January 6, 2021
Katie Andrews and Brandon Yokeley receive outstanding teaching assistant awards
Katie Andrews and Brandon Yokeley, graduate teaching assistants in the Department of Geology, are recipients of the January 2021 National Association of Geoscience Teachers Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards.
Andrews was nominated by Aida Farough, teaching assistant professor, and Matthew Kirk, associate professor, both in geology, who said, "Katie's leadership has been critical for GEOL 103 but also to the whole Department of Geology. GEOL 103 is an essential component of our introductory geology curriculum as well as our recruiting efforts. It has been a rough year but it would have been a lot rougher without Katie on our GEOL 103 team."
Yokeley was nominated by Farough and Behzad Ghanbarian, assistant professor of geology, who said, "Brandon has made and is making solid contributions to the rigor and management applications of geology. He is among the top 1% of current/past M.Sc. geology students that have come through our program in the last 10 years (with respect to overall academic ability, scholarship, interest and potential to succeed, particularly as an educator)."
The National Association of Geoscience Teachers recognizes outstanding teaching assistants in geoscience education with up to 30 awards annually. Both undergraduate and graduate teaching assistants are eligible for the award. Award winners receive a one-year membership in the association, which includes an online subscription to the Journal of Geoscience Education and In The Trenches quarterly magazine. The yearly membership starts Jan. 1.
The geology department's mission is to deliver excellence in teaching, research and service so that its students are equipped with the knowledge to understand and predict how our planet works and to apply that knowledge to the key challenges facing society today: meeting demands for energy, mineral, water and food, while responsibly managing our environment.