The Amit & Meena Chakma Awards for Exceptional Teaching by a Student recognizes up to four students from across the University of Waterloo for excellence in teaching of all kinds (e.g., teaching assistant, laboratory demonstrator, sessional lecturer) by registered students.
This year, two of the four winners were from the Faculty of Science: Justin Shmordok, a PhD student in Chemistry, and Urja Nandivada, an undergraduate in Physics and Astronomy.
Justin has been described as an enthusiastic and thoughtful developer of educational content. He has been known to create an inviting and fun environment for students to develop their ideas, and has also been described as, “delicate in his pedagogical approach to answering questions.” Justin has worked with many types of undergraduate students as a teaching assistant for many courses, served as a supervisor for 4th year research projects, and has supervised co-op students and volunteers in research laboratories. Throughout these roles, he has thrived as a mentor through being patient with students’ academic development, while continuing to challenge them. As one student notes, “Justin treats his students just as they are” to explain his capacity for treating students as both adults and young learners: “Justin finds that balance by validating our struggles, personally and academically, while still creating an environment where he challenges us to do our best.”
He has held a teaching assistant position for CHEM 250L, CHEM 212, and a graduate lab supervisor for CHEM 494 (a research project laboratory course).
Congratulations, Justin!