Nanotechnology engineering lab instructor Jenn Coggan wins the Pearl Sullivan Outstanding Staff Teaching Award for 2021! Jenn has been a driving force in all aspects of laboratory instruction for Canada’s first undergraduate Nanotechnology Engineering Program. Jenn directs day-to-day operations and maintenance of the program’s physical spaces including Canada’s only undergraduate cleanroom facility. She also oversees all fifteen distinct laboratory courses. Jenn amplifies student participation in experiments by creating a solid foundation of interdisciplinary, collaborative work, and strives for continual improvement.
Winning this award is deeply meaningful for Jenn,
Receiving this award meant a great deal to me. It is the inaugural year for the award which was created in honour of Pearl Sullivan. I will always remember her as a force of nature who steadfastly supported and advocated for all Engineering students. This is something I see as important to being a mentor and role model for the students.
Jenn continuously works to enhance and create learning-centric lab activities for her students. She created a new set of labs that introduced the design of microfluidic chips and biosensor devices for fourth-year nano-biotechnology labs. Jenn teaches fundamental lab techniques to first-year students and gives individualized laboratory instruction to fourth-year students completing their Capstone Design Projects.
Jenn nurtures her students’ academic, career, and personal growth. The fact that her students nicknamed her “Nano-Mom” demonstrates her commitment and genuine care for her students, some of whom are very far from home. Mentoring, caring for, and developing the talents of her students is one of Jenn’s many strengths.
I love my job because I get to teach these amazing Nanotechnology Engineering students. They inspire me every day with their enthusiasm, dedication, and innovative spirit in their journey through their undergraduate degree. I teach them multiple times from the first year to the fourth year so I get to witness the tremendous growth they go through in that time and I always try to support them whatever place they are at.
As a passionate and dedicated educator, she went above and beyond the call of duty during the pandemic when she developed and delivered hundreds of “at home” kits providing students with hands-on laboratory activities and collaborated with instructors to arrange safe, staggered lab times for students. Thanks to Jenn’s initiative the Nanotechnology Engineering Program was one of only two University of Waterloo programs that offered in-person labs throughout the pandemic.
Through her role as a course instructor for the Capstone Design Projects, Jenn supports student entrepreneurship. The Nanotechnology Engineering Program’s high number of successful start-up companies is an attestation of Jenn’s support of her students’ innovative ideas.
One of my favourite aspects of the program is how our students go on to create startup companies. The innovative ideas that the students come up with each year are astounding and then the drive to take that project further through commercialization after they graduate takes commitment and perseverance.
As an educator and mentor, Jenn continues to push the envelope and create value in her teaching strategies. Congratulations to Jenn for winning this prestigious award!