University of Wisconsin-Madison

03/23/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 03/23/2026 13:57

UW–Madison celebrates outstanding teaching assistants

Thirty-two exceptional graduate students have been selected as recipients of the 2025-26 Campus-Wide Teaching Assistant Awards, recognizing their strengths and commitment surrounding the craft of teaching.

UW-Madison employs over 2,400 teaching assistants (TAs) across a wide range of disciplines. Their contributions to the classroom, lab, and field are essential to the university's educational mission. To recognize the excellence of TAs across campus, the Graduate School, the College of Letters & Science, and the Morgridge Center sponsor these annual awards.

Volunteer judges selected awardees for four categories: early excellence, advanced achievement, capstone teaching, and community-based learning. The Dorothy Powelson Awards recognize outstanding performance by TAs in the natural sciences.

The Early Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes TAs with fewer than four semesters of teaching experience at UW-Madison. Awardees:

The Advanced Achievement in Teaching Award recognizes TAs with four or more semesters of teaching experience at UW-Madison who are not in the final year of a PhD. Awardees:

The Capstone Teaching Award recognizes dissertators at the end of their graduate program with an outstanding teaching record over the course of their UW-Madison tenure. Awardees:

The Excellence in Community-Based Learning Teaching Award recognizes TAs at any stage of their graduate education who demonstrate outstanding instruction using a community-based learning approach. Awardee:

Learn more about each awardee below.

Early Excellence in Teaching Award

Vipul Bansal

Vipul is a PhD candidate in Industrial and Systems Engineering. His research focuses on modeling and decision making for multi-component smart and connected systems, emphasizing scalability, flexibility, and interpretability for large systems. He has served as a teaching assistant for Industrial and Systems Engineering courses Facilities Planning and Introduction to Manufacturing Systems, Design, and Analysis, developing structured lab sessions that help students build both procedural skill and conceptual understanding.

As a teaching assistant, Vipul is passionate about helping students move beyond mechanics to grasp the reasoning behind each method. He redesigned his lab sessions into short, focused segments with brief demos, hands-on practice, and quick comprehension checks, and created step-by-step guides and "common pitfalls" handouts to support learning during and after lab. He also organizes office hours to create space for deeper "why" and "what-if" discussions. Vipul has received multiple honors, including the Gilbreth Memorial Fellowship from the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, runner up in the Quality Control and Reliability Engineering (QCRE) Best Poster Competition at the Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers Annual Conference and Expo 2024, and being named a finalist in the QCRE Student Paper Competition in 2024 and 2023.

Ireide Calero Caballero

Ireide is a master's student specializing in literature. She studies graphic novels in Spain, focusing on their development and on how the Spanish Civil War and the subsequent dictatorship are represented in comics. Outside of literature, she loves playing the piano and sports. She has taught Spanish 101, 102, and 203.

Ireide said she enjoys working with her coordinators ­- who have been incredibly supportive and helped her grow as an instructor - and her students.

"My students are always wonderful, and teaching Spanish has given me the opportunity to positively influence their thinking, confidence, and future plans. Even small moments in the classroom can feel meaningful," she said. "Being part of the community at the University of Wisconsin-Madison makes me feel connected to something bigger, and the lively campus culture with its events, clubs, and opportunities such as these awards makes coming to work every day a joy."

Lore FitzWhittemore

Lore is a PhD student in Communication Arts on the media and cultural studies track. Her research looks at the factors that shape and constrain collaborative storytelling, ranging from institutional policy, to interpersonal dynamics, to intellectual property ownership, to narrative structures.

She has taught four semesters of the production class Introduction to Digital Media Production. The part she enjoys most about teaching is seeing students learn through exploration and demonstrate new knowledge through acts of creation.

"Throughout my four semesters of teaching, I have had the honor to see how clever, insightful, and creative the students at UW-Madison can be through the media projects they have shared with me," Lore said. "The submissions I have received span across artistic mediums: photography, websites coded using HTML and CSS, podcasts, short films, and written responses. I enjoy seeing how students leverage the skills and information I show them to create something entirely new, inherently grounded in who they are and what matters to them. The students I have taught inspire me with their creativity, impress me with their analyses, and awe me with their stories. I cannot wait to hear what they will go on to accomplish."

