Towner Prize Winner

Aaditya Hambarde

EECS 216: Introduction to Signals and Systems

Dedicated to the philosophy that each student is unique and should be treated as such, Aaditya Hambarde accomplished this idea by being kind, empathetic, and accepting through his teaching. Aaditya was especially mindful of the different backgrounds each student came from and accommodated his students by making sure information was easily accessible, clear, and concise by having notes available in all formats, having Aaditya’s camera on for hard of hearing students, and turning closed captions on. Aware that students may have more than one remote course, Aaditya focused on engaging students through different means of technology; for example, using short quizzes, poll features, and breakout rooms on Zoom required students not only to be engaged, but also to develop their own thinking processes. He created new discussion notes, graphics, exam review videos, and summary sheets for this course, which were very helpful to students in their exam preparation and helped them connect course knowledge to practical engineering problems. Aaditya also understood the importance of inclusion and equity outside an academic setting, and made sure that every student has the opportunity to share the pronunciation of their name, their preferred name, and pronouns. Aaditya’s teaching philosophy and practice positively impacted each of his students and was inspiring to other instructors, as well.