May 30, 2023
Six graduate students have been awarded the Physical Sciences Teaching Prizes for 2022-23: Kapil Chandran (Mathematics), Katelyn Feuling (Chemistry), Harry Fosbinder-Elkins (Physics), Ananth Kamath (Chemistry), Claire Lessler (Physics), and Jonathan Liu (Computer Science).
The Teaching Prize is based on nominations from students who shared compelling evidence of honorees’ outstanding contributions made to their education. Excellence in teaching is a fundamental goal of the University of Chicago and these nominees exemplified this standard by fostering a love of learning in classes that students were previously fearful of, by expressing belief in their students’ abilities to overcome adversity and challenges, by creatively and persistently ensuring that students were mastering concepts, and by maintaining a level of commitment to their students’ success that goes beyond expectations. Each will receive $1,000 as part of the award.
Learn more about this year’s prize recipients below:
Kapil Chandran
Kapil Chandran is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Mathematics. His research is in number theory. In the 2021-22 academic year, he TAed the Honors Algebra sequence—group theory, rings and modules, fields and Galois theory.
Katelyn Feuling
Katelyn Feuling is a first-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemistry. As a member of the Engel Group, she conducts research on the photophysics of biological systems using multidimensional ultrafast spectroscopy. From Autumn 2022 to Spring 2023, Feuling taught three quarters of Honors General Chemistry.
Ananth Kamath
Ananth Kamath is a sixth year Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemistry. Kamath’s research focuses on making bright fluorescent nanoparticles in the infrared wavelengths, for making cost-effective infrared cameras and LEDs. Kamath was a teaching assistant for the Chemistry of Big Problems course in Autumn 2022. He was also a teaching assistant for three quarters of Experimental Physical Chemistry from 2019-2021, and three quarters of Comprehensive General Chemistry during 2017-2018.
Claire Lessler
Claire Lessler is a first-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Physics. Her research focuses on precision measurements and analysis of the Cosmic Microwave Background. From Autumn 2022 to Spring 2023, Claire taught three quarters of introductory physics (one quarter of Mechanics, one of Electricity & Magnetism, and one of Waves, Optics & Heat).
Jonathan Liu
Jonathan Liu is a PhD Student in the Department of Computer Science, where he conducts research developing pedagogical interventions to help students learn computer science and algorithms. He has been Head TA for Theory of Algorithms in Spring 2022 and Spring 2023.
Bio and photo forthcoming for Harry Fosbinder-Elkins.