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Posted on: #iteachmsu Educator...

College of Social Science 2020 #iteachmsu Educator Award Recipients
The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from the College of Social Science. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".
Amanda Kreuze: Amanda is appointed as the instructor of the online version of ISS310: People & the Environment for the Spring Semester 2020. As the course administrator and coordinator, I could not do my job without a highly motivated and knowledgeable person like Amanda in that role. She truly cares for her students and does her best to make sure that they are not only successful, but also that their online experience in People & the Environment is positive. The situation that students (and instructors) now find themselves in is unfathomable in many regards, but Amanda continues to do all that she can to provide a safe and positive online environment for students to learn. Thank you Amanda for all that you do for onGEO and your students!
Ida Djenontin: In addition to maintaining high performance on her own work, Ida has been a great support to both me and students in her role as TA for two of my classes this Spring! She has done a yeoman job with grading, but more importantly, has taken many other steps to get to know the undergrad students and to help with management. These have been crucial in helping us all successfully navigate the transition to 'remote' instruction. I deeply appreciate her work ethic and positive demeanor.
Rajiv Paudel: We would like to recognize Rajiv Paudel, graduate student in the Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences, for his unwavering understanding and compassion through an unprecedented semester. Rajiv is teaching GEO325 (Geographic Information Systems) for the Department this spring and found himself responsible for transitioning 42 students through a swift transition to remote learning. Throughout this transition, Rajiv has been concerned for his students and their situations, in and out of the virtual classroom. Rajiv has been willing to work individually with students to remedy technical challenges with the fully online labs and repeatedly put his students first. The onGEO group is grateful for all that you do, Rajiv!
Aaron Luedtke: Aaron is one of those exceptional graduate students who devotes a tremendous amount of energy on being one of the best teachers in our department. Aaron received the Harry Brown Graduate Fellowship for Academic Excellence from our department in 2019 and had previously received the Fred Williams Graduate Award for teaching in 2018. This year, he was again nominated for the Somers teaching Award in IAH. Academically and intellectually, Aaron is an outstanding student with numerous fellowships and awards. He received a short-term dissertation fellowship from the D'Arcy McNickle Center at Chicago's Newberry Library and the Everett Helm Visiting Fellowship from the Lily Library at Indiana University. His article on Indigenous communities in the Great Lakes will be published in the forthcoming collection, The Northern Midwest and the US-Canada Borderlands: Essays on a Lost Region, in 2020.
Steve Anderson: Steve has been a teaching assistant for one of our department's largest courses--Introduction to Comparative Politics--for several semesters. Given the number of students and the nature of the assignments, this is not an easy job, and Steve always performs beyond expectations. He provides quick, careful, and helpful feedback to students on their work, and he is careful and reliable. Our students are lucky to have him as a teacher, and I'm lucky to have him as an assistant!
Kesicia Dickinson: Kesicia is so smart, kind, and respectful. She is inclusive and strong and serves as a mentor to our newest students of color. She is constantly empowering other students who feel out of place in the academy and creating space for them to shine. When some students -- especially her more junior peers of color – feel isolated and feel imposter syndrome, she goes out of her way to remind them that they have earned their space in the discipline and reminds them that they have so much to contribute. Our department is trying so hard to build a minority politics initiative, and without Kesicia and her persistence, encouragement, and participation, we would be a much worse group and department. She kills people with kindness, is genuine, constructive, and empowering. I am so proud to have her as a student in the discipline. I have yet to meet someone as inclusive and encouraging as Kesicia.
Natasha Fowler: I’d like to give a huge shout out to Natasha for being an amazing mentor this year! She’s been helping me with my UURAF poster, and I have learned so much from her. From the background science to the research process as a whole, Natasha has played a crucial part in my learning. The process of researching, making, and presenting this poster to the lab has been an amazing experience overall and I couldn’t have done it without Natasha. Thank you so much for your help, patience, and enthusiasm Natasha!
Megan Mikhail: Megan, I'm so happy you are in our lab! I so enjoy when you present and teach in our lab meetings, you make the science so easy to understand and also so engaging. You are clearly passionate about your work and it is so awesome to see. I always appreciate your insights as well, you offer such constructive and thoughtful input into research discussions. You're a joy to work with!