Michael Hensley

Dorothy Powelson Award

Mike is a graduate student in Botany studying ecological and evolutionary mycology. He's taught the courses on General Biology 1 and General Botany. He is also teaching a Mushrooms course offered for the first time, and has helped create the content for this class along with lab mates.

He enjoys the large community and learning environment that UW-Madison offers. "I love the diversity of the people I have worked with to make these courses run smoothly as well as the expanse of material I have helped to cover," Mike said. "I have led discussion sections on the anatomy of the human ear to sections on how to culture environmental fungi. I feel my interaction with this incredible breadth of knowledge and people has made me a better scientist, communicator, teacher, and overall citizen."

Ellie Kincaid

Ellie is a PhD student in English and literary studies who studies queer and trans outdoor adventure stories. They have been a TA for English courses including Introduction to College Writing and Why Shakespeare, in addition to being an instructor at the Writing Center.

Ellie's favorite thing about teaching at UW-Madison is the students. "UW students are so bright, curious, and open to learning, and my favorite part of my job is the vibrant classroom communities my student and I build together each semester!" Ellie said. "I especially love seeing students grow into their own identities as writers, editors, and community members."

"I'm also grateful for all the ways that the English Department invests in teaching," they said. "The Writing Center, English 100 program, undergraduate advising team, and the many teachers and mentors who support students across the department are essential to my ability to create meaningful learning environments."

Hanna Konavaluk

Dorothy Powelson Award

Hanna is a master's student in Geoscience. Her research investigates how sulfur isotope records within sediments are preserved under metamorphic conditions.

She has taught Introductory Geology: How the Earth Works, and Evolution and Extinction. She enjoys teaching geology because students can leave the classroom and experience the principles they learned firsthand.

"They can hold rocks that have been buried deep underground, trace the outline of their oldest fossil ancestors, and observe sedimentary process at work in the lakes they walk past on their way to class," Hanna said. "I try and facilitate learning experiences that empower students to take ownership of their own learning through discovery and curiosity about the world around them."

Ikhyun Lim

Ikhyun is a PhD student in the Department of Political Science specializing in political theory. His research primarily engages modern and continental political thought to address key contemporary political questions, particularly concerning representation and post-anthropocentrism.

Ikhyun has taught across a diverse range of subjects (classic texts and statistics), course levels (undergraduate and graduate), and section formats (discussion and lab) through Political Science courses such as Introduction to Political Theory, Introduction to Statistical Methods in Political Science, and Multivariable Statistical Inference for Political Research.

"In many undergraduate political theory courses, students encounter influential ideas developed by prominent political thinkers, both classical and contemporary," Ikhyun said. "Studying political theory, however, is not simply a matter of passively learning what these thinkers believed, but of actively thinking with and through them." His classes are designed to advance this goal by creating a space where students can question, critique, and charitably reconstruct the texts they encounter throughout the course. In the process, they are also encouraged to respect diverse perspectives and broaden their own.

Thea Showalter

Thea is a graduate student in Water Resources Management and Urban and Regional Planning. She specializes in developing data tools and resources for communities planning for sustainable development and climate resilience.

At UW-Madison, Thea has taught Social Media for the Life Sciences, as well as Environmental Studies/Geography courses on People, Land, and Food and on Environmental Conservation.

"Courses in the Nelson Institute and the Department of Geography bring together students from such a wide array of disciplines, backgrounds, and interests," Thea said. "My discussion sections have animal science majors, engineers, literature majors, and geographers working together to explore environmental problems."

Thea noted that UW-Madison faculty bring rich and fascinating research into the undergraduate sphere, working hard to challenge their students with new ideas. "As a TA, I have been so fortunate to work with truly fantastic students and faculty," she said. "I most enjoy providing direction to students so they can further develop their ideas and interests, discover how environmental issues fit into their lives, and seeing what those students go on to do after school."

David R. Montalvo

David is a PhD student in Sociology. His areas of specialization are cultural sociology, political sociology, gender, and media. His research so far has focused on culture wars and polarization. He has been a TA for the courses Sociology of Race and Ethnicity in the U.S., Sociology of Gender, and Introduction to LGBTQ Studies, and is passionate about every one of those subjects.

David expressed gratitude to the course professors who provide the support and structural foundation necessary for him to be able to do his job. His favorite part of teaching, by far, is his students.

"I have students from all different majors and walks of life taking my classes who are all curious about the society around us," David said. "They prove to me that it is always possible to discuss important and complex ideas and issues about society with respect, nuance and enthusiasm. Grad school is stressful as is, but my students help make the more difficult days feel worth it."

