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Sarah Wegwerth is the recipient of the 2016 John Bowers Excellence in Teaching Assistance Award in the College of Science and Engineering (CSE). Sarah has been the head organic teaching assistant since 2014. She is a fifth-year graduate student working with Professor Christopher Douglas.
Established in 2003 by alumnus John Bowers (Physics '76),
this award honors an outstanding teaching assistant who has
demonstrated exceptional interest and commitment to the instruction of
CSE students. Sarah received a commemorative sculpture and $1,000
financial award for her outstanding efforts in the Department of
Chemistry graduate program.
"Sarah Wegwerth has contributed substantially the last four years to the quality of education provided by the chemistry department in the organic chemistry courses both as a teaching assistant (TA) and in the her role as the Head Organic TA," said Professor Jane Wissinger, organic laboratory director. "Her teaching evaluations from 2011- 2013 were outstanding and represented a TA that was respected and liked by her students for her communication skills and ability to guide students to solve their problems independently. She won the Chemistry Department's Organic Chemistry Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award in 2012-2013. Since then, she has trained and inspired other graduate students to develop their own skills as TAs in her role as the Head Organic TA. Sarah attended a National Teaching Assistant Workshop titled, 'Mobilizing the Forgotten Army: Preparing TAs for Leadership in STEM Education' at Georgia Institute of Technology with me in May 2014, and implemented many new strategies learned at this event which has had a positive impact on our program. Sarah's commitment to delivering quality instruction to our undergraduates, either through her own instruction or through the TAs she supervises, is well-deserving of the Bowers Award."