Nafiseh Haghtalab: Nafiseh is appointed as the instructor of the online version of GEO204: World Regional Geography for Spring Semester 2020. These are unparalleled times for our world, students and the University alike and Nafiseh has done all that she can to help students continue to be successful in the course amidst a new, and often more complicated, set of circumstances. I sincerely appreciate Nafiseh for her dedication to teaching the online course and supporting her students; having Nafiseh as an instructor has made my job as the course’s administrator and coordinator that much easier and more enjoyable. Thank you Nafiseh for all that you do for onGEO and your students!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll be directed to a form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Amanda Kreuze: Amanda is appointed as the instructor of the online version of ISS310: People & the Environment for the Spring Semester 2020. As the course administrator and coordinator, I could not do my job without a highly motivated and knowledgeable person like Amanda in that role. She truly cares for her students and does her best to make sure that they are not only successful, but also that their online experience in People & the Environment is positive. The situation that students (and instructors) now find themselves in is unfathomable in many regards, but Amanda continues to do all that she can to provide a safe and positive online environment for students to learn. Thank you Amanda for all that you do for onGEO and your students!
Ida Djenontin: In addition to maintaining high performance on her own work, Ida has been a great support to both me and students in her role as TA for two of my classes this Spring! She has done a yeoman job with grading, but more importantly, has taken many other steps to get to know the undergrad students and to help with management. These have been crucial in helping us all successfully navigate the transition to 'remote' instruction. I deeply appreciate her work ethic and positive demeanor.
Rajiv Paudel: We would like to recognize Rajiv Paudel, graduate student in the Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences, for his unwavering understanding and compassion through an unprecedented semester. Rajiv is teaching GEO325 (Geographic Information Systems) for the Department this spring and found himself responsible for transitioning 42 students through a swift transition to remote learning. Throughout this transition, Rajiv has been concerned for his students and their situations, in and out of the virtual classroom. Rajiv has been willing to work individually with students to remedy technical challenges with the fully online labs and repeatedly put his students first. The onGEO group is grateful for all that you do, Rajiv!
Aaron Luedtke: Aaron is one of those exceptional graduate students who devotes a tremendous amount of energy on being one of the best teachers in our department. Aaron received the Harry Brown Graduate Fellowship for Academic Excellence from our department in 2019 and had previously received the Fred Williams Graduate Award for teaching in 2018. This year, he was again nominated for the Somers teaching Award in IAH. Academically and intellectually, Aaron is an outstanding student with numerous fellowships and awards. He received a short-term dissertation fellowship from the D'Arcy McNickle Center at Chicago's Newberry Library and the Everett Helm Visiting Fellowship from the Lily Library at Indiana University. His article on Indigenous communities in the Great Lakes will be published in the forthcoming collection, The Northern Midwest and the US-Canada Borderlands: Essays on a Lost Region, in 2020.
Steve Anderson: Steve has been a teaching assistant for one of our department's largest courses--Introduction to Comparative Politics--for several semesters. Given the number of students and the nature of the assignments, this is not an easy job, and Steve always performs beyond expectations. He provides quick, careful, and helpful feedback to students on their work, and he is careful and reliable. Our students are lucky to have him as a teacher, and I'm lucky to have him as an assistant!
Kesicia Dickinson: Kesicia is so smart, kind, and respectful. She is inclusive and strong and serves as a mentor to our newest students of color. She is constantly empowering other students who feel out of place in the academy and creating space for them to shine. When some students -- especially her more junior peers of color – feel isolated and feel imposter syndrome, she goes out of her way to remind them that they have earned their space in the discipline and reminds them that they have so much to contribute. Our department is trying so hard to build a minority politics initiative, and without Kesicia and her persistence, encouragement, and participation, we would be a much worse group and department. She kills people with kindness, is genuine, constructive, and empowering. I am so proud to have her as a student in the discipline. I have yet to meet someone as inclusive and encouraging as Kesicia.
