CETL Honors Graduate Student Teachers
Meet the winners of the 2024-2025 Graduate Excellence in Teaching Awards
One of the best parts of our work here at CETL is recognizing the exemplary teaching that happens at the University of Mississippi every day. We are especially proud to honor the efforts of our graduate student TAs and instructors. Each year, we receive dozens of nominations for CETL’s Graduate Excellence in Teaching Awards, but we’re only able to select two winners. I’m happy to announce that this year’s winners are Noah Kilonzo and Savannah Draud.
Noah Kilonzo is the winner of the 2024-25 Graduate TA Award. Noah is a PhD student in the Department of Biology studying plant-microbe interactions. He has served as a TA for entry-level biology labs as well as a more advanced microbiology lab. He also recently accompanied students on a Study USA trip to Hawaii.
Noah began his teaching career very early in life. As a student growing up in rural Kenya, he found himself coaching his peers often in their studies, an activity that not only supported others but also helped Noah learn better himself. These early experiences informed his teaching philosophy, which focuses on sparking students’ curiosity and working alongside them as equals in the classroom. Whether they are in the lab or the field, Noah strives to build students’ motivation and self-confidence as a first step to deeper learning.
“I truly believe Noah is a wonderful candidate for this award because he connects with students well, genuinely wants us to achieve success, and leads students to learning while leaving room for students to make their own connections,” said UM student Jocelyn Ball, who nominated Noah for the award.
These teaching qualities were especially important during the Study USA trip to Hawaii where Ball first met Noah. “Even when it was rough hikes or long lab days in Hawaii, he was always in good spirits and kept [up] the group’s attitude as well!” she wrote.
Noah’s advisor, Dr. Erik Hom, agrees. “In addition to closely supervising students in executing proper technique when in the field,” wrote Hom, “it was clear Noah was helping them appreciate the importance and fun of doing science.”
Dr. Hom went on to note Noah’s success as a current TA for a challenging Microbiology course. “Not only does he address the need to understand the biological/scientific content and learn the skills at hand, but he addresses the confidence (or lack thereof) that students have in expressing themselves,” said Hom. As a result, students leave lab sessions happier, more confident, and more advanced as biologists.
Noah was characteristically modest when asked about his achievements. “Personally, winning this award demonstrates my students’ commitment to collaborative learning and validates my efforts in mentoring them,” he said.
The winner of this year’s Johnny W. Lott Graduate Instructor Award is Savannah Draud. Savannah, like Noah, is pursuing her PhD in Biology. (It was a good year for Bio!) During her time at UM, Savannah also completed a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with the School of Education. She has served as a TA and Laboratory Instructor for a variety of courses. This semester, she is serving as the Instructor of Record for LIBA 151, Integrated Science II.
Savannah’s teaching philosophy prioritizes the cultivation of a growth mindset in students. One of her main goals as a teacher is to combat the misguided notion that some students are just not cut out for math and science. Her belief that every student can succeed in these disciplines has led her to found a mentorship program for underrepresented students in STEM; to serve as a graduate mentor for students on academic probation; and to develop an outreach program intended to increase scientific literacy among middle and high school students.
Dr. Sixue Chen, chair of the Biology department, emphasized these achievements in nominating Savannah for the award, noting that her outreach efforts have impacted more than 400 students in our local community. He also praised her commitment to undergraduate students at UM: “Savannah has been an amazing TA for the Biology department,” wrote Chen. “Her students give her high remarks about her care and her teaching skills that helped with their learning.”
In her current role as an instructor for LIBA 151, Savannah focuses on creating an active learning environment to make science more accessible to non-majors. She encourages students to recognize the broader impacts of science on society by raising issues such as the ethics of genetic engineering and the balance between human progress and environmental sustainability.
She has also developed activities to help students engage with generative AI in a scientific context. In one assignment, for example, she had students prompt an AI chatbot to generate a description of a fictional microscopic organism and then asked students to analyze the characteristics of that organism, applying what they learned about cell structures during class.
These kinds of learning activities are especially well-suited to the classroom spaces in the new Duff Center for Science and Technology Innovation where Savannah teaches. “This is an active learning classroom, and Ms. Draud is using the facilities exactly as intended,” said Dr. Jerry Dwyer, Director of the Center for STEM Learning. He noted that Savannah’s course was “an example to everyone of how an active learning environment can be achieved in our STEM classrooms at the University of Mississippi.”
When asked about her achievements, Savannah said, “I feel incredibly honored to win the Graduate Excellence in Teaching Award as it affirms my passion for teaching and encourages me to continue to improve in order to better prepare future generations of critical thinkers.”
Noah and Savannah will both be honored at the Graduate School’s Celebration of Doctoral Achievement on April 21. Congratulations to these outstanding teachers!