Amit Sharma

Dorothy Powelson Award

Amit Sharma is a PhD candidate in Plant Pathology, where he works with Dr. Damon Smith to improve management strategies for Sclerotinia stem rot of soybean. His research integrates population biology and biological control approaches to suppress this economically significant plant disease. Amit has served as a teaching assistant for Plants, Parasites, and People, where he led two laboratory sections and delivered a guest lecture for the course. He is dedicated to fostering inclusive, student-centered learning in the biological sciences. His teaching philosophy focuses on making complex scientific concepts accessible and engaging through active learning strategies, hands-on laboratory experiences, and real-world case studies drawn from Wisconsin and global agricultural systems.

"I enjoy building meaningful connections with students, so they feel comfortable asking questions, sharing their ideas, and expressing their uncertainties," Amit said. "Creating an environment where every learner feels seen, heard, and supported is central to my teaching philosophy."

The thing he values most about teaching at UW-Madison is the diversity of student perspectives in the classroom.

"Students come from a wide range of academic backgrounds and career aspirations, which creates a dynamic and enriching learning environment. I appreciate the opportunity to help students build confidence in science, especially those who may not initially see themselves as scientists. I also deeply value the collaborative teaching community at UW-Madison, where instructors and teaching assistants continually support one another in improving our practice," Amit said.

Yu-Hsuan "Jade" Wang

Jade is a third-year PhD student in the History of Science, Medicine, and Technology. Her research focuses on the history of dairy, technology, and public health in Cold War Taiwan. She studies how something as ordinary as milk became meaningful through science, infrastructure, and politics.

She has taught courses in the history of science and science and technology studies (STS), including The Digital Age covering modern computing history, The Origins of Scientific Thought from Aristotle to Newton, and introductory STS courses about where science meets society. She cares a lot about the human and social sides of science and technology and really enjoys helping students realize that science is not just facts and formulas, but something shaped by people and historical contexts.

As a teacher at UW-Madison, Jade appreciates the chance to work with various instructors and colleagues and learn from their very different teaching styles. "Even though everyone teaches differently, I've always felt that this is a place that truly cares about students and about teaching," she said. "It's serious in the best way, but also warm, creative, and sometimes even funny. I've learned so much from the people around me here, and I try to bring that same warmth and energy into my own classroom."

She also enjoys teaching students from a range of academic backgrounds and seeing how differently they interpret the same readings or questions. "I often adjust my teaching plans depending on who's in the room, and honestly, that's part of what makes teaching history of science so fun," Jade said. "It's a field that naturally sits between science and the humanities."

She added that she is grateful to her students as she continues to learn how to become a better teacher. "Every comment in discussion, every piece of feedback, every high-five, quick 'hi,' or random campus encounter means more to me than they probably realize," she said.

Advanced Achievement in Teaching Award

Max Yakubovskiy

Max is a PhD candidate in Educational Policy Studies focused on international education and global studies. His dissertation examines the lived experiences of queer international students in U.S. universities, attending to questions of belonging, marginalization, and institutional responsibility amid shifting political climates.

He has taught courses on the History of Race and Inequality in Urban America; Gender, Sexuality, and Educational Policy; and Comparative Education. The thing he enjoys most about teaching at UW-Madison is the community.

"I've been in academia for a while now, both in the U.S. and Europe, and I've seen different traditions, schools, institutions," Max said. "The School of Education at UW-Madison is one of the most nourishing educational spaces one can imagine. And I am honored and proud being part of it, feeling supported, feeling seen and heard."

Evgeny Mazko

Dorothy Powelson Award

Evgeny "Zhenya" Mazko is a PhD candidate in Geoscience whose work sits at the intersection of sedimentary geology and data science. His research examines how the sedimentary rock record evolves across continents through deep time, with a focus on Northern Eurasia and North America. By combining geological maps, stratigraphic datasets, and computational analysis, he investigates how marine environments, tectonic processes, and sediment preservation shape the geological history recorded in rocks.

