PhD candidate Jenna Usprech has been named the inaugural recipient of the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering’s Teaching Assistant Award of Excellence. The award is presented annually to a graduate student who has demonstrated outstanding commitment and leadership to undergraduate biomedical engineering course teaching.
Usprech has taught MIE 439—Biomechanics since 2012, an upper-year course for students in the biomedical engineering and bioengineering minor, and the Engineering Science biomedical engineering systems major. Over the last four years, she has acted diligently to aid student groups resolve project collaboration challenges and single-handedly led the instruction of the course’s lab component for more than 30 students each year.
As a result, she has received numerous student comments on evaluation forms that repeatedly highlighted her “patience,” “communication of clear expectations” and “willingness to help.”
“Congratulations to Jenna on being the inaugural recipient of the IBBME Teaching Assistant Award of Excellence, which recognizes her dedication to, and impact on, the undergraduate student experience in biomedical engineering,” said Professor Christopher Yip, director of IBBME. “Great educators inspire students to excel, innovate, and create and I am grateful to Jenna and our many dedicated TAs for their contributions.”