Natasha Fowler: I’d like to give a huge shout out to Natasha for being an amazing mentor this year! She’s been helping me with my UURAF poster, and I have learned so much from her. From the background science to the research process as a whole, Natasha has played a crucial part in my learning. The process of researching, making, and presenting this poster to the lab has been an amazing experience overall and I couldn’t have done it without Natasha. Thank you so much for your help, patience, and enthusiasm Natasha!
Megan Mikhail: Megan, I'm so happy you are in our lab! I so enjoy when you present and teach in our lab meetings, you make the science so easy to understand and also so engaging. You are clearly passionate about your work and it is so awesome to see. I always appreciate your insights as well, you offer such constructive and thoughtful input into research discussions. You're a joy to work with!
Nafiseh Haghtalab: Nafiseh is appointed as the instructor of the online version of GEO204: World Regional Geography for Spring Semester 2020. These are unparalleled times for our world, students and the University alike and Nafiseh has done all that she can to help students continue to be successful in the course amidst a new, and often more complicated, set of circumstances. I sincerely appreciate Nafiseh for her dedication to teaching the online course and supporting her students; having Nafiseh as an instructor has made my job as the course’s administrator and coordinator that much easier and more enjoyable. Thank you Nafiseh for all that you do for onGEO and your students!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll be directed to a form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.
Posted by: Makena Neal
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: The MSU Graduate Le...

Ag & Natural Resources Leadership Fellows
Leadership Fellows
2015-2016: Zach Frenzel
2016-2017: Kyle McCarthy
2017-2020: Tracy Melvin
2019-2021: Clara Graucob
2020-2021: Alex White
2021-2022: Liz Stebbins
Zach Frenzel (2015-2016)Zach Frenzel not only served as the first Agriculture & Natural Resources Leadership Fellow, he was selected to be the first ever Fellow after participating in the 2014 Leadership Academy. Zach conducted several needs assessment in the College, finding that graduate students in several departments did not feel their home departments were a cohesive as it related to research, scholarship, and sense of community. He used the results of those assessments to inform his work strengthening the community of graduate students in CANR by hosting department-specific events to facilitate inter-departmental connections. Zach also worked closely with Graduate Student Organizations (GSOs) and departments on leadership frameworks, enabling both groups to state that they felt Zach helped them make significant progress towards becoming a more unified team.
Kyle McCarthy (2016-2017)Zach’s work to facilitate communication and collaboration among the GSOs, departments, and stakeholders that shape graduate students’ lives within the college served as an inspiration for Zach’s successor, Kyle McCarthy, the 2016-2017 CANR Leadership Fellow. Kyle leveraged results from the survey that Zach distributed to GSO leadership as well as his connections with leaders from nine of CANRs GSOs to identify the need for a CANR-specific GSO handbook to facilitate greater collaboration & engagement among the groups. Kyle ended his Fellowship by giving a presentation about his findings and the handbook draft he and other CANR leaders developed to the graduate program directors.
Tracy Melvin (2016-2020) | Coordinator (2020-2021)Zach and Kyle’s diligent work building relationships within the college and with the Institute laid the foundation for Tracy Melvin to organize CANR Rising in 2018, an event where Tracy brought in a panel of respected CANR faculty and administrators to vulnerably share their lived experiences with overcoming failure. Her event had a significant impact on both the graduate students involved, who commonly suffer from Imposter Syndrome and feel that failure is not an option, as well as on the presenting faculty members, who reported that the process of sharing helped them better understand their past experiences and shifted their ways of thinking about failure. Though Tracy’s second CANR Rising was unfortunately cancelled due to COVID-19, she was determined to not let her work with the Institute come to an end. She was brought on as a Co-Coordinator of the Leadership Institute from 2020-2021 and was instrumental in reshaping the Fellowship’s curriculum and structure.
