CSE recognizes outstanding Graduate Student Instructors and Instructional Aides from Fall 2023

The Computer Science and Engineering Division is pleased to announce the recipients of the Fall 2023 Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) and Instructional Aide (IA) Awards. Based on student and faculty evaluations, these awards recognize the excellence of our student teachers and their critical input in strengthening CSE’s missions to shape the future of computing and benefit the world through excellence in education. 

Below are the GSI/IA Award winners for Fall term 2023:

GSI Awardees

Jeremy Flics

EECS 203: Discrete Mathematics

“Jeremy has been a key contributor on the EECS 203 teaching team for many years. This year he took on a new role as the GSI for the CSP discussion section, where he has done an excellent job. He is beloved by students for his clear explanations and approachable demeanor.” – Dr. Kimberly Khalsa Diaz

Jonah Rosenblum

EECS 582: Advanced Operating Systems

“Jonah was very knowledgeable and helpful! All interactions were positive. Jonah did a good job giving us feedback on group projects” – Student endorser

Jacob Sansom

EECS 487: Introduction to Natural Language Processing

“I have never seen a GSI as dedicated to student success as Jake is. Jake shows this dedication to students by spending whatever time is necessary to ensure that [they] and the class are successful. He is willing to answer student questions on Piazza (the online forum for the class) late on a Friday night when an assignment is due, and he regularly hosts extra office hours before a class deadline. Jake also meets one-on-one with students that need extra help in the class… Jake’s consistent dedication to student success has made him one of the best GSIs I have worked with. Many students agree with me, noting ‘Jake is probably the most dedicated and best GSI I have ever had’ and  ‘Jake was by far the best GSI I’ve ever had in a course.’” – Dr. Laura Burdick

IA Awardees

Evan Gebo

EECS 445: Introduction to Machine Learning

“Evan was a fantastic IA. In addition to his clear engagement with the students, he was very keen on keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes.” – Dr. Sindhu Kutty

Alex Kalams

EECS 494: Computer Game Design and Development

“Alexander Kalams has done an outstanding job this semester in EECS 494—a course that is not easy to IA. EECS 494 is an intensive capstone/design-oriented course that requires a large amount of grading (grading of the most difficult kind—semi-subjective, personalized, custom, project/progress-based grading). Alexander has been empathetic but consistent in his feedback and grading duties, while offering a substantial number of office hours throughout the week and burdening an increased workload (due to my launching of a brand new ULCS course, I’ve had to lean on my staff a bit more than usual).” – Austin Yarger

Rajin Nagpal

EECS 373: Introduction to Embedded System Design

“Rajin has been one the best IAs I have had in the past 20 years… He is one of the best teachers I have come across in a long time. He is patient, listens carefully, and coaches the students so they improve and develop their skills. He also takes the initiative to follow through with students working on various problems with well-timed constructive advice. On more than one occasion, students have told me that he is a great instructor and that they appreciate his presence in the class.” – Matthew Smith

Joyce Zhou

EECS 183: Elementary Programming Concepts

“It is not a surprise that Joyce is recognized by students as an excellent IA. Joyce represents the best of the CSE community in teaching, mentoring, and scholarship. In addition to her exceptional student teaching evaluations, Joyce has been an outstanding teacher and mentor for peer IAs. She has collaborated with peer IAs to improve their teaching and professional development.” – Dr. Bill Arthur

Honorable Mentions

Alec Korotney

GSI, EECS 370: Introduction to Computer Organization

“Alec has demonstrated a great compassion for students that has been crucial for transitioning into a lab class with required attendance. This success of this choice is contingent on us having effective and empathetic instructors that students will benefit in meeting with over just watching lecture recordings. I am not surprised that students have evaluated Alec so highly. He’s been a great asset for our courses.” – Dr. Jonathan Beaumont

Bryan Nie

IA, EECS 492: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

“In addition to performing his duties as an IA, Bryan exceeded my expectations by developing  a programming assignment in reinforcement learning in a short period. He single-handedly developed the assignment, without major bugs. This was a challenging task, one that is often handled by GSIs, but he was up to the task.” – Prof. Alexander Rodríguez

Daphne Tsai

GSI, EECS 376: Foundations of Computer Science

“She leads the effort of writing the homework for each week. Daphne is always organized and thoughtful and does quality work.” – Prof. Nicole Wein

Ian Wrzesinski

IA, EECS 470: Computer Architecture

“Ian spent a great deal of time making our tools in EECS 470 easier to use. Many students have commented that his work made a big difference in their course experience.” – Dr. Jonathan Beaumont