Graduate students lauded as excellent teachers

The Princeton Graduate School will present awards to six graduate students in recognition of their outstanding abilities as teachers. The annual Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni Teaching Awards are sponsored by the graduate alumni and are selected by the Graduate School administration. The five 2009 winners are Aaron Hostetter of the English department , Gwyneth McClendon of the politics department , Katherine (Kate) Meierdiercks of the civil and environmental engineering department , Lillian Pierce of the mathematics department and Ilya Ryzhov of the operations research and financial engineering department . A sixth student, Yves Plancherel of the geosciences department , will receive the Friends of the Davis International Center Excellence in Teaching Award, which is given annually to an international graduate student. All will be honored at the Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni's Tribute to Teaching Reception on Saturday, May 30. Each winner will receive $1,000. Hostetter, who came to Princeton in 2003 after earning his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Colorado, was recognized by faculty members and students in the English department for his innovative pedagogy, meticulous preparation and dedication to student learning.