At UW-Madison, Evgeny is especially passionate about teaching introductory geology labs, where he focuses on making Earth science accessible and engaging for students encountering it for the first time. He emphasizes active learning, encouraging students to work with real rocks, collaborate in small groups, and think like geologists. His labs often include creative exercises designed to build curiosity and confidence, such as semester-long projects in which students investigate a single rock and reconstruct the story of how it formed (the "PET Rock Project"). For Evgeny, teaching is one of the most rewarding parts of academic life, offering a chance to share the excitement of discovery and to help students see the landscapes around them through a new geological lens.

Levi Cross

Levi is a PhD candidate in Spanish and Portuguese studying contemporary Brazilian literature and speculative fiction. His dissertation examines how characters with diverse bodies and minds navigate and transform collapsing or post-apocalyptic environments in contemporary Brazilian literature.

Levi has taught many Portuguese classes from 101 up to 300-level courses and has taught Latin America: An Introduction. Levi particularly enjoys teaching Portuguese 226, in which he could create his own syllabus that analyzed films, plays, short stories, and other cultural media across the Portuguese-speaking diaspora in addition to teaching language and grammar. One of his favorite memories from the class was organizing a workshop on "string literature" (literatura de cordel) and connecting the Memorial Library's collection of physical string literature pamphlets to a film the class had watched.

"I also enjoy organizing cooking workshops with my students, where we learn cultural history behind Brazilian foods and get the chance to cook them together," Levi said. "I have organized culinary workshops for pão de queijo and brigadeiro where we cooked using Babcock Hall's Food Application Laboratory."

Levi finds teaching Portuguese language and culture courses to be particularly rewarding.

"I am constantly awestruck with pride at the end of the semester reflecting on my students' growth in their language skills and their excitement in engaging with the culture of Portuguese-speaking communities," he said. "I love that UW-Madison has a strong tradition of language instruction, particularly in Portuguese and other less commonly taught languages, and provides many opportunities for students to engage with the target language and culture outside of the classroom."

Cameron Jones

Cameron is a PhD student in the Department of Statistics and works on the College of Letters & Science (L&S) TA Training & Support Team. He loves teaching high-enrollment courses such as Data Science Modeling I and Statistical Data Visualization, as well as leading the L&S Teaching Mentors and Graduate Student Advisory Council, all of which give him the honor of working with and learning from the wonderful variety of undergraduate and graduate students at UW-Madison. Learning through community is the heart of Cameron's philosophy, and his courses and programs seek to foster connections and exchange of ideas across disciplines and lived experiences.

Ashley Reece

Ashley is a PhD candidate in the human development area of Educational Psychology, where she studies how cognitive processes influence preschool children's ability to learn different types of words­ (for example, abstract words and words with multiple meanings). She has served as the teaching assistant for multiple human development classes spanning infancy through adolescence. Most recently, in fall of 2025, she was the instructor of record for Human Development in Infancy and Childhood.

"The core of my teaching philosophy is fostering students' growth as independent learners and rigorous critical thinkers. Working with students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison makes this work especially rewarding: they engage deeply, ask incisive questions, and continually challenge themselves and me. Watching their analytical skills grow is one of my favorite things about teaching," Ashley said. "Additionally, I value the flexibility to refine my courses over time, aligning them with my teaching goals while responding to students' needs. Sharing my passion for child development and helping students see its relevance in their own lives allows me to support both their intellectual growth and the broader skills they will carry beyond the classroom."

Rachel Tan

Rachel is a PhD candidate in Political Science, who was also part of the inaugural cohort to earn the UW-Madison Certificate in Higher Education Teaching and Learning. Her research is on the global political economy of AI infrastructure and labor, as well as Indigenous politics across Latin America. Her work draws on ethnographic and archival fieldwork in Mexico, Peru, and Bolivia, and she is deeply committed to interdisciplinary, community-engaged, and critical pedagogy.

This spring, as the instructor for Literature & Politics: Stories at the End of the World, she has designed and taught her own course on "Crisis under Capitalism / Capitalism under Crisis." Previously, she was the principal instructor for Social Movements & Revolutions in Latin America and has served as a TA for International Studies courses Introduction to International Studies and Global Poverty and Inequality.

Prior to UW-Madison, Rachel taught at the National University of Singapore, served in academic advising, intercultural engagement and mental health support roles at Yale-NUS College, was a geography high school teacher in Cambodia, and was an experiential educator in Peru. She was also a 2022-23 Southern Wisconsin Aspire Regional Collaborative Teaching scholar.

