Two University of Texas at Dallas professors have been named among the best educators in The University of Texas System for their teaching excellence.
Dr. Salena Brody, professor of instruction in psychology in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, and Dr. Mustapha Ishak-Boushaki, professor of physics in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, received the 2022 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards. They are among 14 faculty members across the UT System’s 14 academic and health institutions chosen for the honor.
The recipients will be formally recognized by the UT System Board of Regents at its meeting in November, and each will receive a medallion and $25,000.
Dr. Salena Brody
Brody said she never envisioned herself standing in front of a room of hundreds of students back in her undergraduate days.
“I was a quiet student who enjoyed learning but never imagined I would be talking in front of the classroom,” she said. “It was really only after I became a teaching assistant in grad school that I realized this was something I really enjoyed, and I enjoyed connecting with students.”
Brody said that part of her process of improving as a teacher was finding her own voice and learning from peers and students as she progressed in her career.
“It’s really important to me to see students as full human beings, and being a student is only one part of who they are,” said Brody, who also is an assistant director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at UT Dallas. “I try to value their humanity, and when I’m thinking about course design, I want to create assignments that are meaningful and relevant both within and outside the classroom. My goal is for the coursework to be transformative in some way.”
She said she gains insight from student observations after each semester and tweaks her assignments accordingly.
“They definitely keep me on my toes and keep me thinking and planning for the future,” she said.
She has taught at UTD since 2005 and received a President’s Teaching Excellence Award in Undergraduate Instruction earlier this year. She said she was both moved and humbled after winning the Regents’ award.
“I really did not expect it, and it was a lovely surprise,” she said. “I’m so grateful for my colleagues and students who have helped and supported me.”
Dr. Mustapha Ishak-Boushaki
Ishak-Boushaki, whose research focuses on astrophysics and cosmology, first came to UT Dallas 17 years ago with a mission to “advance research and communicate the beauty of science.”
Teaching resonated with him because of this aim, and throughout the years, he has discovered new ways to keep courses and the concepts taught within them new and interesting for students, he said.
“I talk to them about the importance of thinking. We are all busy and running in different directions, but it’s important for them to stop and think and ponder big questions,” Ishak-Boushaki said. “You need to keep them entertained and excited and keep the subject matter alive for them. If you do this, the game is won.”
To help students grapple with complex topics in physics, he uses different methods, including one project for undergraduates that asks them to evaluate physics concepts from their favorite movies and television shows.
“I ask students to identify a scene where the physics depicted was wrong and one where the physics was right,” he said. “They have to include explanations and supporting evidence for each, and I get such beautiful reports and photos.”
About the Award
The University of Texas System Board of Regents established the annual awards program in 2008 to honor exemplary classroom performance. Nominees are evaluated for their teaching performance, including classroom expertise, curricula quality, innovative course development and student learning outcomes. Recipients are chosen by students, peer faculty and external reviewers as model representatives of the UT System’s educational mission.
The project is so popular that one of Ishak-Boushaki’s former graduate students — Anish Agashe PhD’22, now a teacher in Maryland — asked to use the same project for his classes.
Throughout his career at UTD, Ishak-Boushaki has earned other teaching accolades, including a President’s Teaching Excellence Award in Graduate/Professional Instruction, and has been recognized for his research, including election as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and as a fellow of the American Physical Society.
Like Brody, Ishak-Boushaki said that caring for students and inspiring them is at the heart of being a successful teacher.
“Deeply caring for students enables us to be better, and students know when a professor cares for them,” he said.
What Their Deans Said
“The UT Dallas Department of Psychology has many exceptional educators, and Dr. Brody is one of our very best. She not only distinguishes herself by her careful attention to the pedagogical needs of her students, but additionally shows extraordinary sensitivity to their individualized human needs. Dr. Salena Brody is highly deserving of this tremendous honor.” — Dr. Steven Small, dean of the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and the Aage and Margareta Møller Distinguished Professor in Behavioral and Brain Sciences
“Dr. Ishak-Boushaki’s endeavors to achieve educational excellence are unwavering. Mustapha is a great example of innovative faculty in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. This recognition by the UT System reinforces our commitment to students’ educational experience.” — Dr. David Hyndman, dean of School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and the Francis S. and Maurine G. Johnson Distinguished University Chair