Clara Graucob (2019-2021)Tracy’s success with the CANR Rising event during the 2017-2018 helped secure funding for an additional Agriculture and Natural Resources Leadership Fellow, Clara Graucob. As an international student from Germany, Clara recognized the lack of congruence between the resources provided to international grad students by the Graduate School and the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS). After distributing a survey to international graduate students in 2019 regarding the accessibility and publicity of resources intended to ease their transition into the American education system, Clara leveraged iteach.msu, a collaborative educational resource-sharing platform developed by Institute Co-Coordinator Makena Neal. Clara’s playlist, “Resources for new Spartans,” serves as a one-stop-shop for resources to help new Spartans transition into life at MSU, addressing topics such as housing, grocery shopping, social activities, nature/outdoor activities, postal services, health care, insurance, mental health, IM sports teams, navigating campus, and many others. The dedication, thoughtfulness, and drive evident in Clara’s work and her approach to leadership enabled her to develop connections with Office of International Students and Scholars and secure an assistantship, through which she will continue supporting international grad students at MSU.
Alex White (2020-2021)Alex White conducted a Field Safety Week for graduate students who enter the program with different levels of comfort in forested environments. Alex designed the training to serve as a risk mitigation intervention that would prepare students with the basic skills needed to conduct field work safely. The trainings included hitching and backing a trailer, safety concerns for field researchers from underrepresented backgrounds, overview of safety equipment, snakes of Michigan, land navigation, and self-defense. The field safety week also included the opportunity to get a Wilderness First Aid Certification with the Great Lakes EMS Academy. Alex worked with Lauren Noel, Kelly Millenbaugh, Laura Bix, and CANR Diversity Office to organize logistics, secure funding, and recruit speakers. In a post-event survey, participating grad students said the training made them feel safer in the field and expressed an interest in participating in the training again. Alex continues to promote a culture of field safety in the department as she completes her program.
Liz Stebbins (2021-2022)Liz was interested in finding ways to connect graduate students, old and new, to community resources within and external to MSU. She worked with College of Education Fellow, Sarah Galvin, to create plans for a “Community Orientation” to help get new graduate students engaged in their local community. They connected with the Center for Community Engaged Learning and the Office for Public Engagement and Scholarship, as well as several Lansing and East Lansing-area organizations. They made plans for an involvement fair that they hoped to launch in the Fall of 2022 where they would invite members of the community to come meet interested graduate students.
2015-2016: Zach Frenzel
2016-2017: Kyle McCarthy
2017-2020: Tracy Melvin
2019-2021: Clara Graucob
2020-2021: Alex White
2021-2022: Liz Stebbins
Zach Frenzel (2015-2016)Zach Frenzel not only served as the first Agriculture & Natural Resources Leadership Fellow, he was selected to be the first ever Fellow after participating in the 2014 Leadership Academy. Zach conducted several needs assessment in the College, finding that graduate students in several departments did not feel their home departments were a cohesive as it related to research, scholarship, and sense of community. He used the results of those assessments to inform his work strengthening the community of graduate students in CANR by hosting department-specific events to facilitate inter-departmental connections. Zach also worked closely with Graduate Student Organizations (GSOs) and departments on leadership frameworks, enabling both groups to state that they felt Zach helped them make significant progress towards becoming a more unified team.
Kyle McCarthy (2016-2017)Zach’s work to facilitate communication and collaboration among the GSOs, departments, and stakeholders that shape graduate students’ lives within the college served as an inspiration for Zach’s successor, Kyle McCarthy, the 2016-2017 CANR Leadership Fellow. Kyle leveraged results from the survey that Zach distributed to GSO leadership as well as his connections with leaders from nine of CANRs GSOs to identify the need for a CANR-specific GSO handbook to facilitate greater collaboration & engagement among the groups. Kyle ended his Fellowship by giving a presentation about his findings and the handbook draft he and other CANR leaders developed to the graduate program directors.
Tracy Melvin (2016-2020) | Coordinator (2020-2021)Zach and Kyle’s diligent work building relationships within the college and with the Institute laid the foundation for Tracy Melvin to organize CANR Rising in 2018, an event where Tracy brought in a panel of respected CANR faculty and administrators to vulnerably share their lived experiences with overcoming failure. Her event had a significant impact on both the graduate students involved, who commonly suffer from Imposter Syndrome and feel that failure is not an option, as well as on the presenting faculty members, who reported that the process of sharing helped them better understand their past experiences and shifted their ways of thinking about failure. Though Tracy’s second CANR Rising was unfortunately cancelled due to COVID-19, she was determined to not let her work with the Institute come to an end. She was brought on as a Co-Coordinator of the Leadership Institute from 2020-2021 and was instrumental in reshaping the Fellowship’s curriculum and structure.
