Teaching Award
Recipients
Teaching Award recipients are recognized for their distinguished teaching, superior mentorship, and notable contributions to engineering education at Stanford University. Faculty can be nominated for the Stanford Tau Beta Pi Teaching Award by any Stanford student, and recipients are selected annually by the Stanford Tau Beta Pi membership.
2023-24
Riitta Katila
Management Science And Engineering
“Professor Katila is truly one of a kind. She always goes above and beyond for her students with individualized attention. That support has been so impactful for me, and it has made the learning experience so wonderful. She is always so supportive and comes into class with a smile every meeting. Her constant energy and enthusiasm, and her excitement for what we were working on was contagious and helped fuel our passion even more for our project. She provided us tremendous insights and truly helped us hone in on what our project was trying to do and how to execute it. She was a vital part of my senior project experience. She was an inspiration and had a strong influence on me. I strive to balance and maintain a positive demeanor mixed with a constant desire to ask questions and learn more, understanding everything as deeply as I can, just like Riitta. I can gladly say that I have learned so much from Professor Katila, and her enthusiasm is unparalleled. Her feedback has always been so insightful, as well. I can’t thank her enough!“
2022-23
Zakir Durumeric
Computer Science
2019-20
Gerald Fuller
Chemical Engineering
“Gerry has proven to be one of the most influential instructors in my undergraduate career. He supported his students throughout his undergraduate fluid mechanics course by providing extra hours of instruction and office hours. He also provided career advice and constantly supported the students in his class. Gerry fostered a productive learning environment while also encouraging students to ask any questions related to fluid mechanics and beyond. His expertise and passion for the field permeated each class, and I enjoyed learning about the practical applications of the course material to industry. The lectures, while full of in-depth mathematical derivations, proved to be engaging and Gerry constantly supported his students to ensure everyone left the class understanding the amazing applications of fluid mechanics. After the class was over, Gerry and his wonderful teaching assistant, Vinny, also continuously communicated with students to ensure their success within their respective fields of interest. At a moment’s notice, Gerry will always make himself available to speak with any current or past student. His innate compassion and interest in students’ lives have made him one of the most beloved professors in the Chemical Engineering department. Personally, Gerry has inspired me to pursue a graduate education and allowed me to ask him any questions I had regarding the process. As a first-generation college student, Gerry made me feel included and always encouraged me to pursue my dreams despite the barriers present. I cherished my time in his class and hope to stay in contact with him as I move forward with my career.“
2018-19
Oliver Fringer
civil and environmental engineering
“My classes with Professor Fringer have been, by far, my favorite part of Stanford. In both classes I’ve gotten the opportunity to take with Oliver, I’ve been struck by both his profound knowledge of fluid dynamics and his excitement to share with the class. His curiosity and enthusiasm were infectious. Lectures were full of interesting derivations, punctuated occasionally by his best ewok impersonation. I have never laughed that hard while learning that much math. I will genuinely miss his classes — I learned so much while feeling supported, encouraged, and cheered on by Oliver every step of the way. He’s a gifted lecturer, but moreover a gifted teacher. He cares about his students and goes out of his way to ensure they succeed, answering emails at any hour of the day or night and making the effort to get to know his students as people. I’ve learned so much from and with him — from how to initially approach a problem from first-order principles to how to code a working hydrodynamic model. His mentorship has been the most empowering aspect to my time at this school. I’m so grateful to Oliver for all the care he puts toward his students and would love to see him recognized for all he’s already done and will continue to do.”
2017-18
Kara Rogers
Bioengineering
“When trying to explain how amazing of a teacher and mentor that Kara Rogers is, I have a hard time thinking of where to start because there are so many things about her that make her truly deserving of this recognition. I took BIOE103 with her last year, and this year I have the pleasure of learning from her again as a TA for the course. Because of this, I get to see the enormous amount of work that she puts in behind the scenes to make sure that each and every student gets as much out of the class as possible. Kara takes student feedback to heart, so she took it upon herself to help redesign some of the curriculum based on last year’s comments — including redesigning problem sets, updating lecture material to reflect modern bioengineering, and creating medical case studies that are fascinating and helpful. On top of that work, Kara cares deeply about the students as people too. She never hesitates to meet with students over coffee to chat about life, career goals, and personal goals. There have been plenty of times where she would take the time to see how things were going in my life and make sure that I was happy and healthy. Juggling many highly demanding engineering classes all at once, Kara runs everything so smoothly. She is one of those people that all bioengineering undergrads know and love — she is so well-liked for her compassion, caring nature, and dedication to education. In the bioengineering capstone, Kara mentors teams as they develop novel engineering technologies to address unmet medical needs. If one of her teams runs into a challenge, Kara will do whatever she can to help, whether than means connecting the team with some resource or doing hours of online research by herself. I could go on and on about Kara, but I will end in saying that I cannot think of another educator who I think deserves this recognition for this year more than Kara Rogers.”
2016-17
Bill Dally
computer Science & electrical engineering
Awarded for his dedication to mentorship, insightful (and occasionally maverick) advice on the intersection of academia and industry, and steadfast belief in the ability of his students regardless of their backgrounds.
Ross Venook
bioengineering
Awarded for his outstanding dedication to students in and outside the classroom, commitment to improving the bioengineering major, and ability to instill a sense of accomplishment in his students.
2015-16
John Eaton
mechanical engineering
Awarded for his passion and commitment to teaching, unwavering support for students, and unique skills in teaching both the analytical and practical aspects of engineering.
Jennifer Dionne
Materials Science and Engineering
Awarded for leading by example, inspiring students with her boundless energy, outstanding mentorship, and infectious passion for science that she brings to the classroom each and every day.
Amin Arbabian
electrical engineering
Awarded for his continued interest in developing students’ knowledge, pushing students to achieve their full potential, and his genuine care for everyone in the classroom.