Distinguished Honors Faculty Award

Excerpt from student nomination: “Professor Alibali has been incredibly supportive of my involvement in research by encouraging me to apply for opportunities like the Honors Sophomore Summer Apprenticeship, where she gave me the opportunity to work with a team of graduate students in spearheading the design of a new research project. Before her encouragement to further my involvement in her research lab, I hadn’t ever considered applying to Ph.D. programs or pursuing a career in research. Further, she has been incredibly supportive throughout the process of designing my Senior Honors Thesis project. While having high expectations for me, she is sympathetic to my little previous experience and is always willing to find time to help me through any questions or setbacks.”

Excerpt from student nomination:

“Prof Aylward has changed my perspective on the role of myths and literature in our world and he has opened my eyes to how themes from antiquity remain present in our everyday world. Prof Aylward’s class embodies what I envision of when I think of UW excellence.”

Excerpt from student nomination:

“Dr. Aylward is extremely kind, thoughtful, and encouraging. His pedagogy includes lots of small details that really, really make a class genuinely enjoyable, especially for me, a very tired senior! … I truly think that Dr. Aylward deserves this award! He has been the most thoughtful of all Honors professors I’ve had thus far.”

Excerpt from student nomination: “She is not only incredibly passionate and knowledgeable about what she teaches, but she also cares so much about her students. She shows this care through her availability, openness to discussion, and frequent check-ins about what her students want in her course… I believe that Dr. Jovic-Humphrey should receive the Distinguished Honors Faculty Award because of her commitment to her students and their learning. While I was in her class, Dr. Jovic-Humphrey provided many opportunities to receive help directly from her (ex: staying after class and offering one-on-one meetings), was incredibly passionate in her teachings (ex: sharing anecdotes from her own life), and was clearly committed to the success of her students (ex: being flexible about personal issues, etc.)…  Dr. Jovic-Humphrey is one of my favorite professors and I am so grateful to have met her. My experiences in her class have had a huge positive impact on my life.”

Excerpt from student nomination: “Jose is a Distinguished Honors faculty because of how he has mentored me since we met last summer. He knew I wanted to apply for graduate school so he repeatedly pushed me towards opportunities that would prepare me. I recall one conversation where he said he has been pushing me to do more, not because I am not good enough, but because he wants me to be well-equipped for graduate school…. He showed me grace and patience that I have not seen from other faculty members; he created a safe environment for me to grow as a researcher… Having spoken with his graduate students, we all concur that anyone would be lucky to have him as a mentor.”

Excerpt from student nomination: “Every morning he would say hi and give us all a high-five. He hosted a bonfire at the start of semester because he knew that friends in class are important to succeed. At the bonfire we got to know Marty and classmates which helped us be more comfortable to ask questions and study together… Despite being a first year, Marty is the best educator that I have had. It is not only crazily amazing what he knows, but also amazing how he can simplify complex topics to educate first years… Despite the Chem 115/116 sequence being hard, the way he conducted class made it the most enjoyable class which is what I hope to do one day as a professor. His encouragement and feedback in that class has inspired me to work hard and to never feel hopeless when classes and exams don’t go as well as I hoped. His approach to education is something I wish I saw more from professors and believe it should be recognized because it can have long lasting impacts on students.”