"My favorite part of teaching is designing creative, multimodal assignments-role-play simulations, soundwalks, oral histories, and mapping projects-that invite students to draw on their own expertise and lived experiences while centering community knowledges beyond the university," Rachel said. "I encourage students to unsettle politics as usual and imagine alternatives to colonial-capitalist extractive logics, opening pathways to more equitable and reciprocal forms of political life. Together, we channel our collective ingenuity, recognizing that each of us-not just the instructor-has something to teach, and where each class can remake what students imagine to be possible."

LiChen Dong

LiChen is a graduate student in the Department of Psychology in the clinical psychology area. His research focuses on the nature and nurture of psychopathology as well as how they interact. He's also interested in how broader social factors such as social determinants of health may shape the development of psychopathology. In his clinical training, LiChen works with neurodiverse children and adolescents with complex behavioral needs.

LiChen has been dedicated to teaching Design and Analysis of Psychological Experiments I & II, the cornerstone statistical training sequence for psychology graduate students. He has also taught for an undergraduate class on Adult Psychopathology.

"My greatest fulfillment in teaching comes from watching the students grow not only in their professional capacities but also in their self-efficacy," LiChen said. "The courses I have taught are often considered hard or content-heavy, such that many students may feel uncertain and intimidated at the start. I really enjoyed using empathy and other skills I learned from my clinical training to make students feel heard, validate difficult feelings, address unhelpful beliefs, and develop plans to problem-solve when the students face challenges in learning."

His approach of leveraging students' values and strengths to individualize support for them has helped many students who felt they were "imposters" increase motivation to participate, learn successfully with scaffolds, feel rewarded from completing small tasks, and become more confident and better prepared overall. "It was greatly rewarding when the students told me that I 'made stats less scary' and that my classroom featured 'a welcoming, vibrant environment'," he said.

Patricia Haberkorn

Patricia is a joint PhD candidate in Second Language Acquisition and German with a doctoral minor in Educational Psychology. Her research focuses on language instructors' emotions when teaching students with disabilities in higher education. She follows a student-centered teaching approach and integrates pedagogy of care, universal design for learning, and culturally sustaining pedagogy.

She has taught various elementary and intermediate German language classes as well as German culture classes.

"I have been blessed with the most amazing students over the years," Patricia said. "I love how they connect with both the language and content, with each other, and with me. Our large campus can make it challenging to build and find community, but it also offers the unique opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with people from various backgrounds and with diverse perspectives from all over the world."

Patricia sees herself as a lifelong learner, and said she values the emphasis that both the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+ and UW-Madison place on teaching excellence.

"During my time here, I was able to work with a teaching mentor and to serve as one to new TAs. I completed multiple workshops offered by the Center for Teaching, Learning, & Mentoring, and faculty provided me with valuable feedback," she said. "All of this allowed me to continue to grow as an educator."

Sarah Mae Fleming

Sarah Mae (SM) is a film PhD candidate in Communication Arts. Her research examines how audiences navigate difficult and alternative storytelling, with a focus on sound and music across film, television, and digital media.

SM has taught many courses in Communication Arts, including Introduction to Speech Composition, Introduction to Media Production, and Cinematography and Sound Recording. Some of her favorite courses she's taught are Introduction to Film, Advanced Motion Picture Techniques and Production - where she guided students through conceiving and completing an entire short film over the course of a semester - and Horror Films.

"Horror Films holds a special place as my first experience lecturing a larger, in-person class of 55 students. It was formative for me as a teacher, and my students were incredibly generous with their feedback throughout. Getting to do a deep dive into a subject I love-and watching students develop their own appreciation for the genre-was deeply rewarding," she said.

In Introduction to Film, she taught many students who weren't yet invested in movies, and found that spending time on each element of filmmaking helped them discover it as an art form in a new way.

"Teaching at UW-Madison means exposure to an incredibly diverse range of students and classrooms-from small discussion sections to larger lectures-and every student I've encountered has shaped how I approach teaching," SM said. "The breadth of the university's resources, for both educators and students alike, makes it a genuinely rich environment to work in. I find that the variety of students I meet, each coming from different backgrounds and perspectives, continually pushes my thinking in the classroom."

