Congratulations to the Winners in the 2021 Education Awards.
On Thursday 6 May, we had the opportunity to recognise the fantastic achievements of student reps, peer mentors, lecturers, and support staff at our annual Education Awards. The Education Awards combines the Academic Rep Awards, Peer Support Awards and University Teaching Awards into one big night of celebration.
This year, due to the ongoing Covid restrictions, we took the decision to live-stream the event out from Teams, where we were joined by Annie Willingham (SU Education Officer), Freya Jackson (SU Community Officer), Dr Fritz Ho (SU Postgraduate Officer) and Professor Peter Lambert (Pro-Vice Chancellor for Learning and Teaching), all of whom presented awards. Thank you to the SU Academic Rep team, the Peer Support Team and the University Centre for Learning and Teaching who have all been working tirelessly behind the scenes to make the event such a success.
A huge congratulations to all of our winners, it’s very well deserved and you should all be so proud of yourselves:
Academic Rep of the Year
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Anna Davitt - UG Rep Highly Commended
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Kirsty Carotti - UG Rep Winner
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Sam Clarke - PGT Rep Winner
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Fadoua Govaerts - Doctoral Rep Winner
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Andrei Linguraru - Faculty Rep Winner
“Thank you! I’m so proud of all the Academic Reps this year who have worked tirelessly for their peers and the SU for all the positive work they have done! I’m glad that all our hard work has made a difference.” – Kirsty Carotti, UG Winner of Academic Rep of the Year
“In a world where communication is mainly via the chat function, I am proud to have been a voice for the students at the School of Management.” – Andrei Linguraru, Faculty Rep winner of Academic Rep of the Year
SSLC Chair of the Year
- Jade Pizzato - Highly Commended
- Kieran Liddle - Winner
"Thank you not only for the award but for all the work Academic Reps and staff have contributed to the PoLIS SSLC this year. I would encourage anybody wanting to be more involved with the university community to run as an Academic Rep and take every opportunity that arises." - Kieran Liddle, Winner of SSLC Chair of the Year.
Postgraduate Who Teaches (PGWT) of the Year
Personal Tutor of the Year
“I would like to thank my tutees for the nomination, it is your participation and enthusiasm that makes our tutorials informative and fun. I really enjoy seeing you develop and helping you achieve your goals. I hope that we can all get back together soon.” - Dr Neil Brown, Winner of Personal Tutor of the Year
Support Staff Member of the Year
- Ali Bevan - Winner
- Zoe Graham – Winner
“It was such a proud achievement to win support staff member of the year especially in this challenging year. Working with the brilliant staff and students in the ART- AI CDT is a joy, and I’m so pleased I’ve managed to make a difference through my work. It was great to see all the other staff and students being celebrated for their hard work, thanks very much for putting on the awards ceremony.” Zoe Graham – Winner of Support Staff Member of the Year
Outstanding Contribution to Peer Support (Student Award)
- Vishnupriya Venkatesan - Highly Commended
- Rebecca Loveless – Winner
“It’s been a pleasure working for the PAL scheme throughout my degree, but in the past year, it has been a particular joy to work with such an enthusiastic and supportive group of students and staff. The teamwork and perseverance the whole team have shown to overcome the unique challenges of this year have really been astounding. Their hard work is so appreciated, and it was a delight to be a part of it!” – Rebecca Loveless, Winner of Outstanding Contribution to Peer Support
Outstanding Contribution to Peer Support (Staff Award)
- Kate Campbell - Highly Commended
- Ali Bevan – Winner
“To receive these awards is truly an honour and I feel very humbled. The BBAs are incredible, and it is an absolute privilege to support such amazing students. I couldn’t think of a job I would rather do, and am so very grateful to be part of such an amazing Student Experience team... I couldn’t do what I do without my fantastic colleagues here in the School of Management!” – Ali Bevan, Winner of Outstanding Contribution to Peer Support
Peer Support Team of the Year
