Nishanth Murthy receives 2025 John Bowers Excellence in Teaching Assistance Award
Graduate student Nishanth Somashekara Murthy has been honored by the College of Science and Engineering with the 2025 John Bowers Excellence in Teaching Assistance Award. Murthy is being recognized for his outstanding work as a teaching assistant and is one of only three teaching assistants (TA) of the 915 who served in the College over the past year.
Here, in his own words, Murthy shares his interests and background, his teaching experience, and what this award means to him.
I am incredibly grateful (and still a little surprised) on being named one of three recipients of the 2025 John Bowers Excellence in Teaching Assistance Award. I am deeply honored; it is a meaningful reflection of the time, effort, and passion I have poured into teaching over the past few years.
Who I am
I am currently in my third year of the Ph.D. program in electrical engineering at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. My research focuses on computer architecure, VLSI design and verification, hardware security, and computing. If it involves silicon, performance bottlenecks, or system-level weirdness, then I am probably interested.
How teaching found me
Funnily enough, I did not set out to become a teaching assistant. I first stepped into my role as a TA role to support my tuition and research. But when I stood in front of a classroom for the first time and watched a student’s eyes light up because they had finally figured out something, I was hooked.
My mother Gayathri Shivakumar has been my greatest inspiration. She has been a lifelong educator in VLSI with nearly 40 years of teaching experience. She retires in August, and I consider this award a small and heartflet tribute to her legacy.
What teaching means to me
I have been a TA for EE 1301: Introduction to Computing Systems for six semesters now. The content may not have changed drastically, but the challenges certainly have—from scaling support for more than 200 students, to AI-assisted plagiarism, to adapting to shifting learning styles.
Behind the scenes, I have invested time in brainstorming with ECE faculty on how to better deliver course content, in finding the sweet spot between theoretical rigor and practical understanding. I have helped design balanced coursework that challenges students but respects their time and mental bandwidth especially at the graduate level, where academic pressure is relentless.
Teaching beyond the classroom
Most of my TA work happens far from the lecture podium. Over the semesters, I have worked on everything from scripting and automating grading workflows to deploying the department’s first-ever large-scale Gradescope integration. This not only improved grading efficiency but made the process clearer and more student-friendly.
One of the toughest but most rewarding challenges has been designing assignments that are both effective and resilient to generative AI. It has forced me to rethink how learning happens, how students engage with the material, and how to build in enough creativity and open-endedness that they can’t just “ask ChatGPT.”
At the same time, I have regularly coordinated with fellow TAs to share insights and align on grading standards, student concerns, and best practices. Collaboration and communication, I have learned, are just as important in teaching as they are in research.
Wearing many hats
Besides being a TA, I have served as President of the Chateau Student Housing Co-op and as the Graduate Student Coordinator for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. In these roles, I have organized networking events to bring students closer to alumni, faculty, and industry professionals, planned and led technical workshops for undergraduate and graduate students to bridge academic learning with real-world skills, and worked with faculty and students to identify gaps in the graduate experience and determined ways to improve learning, community, and support systems.
I undertake these responsibilities deliberately to grow as a leader, mentor, and team player while building a supportive ecosystem around me.
Balancing it all
People often ask how I balance TA duties, research, student leadership, and life. The answer: I plan relentlessly. I often map out big-ticket deadlines six months ahead, build in a margin for the unexpected, and handle the rest week by week. I try to prioritize the work that creates long-term impact—whether it is a well-designed assignment or a well-timed coffee chat that helps a student feel seen.
I am currently on a six month internship with Intel Corporation, but I have not paused my research. I am still working on multiple projects aimed for journal publications. I have scheduled my exams for the upcoming academic year and I hope to complete my Ph.D. by the summer or fall of 2027.
What comes next?
In the long term, I see myself at the intersection of industry and academia applying research to real-world systems while staying close to students, classrooms, and ideas that challenge the status quo. There is something deeply rewarding about translating complex ideas into understandable insights, and that is a skill I want to keep nurturing.
My gratitude
This journey would not have been possible without the amazing mentors I have been fortunate to work with. Professor John Sartori, my advisor, has been a pillar of support. He has always encouragesd me to think critically and act boldly. Professor David Orser’s steady mentorship, especially in refining how I approach teaching and feedback, has been immensely helpful. Professor Kia Bazargan has challenged me in the best ways and has shown me what it means to innovate inside and outside the classroom.
This award means a lot to me because it reflects everything I have tried to build: trust with students, strong systems for learning, and a mindset of always improving.
To all the students who sat through a lab session, came to office hours, submitted a bugged program at 11:59 PM, or asked a question that made me stop and think—you have been a part of my teaching journey, and I thank you.