Distinguished Educator Award

Claudia De Grandi, Assistant Professor (Lecturer) of Educational Practice in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, has been recognized for her exceptional contributions to the educational mission of the College of Science by receiving the 2021-2022 College of Science Distinguished Educator Award.

Nominations for the award include faculty who have gone above and beyond to foster community, provide engaged learning opportunities, or otherwise substantially enrich learning experiences within the College of Science community at the university.

“I am excited and honored to receive this award! It’s a pleasure to work with faculty, students, and staff in the College in the pursuit of educational excellence.”

In supporting De Grandi’s nomination, Christoph Boehme, Professor and Chair of the department, said, “The award recognizes the excellent work that Claudia has done over the past years, not just as an outstanding course instructor but also for course and curriculum development. We are so lucky to have her as a faculty member in the department.”

Some of the projects she has been actively involved with in the department include designing and leading the teaching assistant orientation for incoming graduate students; reforming the undergraduate physics curriculum; and piloting a new peer-to-peer mentoring program (the PANDA Network led by Dr. Gail Zasowski).

Since fall 2020, Dr. De Grandi has served as the chair of the Physics & Astronomy Teaching Excellence Committee, the goal of which is to support all faculty and instructors in the department to design effective learning environments and foster student success. The ongoing work of this committee includes creating a community in the department to discuss and share teaching practices and tools (especially during the beginning of Covid-19 and the adjustment to online teaching); providing instructors with the tools to seek feedback from students (e.g., via mid-semester anonymous surveys); and advising department leadership on the implementation of teaching innovation.

Since her arrival at the U in 2018, De Grandi has been teaching several large-enrollment introductory physics courses and labs geared to all STEM majors. De Grandi designs her courses with the goals of fostering community and collaboration among students, creating a space for incremental learning, and providing resources and access.