Clara Graucob (2019-2021)Tracy’s success with the CANR Rising event during the 2017-2018 helped secure funding for an additional Agriculture and Natural Resources Leadership Fellow, Clara Graucob. As an international student from Germany, Clara recognized the lack of congruence between the resources provided to international grad students by the Graduate School and the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS). After distributing a survey to international graduate students in 2019 regarding the accessibility and publicity of resources intended to ease their transition into the American education system, Clara leveraged iteach.msu, a collaborative educational resource-sharing platform developed by Institute Co-Coordinator Makena Neal. Clara’s playlist, “Resources for new Spartans,” serves as a one-stop-shop for resources to help new Spartans transition into life at MSU, addressing topics such as housing, grocery shopping, social activities, nature/outdoor activities, postal services, health care, insurance, mental health, IM sports teams, navigating campus, and many others. The dedication, thoughtfulness, and drive evident in Clara’s work and her approach to leadership enabled her to develop connections with Office of International Students and Scholars and secure an assistantship, through which she will continue supporting international grad students at MSU.
Alex White (2020-2021)Alex White conducted a Field Safety Week for graduate students who enter the program with different levels of comfort in forested environments. Alex designed the training to serve as a risk mitigation intervention that would prepare students with the basic skills needed to conduct field work safely. The trainings included hitching and backing a trailer, safety concerns for field researchers from underrepresented backgrounds, overview of safety equipment, snakes of Michigan, land navigation, and self-defense. The field safety week also included the opportunity to get a Wilderness First Aid Certification with the Great Lakes EMS Academy. Alex worked with Lauren Noel, Kelly Millenbaugh, Laura Bix, and CANR Diversity Office to organize logistics, secure funding, and recruit speakers. In a post-event survey, participating grad students said the training made them feel safer in the field and expressed an interest in participating in the training again. Alex continues to promote a culture of field safety in the department as she completes her program.
Liz Stebbins (2021-2022)Liz was interested in finding ways to connect graduate students, old and new, to community resources within and external to MSU. She worked with College of Education Fellow, Sarah Galvin, to create plans for a “Community Orientation” to help get new graduate students engaged in their local community. They connected with the Center for Community Engaged Learning and the Office for Public Engagement and Scholarship, as well as several Lansing and East Lansing-area organizations. They made plans for an involvement fair that they hoped to launch in the Fall of 2022 where they would invite members of the community to come meet interested graduate students.
Posted by: Emma Dodd
Navigating Context
Posted on: Graduate Teaching A...
I wanted to share one of the best papers I've ever read as a grad student and GTA. Don't let the title fool you, the contents apply to everyone in higher education, not just scientists.
When I'm feeling overwhelmed or the imposter syndrome creeps in, I go back and re-read this article.
https://journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/121/11/1771/30038/The-importance-of-stupidity-in-scientific-research
Martin A. Schwartz; The importance of stupidity in scientific research. J Cell Sci 1 June 2008; 121 (11): 1771. doi: https://doi.org/10.1242/jcs.033340
When I'm feeling overwhelmed or the imposter syndrome creeps in, I go back and re-read this article.
https://journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/121/11/1771/30038/The-importance-of-stupidity-in-scientific-research
Martin A. Schwartz; The importance of stupidity in scientific research. J Cell Sci 1 June 2008; 121 (11): 1771. doi: https://doi.org/10.1242/jcs.033340
Posted by: Josh Winowiecki
Navigating Context
Posted on: #iteachmsu
There is an interesting piece this morning on Faculty Focus about how we might combat Imposter Syndrome in academia. Both among faculty AND among students from historically marginalized groups. Here is the link for those who might like to take a look:
https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/philosophy-of-teaching/combating-imposter-syndrome-in-academia/
https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/philosophy-of-teaching/combating-imposter-syndrome-in-academia/
Posted by: Stokes Schwartz
Disciplinary Content