Monali Chowdhury Receives Graduate Associate Teaching Award

In a surprise moment at the Nisonger Center All-Staff Meeting on March 30, 2011, Patrick Osmer, vice provost for graduate studies and dean of the Graduate School at Ohio State, presented one of ten Graduate Associate Teaching Awards to Monali Chowdhury. Chowdhury is a doctoral candidate in the IDD Psychology program at Ohio State’s Nisonger Center.

This award is in its 39th year and is Ohio State’s highest recognition of the exceptional teaching provided by graduate students. Dean Osmer quoted from one of the student recommendation letters:

Psychology 100 was a morning class and every day I looked forward to going. Monali has a very upbeat and friendly personality which kept my attention. Her knowledge of the subject is superb, and she had the answer to any question the students asked. …When she taught she did so with many examples that related to all students which allowed for an easy grasp of the concepts. She never moved passed a topic until everyone in the class understood the material. She used her sense of humor to keep our attention and break the ice when a topic with grueling information was taught. She is the best teacher I have ever had for any course I have taken.

Each year, approximately 3,000 graduates teach as Graduate Teaching Associates at Ohio State. This year, 86 graduate students were nominated, and 57 of the eligible nominees submitted an application portfolio. The award recipients were selected by the Graduate School awards committee, consisting of graduate faculty representing the range of disciplines, former GATA winners and graduate students.

Pictured from left: Dr. Melissa Beers, Program Director, Introductory Psychology; Dean Patrick Osmer; Monali Chowdhury; Dr. Michael Aman, Director of Research at Nisonger Center and professor of psychology and psychiatry.