Shreya Singh

Shreya is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Counseling Psychology. As an international student from India, Shreya's teaching style is dedicated to fostering inclusive, culturally responsive learning environments. Her teaching focuses on helping students critically engage with questions of culture, identity, and social context in mental health and human development. She has particular experience in leading discussions labs and co-facilitating undergraduate courses in counseling psychology including Race and the Developing Child; Mental Health, Self-Awareness and Social Justice: Working in Diverse Communities; and College Readiness and Academic Skills. She has also served as a teaching assistant in graduate courses for emerging mental health and rehabilitation counselors on crisis and trauma as well as psychopathology.

Shreya's pedagogical approach emphasizes dialogue, experiential learning, and critical reflection. She integrates intersectionality, biopsychosocial perspectives, and community-engaged learning to help students connect psychological theory with real-world social issues. Her classrooms encourage students to examine their own social locations, engage respectfully across differences, and develop cultural humility for work in diverse communities.

Drawing on her interdisciplinary background in physical therapy, rehabilitation science, and counseling psychology, Shreya brings an integrative perspective to teaching about health, development, and well-being. Her goal as an educator is to prepare students to think critically, act ethically, and contribute to more equitable, socially just, and culturally responsive health practices. At UW-Madison, she especially enjoys working with students from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds, learning about each student's unique academic journey, and facilitating thoughtful conversations about identity, culture, mental health, and social justice that connect course concepts to students' lived experiences.

Capstone Teaching Award

Diego Alegría

Diego Alegría is a bilingual teacher and scholar from Santiago, educated at the University of Chile. He is currently a PhD candidate in English specializing in literary studies with a minor in Spanish and a certificate in Public Humanities. His dissertation studies the role of poetic syntax in the emergence of modern poetry in English and Spanish, with a focus on British Romanticism and Spanish American Modernismo. Diego is also a Spanish-speaking poet and essayist, author of two poetry books: Raíz abierta (2015) and versare (2024); one bilingual chapbook: y sin embargo los umbrales / and yet the thresholds (2019); and one essay collection: Poética del caminar: Poems(1817) de John Keats (2023).

As a teaching assistant, he has taught English courses on Literature and Environment, Literature and Film, and Literature and Culture II: From the 18th Century to the Present. As instructor of record, he taught English 100: Introduction to College Writing. He has been a Writing Center Tutor for more than four years. He has also served as a writing TA for the UW-Madison Pushkin Summer Institute, a program for high school students, and taught creative writing and literary criticism workshops to Madison East and La Follette high school students through the UW-Madison Center for the Humanities. Outside of teaching, Diego also designed the curriculum for the Summer News Collaborative at WORT 89.9 FM Community Radio.

Of the courses he's taught, Literature and Culture II is among Diego's favorites since the course covers some of his favorite poems and novels, many of which he writes about in his doctoral dissertation. "My favorite classes are usually the ones where common conceptions around language and literature are put into question through close reading and critical thinking," he said.

Diego said that the Department of English at UW-Madison has taught him how to teach differently, more inductively and with careful attention to the diverse backgrounds students bring to classroom.

"I particularly enjoy when students intuitively identify a complex rhetorical, grammatical, or literary phenomenon without necessarily knowing its name or its history within the discipline," he said. "In those moments, I first build on their interpretive intuition and then introduce the relevant analytical category, sometimes highlighting its rich development in the field. I believe these moments spark students' curiosity and deepen their engagement not only with the course, but also with language and literature in new and exciting ways."

Lauren Anthony

Lauren is a graduate student in Psychology broadly interested in the cognitive mechanisms that support learning in complex domains, with an emphasis on mathematics. Her research examines how individuals understand and use mathematical representations, particularly how people perceive and coordinate multiple representational formats and how these processes support problem solving and the communication of mathematical ideas. She also investigates how perceptual abilities to detect patterns can be leveraged to support learning and transfer of mathematical relationships.

"Because higher-order learning often depends on sustained engagement with challenging material, another line of my work examines the factors that influence persistence in cognitively demanding tasks," Lauren said. "Overall, I hope to generate insights that can inform the development of interventions that support both learning and persistence in mathematics."

She has designed and taught a capstone course on the Psychology of Academic Learning, which explored many of the cognitive, motivational, and socio-cultural factors that influence classroom learning. She's also taught Introduction to Psychology as the primary instructor both in person and online, and has TA'd for Introduction to Statistics and Introductory Psychology.

"It has been such a privilege to work with students at UW-Madison," Lauren said. "It's incredibly exciting to exchange ideas with students, learn about their unique perspectives and insights, and create new meaning together. It has also been deeply rewarding to watch how much students grow over the course of a semester, not only in their ability to understand and engage with complex ideas, but also in the investment and pride they take in their own learning."

