[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 recipient of the 2019-2020 Siegel Teaching Prize: Alex Rewegan.


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, David Mindell and Rosalind Williams, prepared the following prize citation:



"The 2019-2020 Siegel Teaching Prize is awarded to Alex Rewegan for his exceptional contributions to MIT's undergraduate teaching program especially in the Fall 2019 subject 21A.155 "Food, Culture, and Politics."


"Food, Culture, and Politics" is designated a CI-M subject, meaning that it includes communication intensive assignments designed for Anthropology majors and minors but required of all students in the class. These assignments demand dedicated time and attention from the undergraduates and also from faculty and graduate student instructors. Indeed, in many CI-M subjects, special writing instructors are assigned to the class to help with these demands.


In the fall of 2019, with 25 students enrolled in 21A.155, these responsibilities were shared by the faculty instructor, Heather Paxson, and Alex Rewegan as Teaching Assistant.  In her nomination, Professor Paxson praises Alex for his extraordinary diligence and helpfulness in working with students, both in email and in person, to define their topics, locate resources for research, structure arguments, prepare drafts, and work through a series of revisions.  She notes that she was "unusually pleased with the overall breadth and quality of the final term papers," one of which won the Anthropology Department's 2020 James Howe Prize for undergraduate writing.


In their feedback, the students in 21A.155 gave Alex an overall rating of 6.5/7.0.  Their written comments were if possible even more glowing.  Many of them praised Alex as a guest teacher for the class ("my favorite TA lecture I've had") and all emphasized his detailed, thoughtful reviews of material covered in class discussions.  Most of all, they expressed appreciation for his feedback on communication intensive assignments.  "Best TA I've ever had....He was more than willing to go to lengths to help out students and provide constructive feedback."  "Incredibly helpful and responsive, went above and beyond in helping for paper topics and support throughout the class."


Professor Paxson notes that the students, in their comments on the class, frequently refer to the "'teaching staff,' plural, reflecting students' experience of Alex's contributions as fundamental to the course's success."  She adds that Alex "already approaches teaching as a vocation, not merely as a job."


We join her and the students of 21A.155 in congratulating Alex Rewegan for excellence in teaching that both instructs and inspires."




Please join me in congratulating Alex, and thanking David and Roz 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

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

https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/states-childhood

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