Ethan Veenhuis and Clay Oppenhuizen are recipients of the 2022 Graduate Student Somers Award for Excellence in Teaching Award, granted by the IAH faculty advisory committee.
Ethan created a positive classroom environment featuring well-structured class discussions and offering in-depth explanations of course materials. Students appreciated getting to know Veenhuis through his insightful commentary on everyday life, which helped them to find the history of science even more relevant and engaging.
The committee noted that Clay employed active pedagogical techniques using multiple modalities to get his students to go beyond the material they had obtained from lectures. His students noted his efforts to get everyone involved in the discussion and to use activities to engage them in learning. His passion for the subject and care for his students clearly affected his students, who praised his enthusiasm, knowledge, approachability, preparedness, and empathy.
Read the full announcement here: CISAH Teaching Awards