[Sci-tech-public] Siegel Teaching Prize

[Jennifer S Light]

Hi everyone,

As we embark on another academic year it is my great pleasure to announce the recipients of the 2018-2019 Siegel Teaching Prize: Jia Hui Lee and Marc Aidinoff 

This award was established in 2006 by STS, with generous support from the Siegel Family, to recognize HASTS graduate students who excel in their commitment to and performance in MIT’s undergraduate teaching program.  

The prize committee, Rosalind Williams and Merritt Roe Smith, prepared the following prize citation:

“Jia Hui Lee, a student in the HASTS (History, Anthropology, and STS) graduate program entering his 6th year, has served as a teaching assistant in three undergraduate subjects ranging from comparative medieval economic history to the meaning of life. Marc Aidinoff, a HASTS graduate student entering his 5th year, has also assisted in three subjects, including an undergraduate subject in the history of finance and a graduate class in qualitative research methods.  

In their teaching assistant assignments, both Jia Hui and Marc have displayed a mix of management skills and creative pedagogy in the classroom, along with a major investment of time with students in meetings, conversations, and messages outside of class.  In his most recent role as teaching assistant (in 21A.00, Introduction to Anthropology), Jia Hui was praised by both students and supervising faculty (Graham Jones) for his exceptional creativity in organizing debates and group discussions that thoroughly engaged the class.  Students also appreciated the time he spent with them in reviewing written assignments. In their comments on the class, they repeatedly praised Jia Hui for being so supportive.

In his most recent teaching assignment (21H.102, American History Since 1865), Marc provided overall organization for the class, gave two guest lectures, and ran one of the recitation sections. He too was generous with communications beyond the classroom, both for excellent students eager to move to the next higher level as well as for students who were struggling.  The supervising faculty member (Caley Horan) reported that students went out of their way to tell her how much Marc’s enthusiasm and responsiveness had helped them understand the complex relationships of technology and history. 

Both faculty members believe their undergraduate students learned more and performed better because of the efforts of Jia Hui Lee and Marc Aidinoff.  

In addition, both winners have been involved in the larger landscape of teacher education at MIT.  Jia Hui has completed the Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program offered by MIT’s Teaching + Learning Lab.  Marc has been awarded a Teaching Development Fellowship, a new initiative also offered through the T+LL.  Marc has helped to develop curriculum that he will teach this fall in NEET (New Engineering Education Transformation), in order to integrate STS topics and themes with other aspects of engineering education.

We extend our heartiest congratulations to Jia Hui and Marc for the pedagogical dedication and talent they have demonstrated.  We hope that awarding them the Siegel Teaching Prize will encourage them to continue their development as outstanding teachers.”

Please join me in congratulating both winners, and in thanking Roz and Roe for serving on the prize committee!

Jen



Jennifer S. Light
Department Head, Program in Science, Technology and Society
Bern Dibner Professor of the History of Science and Technology
Professor of Urban Studies and Planning
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Ave., E51-173
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 452-2390

http://sts-program.mit.edu/people/sts-faculty/jennifer-s-light/