Bioengineering staff honored at campus Celebration of Teaching Excellence event

The department of bioengineering is pleased to announce that associate director of undergraduate programs Maddie Darling and PhD student Eliot Bethke were recognized at the 2024 Celebration of Teaching Excellence event. This event honors outstanding individuals for their exceptional contributions as teachers, advisors and mentors.

Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award

“The part I love is seeing students start with this big project, not really knowing where to start, and then helping them get over that initial shock so they can dig in,” said Eliot Bethke, recipient of the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award. “It’s a lot of fun to be there along for the ride.”

This award recognizes sustained excellence in and innovative approaches to undergraduate teaching and contributions beyond classroom instruction that have an overall positive impact on undergraduate student learning. Bethke, a fourth year PhD student, received this award for his work as a teaching assistant for the department’s senior capstone design course. In this one-of-a-kind course, students are tasked with creating a model of a medical device that addresses a preexisting health need. Bethke assisted with both the technical aspects of course design and worked closely with the students throughout the semester, helping them overcome obstacles they encountered as they worked on their projects. In a field as broad as bioengineering, these obstacles could come in the form of anything from coding to biology. 

“One of my favorite aspects was seeing just how diverse the projects are,” said Bethke. “And even though the students have all had basically the same training, they succeed at so many different types of projects throughout the semesters. It’s a really unique sort of perspective that we get in the course on the instructor side of things. It's really fun to be a part of.”

Working with the students was the best part of the experience, said Bethke, and he hopes to continue teaching in academia in the future. 

“The biggest takeaway for me was seeing all the different ways that the bioengineering skill set can be applied,” said Bethke. “It gave me a really nice perspective on the diversity of bioengineering.”

The faculty he worked with–Professors Jenny Amos, Ali Ansari, Joe Bradley, Holly Golecki–and his fellow TA Bruno Suarez were a key part of Bethke’s experience, and he thanked them all for making this award possible.

Excellence in Undergraduate Advising Award

Maddie Darling, honored with the Excellence in Undergraduate Advising Award, aims for every student to recognize their significance as individuals within the university community. Recipients of this award are recognized for their excellence in and innovative approaches to undergraduate advising, and for having had a major impact on undergraduate students and their intellectual development through sustained academic advising relationships.

“Every student brings incredible value to the table. You don't ever get close to the full picture without different people and different voices present,” said Darling. “Creating these opportunities to share ideas is the most important thing we can do for our students. It’s important to be challenged to think differently and to build off of one another, and make sure everyone is heard.”

A Champaign-Urbana native, Darling received this award for her dedication to bioengineering undergraduate students and helping them receive the best possible academic and co-curricular guidance. Her commitment to elevating individual students is rewarding for her as well; Darling stated that she loves helping students create academic plans that get them excited for the future, especially those students who might not have initially known what their next steps should be.

The landscape of undergraduate advising is evolving with the introduction of three distinct undergraduate programs within the department, which has historically housed only one undergraduate degree until this past year. Darling aims to tailor department advising in a manner that caters to the individual needs of each student, irrespective of their chosen major, ensuring personalized assistance for all.

“Advising is important because it’s one of the few opportunities students have to see the same person every single semester for four years until they graduate,” said Darling. “It’s a unique opportunity for continuity and a regular touchpoint with the department. And that's what I really want us to continue, while also figuring out how to create opportunities for students in these related degrees that are still very unique.”

Darling expressed gratitude for the faculty and students who nominated her for this award. “It was exciting. It was humbling. These very busy people took time out of their schedules to do that for me–I really appreciate it,” Darling said.