{"id":60714,"date":"2024-04-22T12:38:26","date_gmt":"2024-04-22T16:38:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/?p=60714"},"modified":"2024-04-22T12:40:54","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T16:40:54","slug":"textiles-faculty-member-receives-2024-outstanding-teacher-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/2024\/04\/textiles-faculty-member-receives-2024-outstanding-teacher-award\/","title":{"rendered":"Wilson College of Textiles Faculty Member Receives 2024 Outstanding Teacher Award"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
For Januka Budhathoki-Uprety<\/a>, teaching \u2014 and learning \u2014 are defined by those \u201clightbulb moments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a graduate student studying organic chemistry, hers came in finding a fascination with polymers, and learning about how their structure and behavior makes up nearly everything we see and touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey\u2019re ubiquitous,\u201d she still marvels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While teaching undergraduate chemistry, she found an even stronger passion for those moments of illumination in watching her students grasp a challenging concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen students learn new things, I see that lightbulb moment on their face,\u2019\u201d Budhathoki-Uprety says. \u201cIt was very rewarding to see how they learn over time, grow both personally and professionally, and how they were able to navigate the path to success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s safe to say those moments have only grown with time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Five years into a career as an assistant professor at the Wilson College of Textiles, Budhathoki-Uprety recently learned she has been recognized as a 2024 recipient of the university\u2019s Outstanding Teacher Award<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Awarded by the executive vice chancellor and provost, the award recognizes excellence in teaching at all levels of higher education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m honored,\u201d Budhathoki-Uprety says of the recognition. \u201cIt\u2019s very exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Was it a huge <\/strong>surprise? Perhaps it shouldn\u2019t have been: the signs have been there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cConsistently, I get really strong teaching evaluations. And the response rate from my students is really high,\u201d she acknowledges. \u201cI think the positive impact that I have on student learning, the students and my peers recognized that \u2014 the impact that my teaching had on them, to set them on a path to success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being recognized for her teaching prowess is no small feat, considering the immense challenge students face in her courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Budhathoki-Uprety teaches polymer chemistry. Though it\u2019s a topic, to her point, made up of materials that touch every aspect of our lives, the subject matter can be particularly difficult for students to grasp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTeaching that concept is really challenging, because many students find it hard to digest that information at the molecular level,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2024 Outstanding Teacher Award recipient<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A relentless pursuit of student learning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n