Kristel Forlano

Dorothy Powelson Award

Kristel defended her PhD in Chemistry in December 2025. She was on the materials path, and her dissertation focused on perovskite semiconductors. She has taught Fundamentals of Analytical Science, including the honors version.

"My teaching philosophy centers around helping students see the applications of chemistry in the world around them," Kristel said. "As such, I feel really lucky that the staff and faculty at UW-Madison have encouraged me to bring real research and applications into the classroom. I also love seeing student amazement when they realize how an abstract concept they've learned in class can apply to problems they see daily. I think UW is a great place to innovate in curriculum design, and has a student population who is innovative and curious about the world!"

John C. Lazzaro

John is a PhD candidate in Economics specializing in econometrics. His research focuses on the development of novel nonparametric statistical methods with applications to problems in causal inference.

During his time at UW-Madison, John has taught introductory principles courses as well as courses in economic statistics and econometrics at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

John's goal as an instructor is for every student, regardless of background, to leave the classroom more comfortable with the material, confident in their abilities, and motivated to continue learning independently.

"Developing a rapport with students over the course of a semester or academic year is both challenging and rewarding. Because each cohort has its own mix of goals and motivations, I enjoy learning about my students and adapting courses in ways that make economics and statistics engaging and accessible," he said. "I particularly enjoy the moments when students arrive at a clear understanding of a difficult concept, propose an innovative solution to a problem, or discover a new intellectual interest. Seeing their confidence grow as they translate abstract statistical techniques into practice-or take the first steps toward developing their own research agendas-is especially gratifying."

Emily Lobenstein

Emily is a PhD student in History who specializes in Soviet history. She has taught many varied classes at UW-Madison that she has loved, with her favorites being a History of Science course on The Digital Age; a history course on the Soviet Union and the World; and a history course on Europe and the Modern World. Another favorite is her class as an instructor of record: Film and Censorship in the Soviet Union.

"My favorite part about teaching at UW-Madison is how excited and curious the students are," Emily said. "I've had students from all disciplines and years really pour their hearts into my classes and it's been wonderful to inspire them and to learn from them!"

Boyana Martinova

Boyana is a PhD student in Mathematics specializing in commutative algebra. She has taught courses in Preparatory Algebra, Quantitative Reasoning and Problem Solving, and Calculus 1.

Boyana said she loves getting to work with students and finding ways to engage with each group of students and their personality as a class.

"At UW-Madison, I have had the opportunity to serve as both a discussion TA and a lecturer, and I have grown as an instructor through each experience," she said. "In the math department, we have a spectacular group of teaching support faculty, and I am really fortunate to have been able to dive into conversations about teaching pedagogy and classroom practices with them. I often find the conversations that happen outside of the classroom, with my peers and mentors, just as enjoyable as the time spent in class. I'm immensely grateful for the teaching community here at UW-Madison, and I look forward to implementing what I've learned in my future roles!"

Lindsey Middleton

Lindsey Middleton is a PhD candidate in Life Sciences Communication researching public perceptions of science and technology. She specializes in risk communication, visual science communication, and health communication. Lindsey's dissertation research focuses on human-nature interactions and beliefs about human control over nature, and how this contributes to ideas about food, health, and the environment. She has previously worked in communications at the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center and the Colorado Water Institute and enjoys bringing that experience to her teaching and research.

At UW-Madison, Lindsey has taught a variety of Life Sciences Communication (LSC) classes, from introductory communication courses to mid- and upper-level courses like Visual Communication and Digital Media and Science Communication. She has further assisted with various classes like Risk Communication, Scientific Writing, and others. Her favorite part of teaching is working with smaller classes and getting to know the students ­- LSC brings together students from science, engineering, communication, political science, and many other disciplines, all with different perspectives and academic interests to share. She says she has been honored to learn from and with them and provide some guidance for a small part of their academic journeys, and is grateful to the faculty in LSC for their support and mentorship.

Becky Rose

Becky is a recent PhD graduate in the Department of Geography and the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. Her research focuses on climate resilience, extreme heat, and integrating social and physical science. In her research and teaching, Becky emphasizes the deep interconnections between the social and the environment.

