Chiang, Commins, and Medina earn Outstanding TA Awards
MINNEAPOLIS / ST.PAUL (4/7/2025) – School of Mathematics PhD students Judy Hsin-Hui Chiang, Patricia Commins, and Adolfo Medina have been recently honored with the 2023-2024 Outstanding Teaching Assistant (TA) Awards. This award recognizes exceptional teaching assistants who go above and beyond in teaching and mentorship.
Judy Hsin-Hui Chiang is a second-year graduate student working with Prof. Anna Weigandt and Prof. Benjamin Brubaker on algebraic combinatorics and combinatorial representation theory. Her current research focus is on the combinatorics of Schubert calculus. Judy was a TA for Calculus 1 (MATH1271) and Sequences, Series, and Foundations (MATH 3283W) in 2023-24, and has continued to teach MATH 3283W this academic year.
Judy writes: “I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be a TA and want to thank both my students and the department for their support. It’s been so rewarding to be part of my students’ journeys as they work toward their career goals. I’ve loved working through the material with them, sharing my excitement for math, and encouraging them to apply these problem-solving skills in their future paths. And when a student gets especially inspired and decides to pursue a math major or minor—it truly makes my day."
Patricia Commins, a sixth year student, studies algebraic combinatorics and representation theory under the advisement of Prof. Vic Reiner. In Fall 2023, she lectured Calculus I (MATH 1271) and in Spring 2024 she was the TA for Elementary Linear Algebra (MATH 2142).
Patty writes: “It is very special to watch students become excited about math and become more engaged with the math community at UMN. For a variety of reasons, many students have had negative experiences with math growing up, and come into college feeling like they are not a "math person." I feel very honored whenever I can help a student with these experiences make even a small shift in their perspective.”
Adolfo Medina is in his second year of the PhD program. His research with Adrian Diaconu explores analytic number theory. In Fall 2023, Adolfo was a TA for Calculus I (MATH 1271) – he went on to serve as a lecturer for the course in Spring and Summer 2024.
Adolfo writes: “There is a lot I enjoy about teaching. My favorite part is meeting students where they are and witnessing their mathematical skills develop and strengthen over the semester. During Fall 2023, I had a PSEO student who already possessed a strong background in calculus, but it was amazing to see how he asked questions that went beyond the scope of the course. Afterward, he accepted an offer of admission here at the University of Minnesota and is now double majoring in computer science and mathematics!”
School of Mathematics Outstanding TA Awards
The Outstanding TA awards are given by the School of Mathematics Instruction Committee and are based on nominations from students and faculty members and faculty teaching evaluations. The Outstanding Teaching awards are made in the spring following the academic year in which students are evaluated.