PhD candidate Vicki Komisar has been named this year’s recipient of the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering’s (IBBME) Teaching Assistant Award of Excellence.
Announced at IBBME Annual Research Day (iARC), the recognition honours a graduate student who has demonstrated outstanding commitment and leadership to undergraduate biomedical engineering course teaching.
Komisar assisted Professor Chris Bouwmeester in the instruction of BME 498—Biomedical Engineering Capstone Design over the past academic year. As an upper-year course open to both engineering and non-engineering students, Komisar was applauded for her ability to clearly articulate the course’s requirements and help guide students of various backgrounds to achieve their goals.
“As a [non-engineering] science student, it was refreshing to have a TA who took her time to help students by providing advice and guidance beyond simple engineering techniques,” said Nessikha Karsenti, a student from the Faculty of Arts & Science. “Vicki helped bring this course to life by providing insight on the many facets to a successful engineering project, and her passion and dedication clearly showed in the way she interacted with us.”
Komisar’s dedication has also motivated three of the four design teams to pursue their projects beyond the scope of the course. Some of them have been in contact with U of T campus accelerators while others have submitted their designs to competitions in the U.S.
“Vicki is an industrious student and a pleasure to work with. She consistently goes above and beyond my expectations as a teaching assistant, as she regularly provided prompt, quality feedback to me and the class,” said Bouwmeester. “Congratulations to Vicki on this well-deserved recognition and for your contributions to each of our student’s success.”