The School of Chemical Sciences (SCS) and the Department of Chemistry have recognized a group of faculty members and graduate students for their commitment to excellence in the classroom in the 2023-24 academic year.
Two chemistry faculty members and four graduate students in chemistry received the annual SCS awards for excellence in teaching and five additional chemistry graduate students received teaching awards from the Department of Chemistry. All the awards are meant to recognize the entire scope of educational efforts, from course development to in-class instruction.
2023-2024 School of Chemical Sciences Teaching awards
Faculty Teaching Award — Nick Jackson
The School of Chemical Sciences faculty teaching award recipient is Prof. Nicholas Jackson, an assistant professor of chemistry and leader of the AI for Materials Group at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. Jackson joined the chemistry faculty in 2021, and his research lab works on problems at the interface of AI, molecular modeling, and materials chemistry, with specific interests in the development of coarse-grained electronic structure models, conjugated materials theory, and polymer design.
Siddhartha Banerjee — Graduate student TA
Advisor/research group? Liviu Mirica
Courses you taught: Fall 2023: CHEM 317/517 (Laboratory course that emphasized on modern techniques for the synthesis, purification, and characterization of inorganic and organometallic compounds)
Spring 2024: CHEM 518 (Lecture that focused on organometallic chemistry, advanced ligand field theory and molecular orbital theory of inorganic compounds, kinetics and mechanisms of inorganic reactions.)
What did you enjoy most about teaching? Teaching Inorganic Chemistry during my first year as a grad student at Illinois has been incredibly fulfilling! Sharing my love, curiosity, and knowledge for the subject has helped me solidify my understanding along with the rewarding experience of watching my students grow as chemists.
Peisen Qian
Advisor/research group? Joaquin Rodriguez-Lopez & Josh Vura-Weis
What courses did you teach? Chem 540 and Chem 442: Quantum mechanics, graduate level and undergraduate level
What did you enjoy most about teaching? Helping students! I don't want them to give up because the course is difficult.
How has being a Teaching Assistant impacted you? I developed my skill in making things concise and easy to understand.
What are your career aspirations? Probably I want to work in academia.
Suritra Bandyopadhyay — Graduate student TA
Advisor/research group? Jeff Chan
What do you enjoy about teaching? "I feel that the entire process of teaching is such a wholesome experience, fueling my own learning and growth. I relish the challenge of expanding my knowledge through the unique perspectives that my students bring. Their ability to ask thought-provoking questions that I have never thought of before helps me get newer dimensions into the lessons that I teach. Ultimately, for me, it has got to be my students themselves who make teaching an absolutely fulfilling journey!”
Ethan Walker — Graduate student TA
Advisor/research group? Martin Burke group
Education background: Westmont College, B.S. Chemistry, B.S. Biology, 2022
Other awards: NSF GRFP Honorable Mention and Beak Literature Seminar Award
2023-24 Department of Chemistry Teaching Awards
Harshit Jain — Professor Peter Beak Endowed Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award
Advisor/research group? Benjamin Snyder
What courses did you teach? Fall 2023: CHEM 512 - Graduate level Advanced Inorganic Chemistry and Spring 2024: CHEM 516 - Graduate level Physical Inorganic Chemistry
What did you enjoy most about teaching? The thing I enjoyed most about teaching is having the ability to guide and nurture scientific curiosity of the incoming graduate students. Being able to break a difficult topic into simple terms for a clear understanding provides a sense of satisfaction like no other.
How has being a Teaching Assistant impacted you? Becoming a Teaching Assistant has shown me how different backgrounds and perspectives can be leveraged for understanding topics in a unique, creative way.
Anna DeBernardo — Dr. Sandra Murawski Award for Teaching Excellence
Advisor/research group? Nick Jackson
What courses did you teach? CHEM 440: Principles of Physical Chemistry
What did you enjoy most about teaching? I loved the having the ability to connect with students and show them a new way of looking at both chemistry and the world around them.
How has being a Teaching Assistant impacted you? Teaching undergraduates has given me a deeper appreciation of some of the fundamentals of physical chemistry. I've also been able to improve my ability to explain foreign concepts by drawing connections to other material and using familiar examples.
Armando Santiago Carboney — Zumdahl Teaching Award
Advisor/research group? Joaquín Rodríguez-López
What courses did you teach? Fall 2023: Advanced Analytical Chemistry - Treats basic issues of importance in modern analytical chemistry, with a focus on measurement instrumentation and techniques for chemical analysis, sensing and surface characterization. Spring 2024: Electrochemical Methods - Focused on the principles of electrochemical instrumentation for electroanalysis, electrochemical surface science, and electrocatalysis
What did you enjoy most about teaching? I enjoy the excitement some students show when they finally grasp the concepts behind a difficult topic. I enjoy it even more if I also struggled with that topic when I was taking the course, I feel it is a good way I can contribute to making knowledge more accessible.
How has being a Teaching Assistant impacted you? It has helped me to become a more organized person and has also allowed me to express complex thoughts in a more easy way.
What are your career aspirations? Right now, I am still deciding, but my Teaching Assistant experiences have made me consider pursuing an academic job.