Teaching Assistants (TAs) in the Department of Statistical Science have a tremendous positive impact on the educational experience of students in our courses. The Department of Statistical Science recognized the contributions of the TAs to the educational mission of the department and Duke broadly with annual TA of the Year awards. TAs are nominated by faculty and students and the award winners are selected by a departmental committee. Each year the winners are announced at our departmental graduation celebration and the award recipients receive cash prizes.
This year, as always, the committee had the difficult task of selecting winners among an incredibly strong pool of undergraduate, MS, and Ph.D. level TAs. Below are the winners and honorable mentions for these three categories for the 2021-2022 Academic Year:
Let’s hear from the winners themselves!
Meredith Brown, Undergraduate TA of the Year | “It has been one of the great joys of my undergraduate experience to be a teaching assistant in the Statistical Science department. From STA 199 to 323, it has been such a privilege to work with students of all levels and encourage their learning and love of statistics. Thank you to the Statistical Science department for their immense support during my time at Duke; I owe my success to my mentors, professors, and friends.” |
Jackie Du, |
“TA-ing for the StatSci department was definitely a highlight of my semester! I’d like to think of being a TA as part of a symbiotic relationship. While my role is to help others, for me, there has been nothing else as rewarding as seeing the moment when a concept ‘clicks’ in someone’s brain or observing the progress they make in lab throughout the semester in implementing code and debugging.” |
Rick Presman, Ph.D. TA of the Year |
“Being a teaching assistant at Duke is an incredibly rewarding experience, especially when you see ‘light bulbs’ go off when students understand the material. Duke students always show up with inquisitive attitudes, and their desire to engage with the material makes labs and office hours more enjoyable as a TA.” |
You can read more about the departmental TA awards. Interested in nominating a TA next year? Make sure to fill out the TA evaluations at the end of the semester! Interested in TA'ing a Statistical Science course? Reach out to the DUS and let us know your background and interest.