She has taught a variety of geography and environmental studies courses, including Introduction to the Earth System, Introduction to Remote Sensing, and a graduate orientation seminar, among others. She also designed and served as the instructor of record for two project-based capstone courses about building resilience to extreme heat and other climate hazards.

"Over the past six years of teaching, I have found that students are tired of hearing all the ways that we are doomed; without avenues for action and change, we can become resigned and disengaged," Becky said. "In my capstone courses, I aim to empower students with information and skills on how we make change, community-engaged scholarship, and what makes for a sustainable movement, organization, and work practices."

"I deeply enjoy accompanying my students each semester on a journey of discovery, building confidence, empowerment, and excitement, and getting to know them and their goals," she said. "I take pride in my ability to hold onto the sense of what it feels like to be a beginner in these topics, so that I carefully explain each term and process that's the foundation of the next, and I appreciate the amount of time it can truly take to explore and apply course materials. With all of this in mind, I deliberately design my courses' progression and assignments to flow, build, and be considerate of my students' time and capacity."

Becky said she also finds herself taking on a teaching role within her hobbies, such as international folk dancing and historical fencing. "Here too, I greatly appreciate being a part of others' journeys of building skills, confidence, and mastery, and finding joy in something they might never have imagined doing," she said.

Lekshmi Thulasidharan

Dorothy Powelson Award

Lekshmi is a graduate student in Physics with a focus on galactic dynamics. She has taught quite a few courses during her years at UW-Madison, with her favorite being Modern Physics. She has also really enjoyed teaching the physics course about Mechanics.

As a teacher, her favorite thing is working closely with students as they learn to tackle difficult physics problems.

"Many students start out feeling intimidated by the material, but through discussions and guided problem-solving sessions they begin to see the logic behind it and grow more confident. Watching that growth over the semester is the most rewarding part of teaching," she said. "Over the years, teaching has also helped me grow as a person. It has helped me develop confidence and strengthened my communication and mentoring skills."

Ethan vanderWilden

Ethan is a PhD candidate in Political Science with a focus on comparative politics, public opinion, and voting behavior. He has taught a large lecture course on Survey Research Methodology twice and currently teaches a discussion-based seminar on the Politics of History. He has also served as a teaching assistant for classes on research design and comparative politics and has been involved in pedagogical training/mentorship programs in the Department of Political Science and the College of Letters & Science.

Teaching, Ethan said, has been a great opportunity for him to learn. It has pushed him to master the concepts that he conveys, think creatively about real-world problems and existing gaps in the field, and improve his ability to relay information. In other words, teaching has been an excellent source of his own development as a researcher and communicator throughout graduate school. He has also appreciated the quality and curiosity of the students at UW-Madison and the freedom and opportunities that those in the College of Letters & Science and the Department of Political Science have afforded him.

Excellence in Community-Based Learning Teaching Award

Emily Nott

Emily "Em" (she/they) is a youth-focused artist, educator, and doctoral candidate in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. They are passionate about education justice and their work uses arts as a transformative tool for social change. Em's work is dedicated to centering and supporting out-of-school time educators and teaching artists and the young people they engage. In addition to her work as a scholar, Em is an active studio artist working with serigraphy, illustration, and zines, and uses art as part of a praxis of radical imagination and social transformation. Emily has instructed undergraduate classes at UW-Madison in Arts Integration and Social Justice and Intersectionality, as well as been a researcher with the UW Arts Collaboratory and the CALL for Equity Centered Leadership and is a 2026 fellow with the Chicago Learning Exchange. She is active in arts organizing work with Teachers for Social Justice in Chicago and Artists for Radical Imagination in Los Angeles. They recently published Crip Wisdoms, A Feminist Disability Studies Coloring Book (Clovernook press, 2025) with co-author Miso Kwak.

Em previously served as the Director of Learning Communities at After School Matters in Chicago where she built communities of practice, resources, and supports with instructors and teaching artists. Previously, Em developed programs and designed curriculum in public schools, museums, and nonprofit settings. She has presented work at the American Educational Research Association, the Caring Futures convening, the National Women's Studies Association, and the Ready by 21 National Meeting. She holds a master of education degree in Instructional Leadership from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is the recipient of a 2024 Humanities Exchange Grant, the 2024 Graduate Peer Mentor Award at UW-Madison, the 2026 Excellence in Community-Based Learning and Teaching award, and the Excellence in Engaged Scholarship award. See Em's Artworks, Media, and Publications.

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