Scripps Geology Graduate Student Honored for Teaching

Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego graduate student Ashlee Henig was awarded the 2010 Barbara J. & Paul D. Saltman Excellent Teaching Award. She was one of three UCSD graduate student awardees honored by the UCSD Academic Senate this year for outstanding teaching.

Henig is a third year Ph.D. student at Scripps studying geophysics and geology. Her thesis work involves using marine seismic refraction data to study the subsurface structure of the seafloor at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

Praised by her colleagues and students as an exceptional teaching assistant (TA), Henig recieved the award for her ability to engage young minds, inspire graduate student peers to strive to excel, and consistently provide outstanding support to her professors. Henig's professors said that she is an engaging and organized instructor who is very much in command of the material. She holds the attention of the entire class exceedingly well and receives glowing students reviews.

"Acting as a teaching assistant and senior TA for the Scripps Department has been one of the highlights of my graduate student career so far," said Henig."Teaching is something that I find both very challenging and rewarding. It is a wonderful feeling of accomplishment when a student grasps a concept that I have worked hard and innovatively to help them understand. I hope to continue to refine my teaching skills at many educational levels."

Beyond the classroom, Henig is committed to helping her junior colleagues and is deeply involved in assisting first-year geophysics students at Scripps with their preparations for the departmental exam, a comprehensive written and oral exam taken at the end of the first year of Ph.D. study. She has also participated in student committees for Scripps' recent external department review and the Earth Section faculty search.

The UCSD Academic Senate recognized Henig at a Distinguished Teaching Awards presentation on Friday, October 15, 2010 at the UCSD Faculty Club.

The Distinguished Teaching Awards are an opportunity to convey the importance placed on teaching by academic departments and programs and to underscore the high quality of teaching at UC San Diego.