minds of students and enriching the academic community at Tech.
The TA & Future Faculty Awards recognize TAs who receive Thank-a-Teacher notes; Graduate Teaching Fellows; International Teaching Assistant Liaisons; participants of the Tech to Teaching program; and Outstanding TA nominees selected by their respective schools.
The Thank-a-Teacher program began in November 2005 and provides students with an opportunity to give feedback to outstanding teachers, teaching assistants, advisers, and mentors. In 2023, 172 TAs received notes thanking them for their hard work, dedication, and support of students.
Graduate Teaching Fellows (GTFs) are a cohort of graduate students from various disciplines who work with faculty in the Center for Teaching and Learning in support of TA and future faculty programs. International Teaching Assistant (ITA) Liaisons support ITAs across campus through classes, consultations, orientations, and more. This year, 10 GTFs and 6 ITAs were recognized at the ceremony.
The Tech to Teaching program prepares graduate students and postdocs for college teaching positions. Participants who complete the foundation level of the program receive a CIRTL Associate Certificate; in order to complete the entire Tech to Teaching program, participants must then teach or co-teach a course for their teaching capstone. Sixty-nine program participants were recognized for receiving their CIRTL Associate certificates and 40 were recognized for successfully completing the entire Tech to Teaching program.
As part of the celebration, the Center for Teaching and Learning hosts the annual “TA Awards,” a competition that culminates at the end of the ceremony with the announcement of 14 institute-wide winners. To be recognized as an Outstanding TA in the TA Awards, schools must nominate teaching assistants for consideration; nominees must then submit endorsements from faculty, staff, and students. Each Outstanding TA is recognized at the ceremony with a certificate. From this list, final winners are selected by a review committee and announced at the ceremony. The 14 institute-wide award winners each received a $500 stipend and a framed certificate thanks to the generous endowments of the Class of ’57 and Class of ’72.
The 2024 award winners are listed below by award category.
Graduate Student Instructors:
Eunbee Kim – School of Psychology
Egan Lua – Scheller College of Business
Markace Rainey – School of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Graduate Teaching Assistants:
Joshua Ayers – School of City & Regional Planning
Athulya Ram Sreedharan Nair – School of Mathematics
Malav Patel – School of Computing Instruction
Online Head Teaching Assistants:
Kathryn Krupczak – School of Computer Science
Brandon Pries – School of Physics
Online Teaching Assistants:
Shazia Ali – School of History & Sociology
Estelle Hansen – School of Mathematics
Suryateja Ravutla – School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Undergraduate Teaching Assistants:
Marianne Al Haj – School of Biomedical Engineering
Javier Pratdesaba – School of Mathematics
Morgan Polk – School of Chemistry & Biochemistry
On behalf of the Center for Teaching and Learning, we extend our thanks to all Georgia Tech teaching assistants. Thank you for striving for excellence, innovation, and inclusion in your endeavors, and may you continue to pursue your passion for education.
To view the full digital program with the names of those recognized, click here. View our highlights video below.
