The School of Mathematics and Statistics is proud to present the recipients of the 2023-24 Teaching Assistant award.
Brian Lin is currently working on his PhD, hoping to complete his program in 2026. Brian received several nominations from students and instructors for his work in several first-year classes, and a very challenging 2nd year class. He was praised for his patience and positive, encouraging attitude in the classroom made clear by his enthusiasm for the subject matter, the level of detail he provided to students in his feedback. He enhanced the presentation of course content with useful material that is otherwise beyond the scope of the course where that sort of instruction stimulates the students’ curiosity in the subject matter. One professor highlighted his “remarkable ability to breakdown difficult concepts, to analyze important consequences, and to provide succinct and comprehensive explanations” while harmonizing ideas from different subjects to give the students a deep appreciation and understanding of algebra.
Ryan McPherson will walk the stage in June 2024 with his B.Eng, and will continue his studies in a Master’s program at U of T next year. Ryan received an unprecedented number of nominations from 31 students, praising his positive attitude and student-centred support in the classroom during tutorials and exam review sessions, his useful and timely assignment feedback, and the consistent and thoughtful responses he gave them through his email communications. A phrase that popped up in a number of nominations was “I would not have passed this class without his help” which indicates the significant contribution he made to the students’ success over the last year.
