TBP Teaching Honor Roll 24-25

Teaching Award
John Pauly, EE

"The gentlest of souls; he’s a person just overflowing with wisdom and kindness. He’s my advisor, but I also took my first EE Class with him (the sophomore college class, Dream It Build It), as well as TA’d that same class with him for two years after. The passion with which he teaches, the patience with which he helps students, and the dedication with which he goes the extra mile to teach and advise beyond the classroom are all reflective of what a Stanford professor ought to be. I love just popping by his office with questions about school or life in general; he’s a wonderful sounding board and I think the EE department is made better because of him and his influence."

Honor Roll

Chris Gregg, CS
"Chris Gregg is one of the professors in the CS department who cares the most about students, and he makes an effort to check in on them even after the class is over. I remember one time when I went to his office hours in 106B, just to clarify a small question about an assignment. At the end of the conversation, he asked me about my major (I was pretty undecided at the time), and really encouraged me to consider majoring in CS. It was really meaningful to know that someone in the department believed in me. I think this speaks to how Chris Gregg doesn't just want students to succeed in his class, but to reach their full potential."

Markus Covert, BioE
"He has been incredibly passionate about supporting my goals, both inside and outside the classroom. His charisma and enthusiasm make his classes genuinely enjoyable, and he creates an environment where students feel encouraged to participate and grow. He consistently goes the extra mile to make each student, including me, feel seen, heard, and supported."

Dan Boneh, CS
"Professor Boneh is one of the most articulate and informed instructors I have had at Stanford. His classes are SO in-depth and packed with nothing but useful information. I would also like to commend him for his care for his students--despite being an expert, he is so approachable and eager to inform everyone about his subject."

Nick Troccoli, CS
"As I reflect on my time at Stanford, I can confidently say that Nick's classes have been among the most memorable and impactful experiences of my journey. I have taken both CS 107 and CS 111 with Nick and absolutely loved the way he organized the class. The energy and enthusiasm he brings to the lecture and other aspects of the course (like ed stem) is awesome. The grading notes and updates all show the inclusive teaching practices. I will say that my decision to pursue a systems track in CS was inspired and motivated by Nick’s presentation of technical content! I am inspired by his teaching style! I also had the opportunity to TA CS 111 with Nick and saw first hand how these memorable experiences are created for students - with love, care, and hard work."

Alex Engel, BioE
"Incredible faculty member that goes above and beyond for this students, keeping the lab open to BIOE undergrads at random hours in the day and regularly popping in to check on experiments and student well-being. Very kind human too!"

Ross Venook, BioE
"Ross has truly been the best instructor I’ve had during my entire educational career (not just Stanford). He’s kind, incredibly knowledgeable (you can ask him anything in any class he teaches and he will know the answer), funny, inspiring, and patient. I have never seen anyone be so passionate about teaching, and this is seen in his commitment to his students. In BIOE123, he regularly stayed in the lab late into the night to help students out (I’m talking like 4am on certain nights). His courses are hard and a lot of work, but he designs them to push you out of your comfort zone just enough where you truly feel your growth at the end of the quarter. I can say with utmost confidence that my Stanford/Bioenginnering experience would not have been the same without Ross. No one deserves this award more."

Keith Winstein, CS
"Professor Winstein exemplifies what, as a student, I consider a wonderful mentor and teacher. The example he sets in how to enjoy and dig deep into the subject matter while upholding integrity is very meaningful."

Lisa Soloman, Design
"I’m nominating Lisa Solomon because she is one of the most thoughtful, student-centered professors I’ve had at Stanford. She genuinely listens to student insights and continually works to improve the class experience in ways that truly help us grow — both in and beyond the classroom. She goes above and beyond to bring in engaging, relevant speakers, and she’s been an incredible mentor to me as I navigate my path after graduation with a major in Product Design. Her impact on my learning and future is something I’ll carry with me long after Stanford."

Chris Piech, CS
"Chris is the one of the most kind and supportive professors I have had at Stanford. He is not only incredibly knowledgeable on probability (CS109), but he also takes the time to get to know each and every one of his students (no easy feat in a class of 500+)! He is also always eager to not only explain subjects but to take in feedback on the class. I am so thrilled to have taken computer science classes with him at Stanford! He made me truly love the subject."

John Duchi, EE
"John has been an incredible source of inspiration and support for the past four years. I first met him when he taught Stats 116 where I first got excited about probability. I also took EE 364M with him, where he taught us all kinds of interesting theory of convexity. John presents material in a way that os both intuitive and exciting, and his classes are what made me decide to pursue electrical engineering — before talking with him, I figured it wouldn’t be a good degree for someone who didn’t love circuits and physics, but I’m so glad to have discovered all that EE has to offer in the way of signal processing, optimization, probability, and information theory. John was also my major advisor, and I have never spoken with a faculty member who was able to give such honest and personalized academic advice. When a subject was exciting to me and I wanted to learn more, my first thought was always that I could get the best advice for me from John! If I had not met John, I probably would not have studied EE (and maybe not even Math), and I certainly would have missed out on tons of really beautiful material that I would not have thought to seek out."

Chelsea Finn, CS
"Professor Chelsea Finn is not only a spectacular lecturer, but she is an extremely supportive professor with some of the most in-depth understanding of the course material I have seen in my time at Stanford. She is thoughtful and extremely knowledgeable about Reinforcement Learning, and every class, she takes the time to not only explain everything, but to take as many questions as it takes for her students to understand the material."

Ron Fedkiw, CS
"Ron Fedkiw is truly one-of-a-kind and incredibly supportive of his students. His focus is ensuring that his students advance as much as possible, regardless of their starting point. This teaching philosophy is incredibly supportive and makes me excited rather than intimidated by the topics that we learn in class (CS148 - Graphics)!"