"“Firstly, we would like to thank everyone who took the time to attend the events we organized throughout the year, and for nominating us! We are glad that you enjoyed yourselves and that we were able to bring our community together during these strange times. We would also like to give special thanks to John Benardis for his amazing support and encouragement throughout the year! And Fabio Nemetz for setting the bar high and motivating us to be our best! We are absolutely thrilled that we got recognized for this award, and are proud of all the peer mentors who worked hard on creating the best experience for their peers!” - Luke Cummins, Winner of Peer Support Team of the Year
Peer Champion Award
- Ollie Jonas - Highly Commended
- Akif Jabir, Oyinkansola Ige, Jakub Sala, Mimi Tam, Vishnupriya Venkatesan and Alison Yip – The Student Trainers – Winner
"This year has been extremely challenging in so many ways. Despite this, I am incredibly proud of how far the Student Trainer team has come, overcoming obstacles as they present themselves whilst having a wonderful together. Well done to the whole team!" – Akif Jabir, Winner of Peer Champion Award
Peer Support Above and Beyond Award
- Henna Shah - Highly Commended
- Akif Jabir - Winner
Director of Studies Award
- Dr Daniel Wong – Highly Commended
- Dr John Benardis – Winner
- Dr Howard White - Winner
"I am honoured for receiving this award. To me it represents a recognition of the partnership we built with our students this year. We wouldn't be able to achieve all the things we did this year as a department if we didn't have so engaged and proactive students working with us. Being approachable, understanding and empowering students to shape their experience was key this past year and will be my tenets moving forward in this role. I was also lucky to start this role in such an amazing DoS and DoT team that supported and shared good practices every step of the way." Dr John Benardis, Winner of Director of Studies Award
"I am very conscious of how many equally deserving Directors of Studies we have at Bath, but I am of course touched and honoured to have been selected. It is a role in which it is possible to make a difference, and for individuals on the margins, sometimes a big one. It is very rewarding and I would encourage younger colleagues to step forward to try it!" Dr Howard White, Winner of Director of Studies Award.
Innovation in Learning and Teaching Award
- Dr Nathalia Gjersoe - Winner
"I am utterly delighted to have won this year’s Innovation in Learning and Teaching Award for my unit Psychology of Wellbeing. Thank you to the selection panel for choosing it, thank you to the Psychology department for nominating it and for taking a chance on something a bit experimental, and thank you to the amazing students for all their constructive feedback. It has been a real joy to be given the opportunity to develop and deliver this unit and I hope to be able to make it available more widely." - Dr Nathalia Gjersoe, Winner of Innovation in Learning and Teaching
Best Team in Support of Student Learning Award
- Dr John Benardis, Mr Zack Lyons, Dr Bhagyashree Patil and Dr Marina de Vos – Director of Studies Team, Department of Computer Science – Winner
- Dr Tristan Bunnell, Dr Reka Ratkaine Jablonkai, Dr Graham Nutbrown, Dr Nicola Savvides and Dr Adem Soruc - Director of Studies Team, Department of Education – Winner
""The academic year 2020-21 has been a challenging year for all of us, staff and students alike. Building on each other's strengths, we worked as a close team to support our Computer Science community during these trying times. While we are extremely pleased to have received this award this would not have been possible without the support and input from our students and colleagues in the department and faculty." Director of Studies Team, Computer Science - Winner of Best Team in Support of Student Learning.
John Willis Award
"I'd like to say thank you to everyone in the Department of Mechanical Engineering for making me feel so welcome over the past two years, and to the students for sticking with it through lockdowns and laughing at my jokes." Dr Anna Young, Winner of the John Willis Award
Mary Tasker Award
- Dr Rob Grover – Highly Commended
- Dr Carl Sangan – Highly Commended
- Dr Sarah Bailey – Winner
"I'm so delighted to win this award. I really enjoy teaching and I'm grateful to all the students who make it such a rewarding experience. It's great to have this recognition, particularly after the academic year we've all had when we've all been working harder than ever to meet the challenges of engaging students remotely. It's a great end to the academic year!" - Dr Sarah Bailey, Winner of the Mary Tasker Award
Leadership in Learning and Teaching Award
- Professor Matthew Jones – Winner
“The last 18 months have been really challenging and I am super excited to have won the award. Working in the department of chemistry is really good fun – the staff and students are amazing.” Professor Matthew Jones, Winner of the Leadership in Learning and Teaching Award