Graduate Students Receive Awards for Outstanding Teaching

Each year, Columbia’s Presidential Teaching Awards spotlight the most dedicated and innovative instructors at the University. The awards are given at Commencement to both faculty members and graduate student instructors.

The three 2011 graduate student award winners are:   Katherine Allen, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences; Tyler Bickford, who recently completed a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology; and Jae Woo Lee, a former Columbia College physics major who is now working toward a Ph.D. in computer science.   Established in 1996, the awards honor faculty members who play an important role in the development of their students and help maintain the University’s reputation for educational excellence. The criteria and procedures for the awards are developed by separate faculty award committees for faculty and graduate students.   Nominations come from faculty, students and alumni. Candidates for the graduate student awards, which include a prize of $8,000, must be enrolled in a Columbia degree program.