We’re excited to introduce the Inspire Integrity Award!
NSCS members can nominate full-time professors and staff who have made a significant impact and instilled a high degree of personal and academic integrity. Below are two deserving professors, nominated by NSCS members. Learn more on how to apply here.
“What do you mean by that? Can you please expand?” – Dr. Jefferson. These two phrases have been imprinted into my brain ever since I met my professor, Dr. Antwan Jefferson. Spring semester–sophomore year, I was extremely worried he was going to be one of those professors that made you expand on everything you contributed in class to the point where you just halted all speech. To my luck, I had registered into two of his classes back to back.
These two classes I took with Dr. Jefferson ended up being the most intellectually engaging and mindfully inspiring courses I have been honored to take in my collegiate career. Dr. J, as all his students call him, speaks with such ease and knowledge. He is able to capture the attention of the entire class easily and thoroughly motivate every one of us to remain fully engrossed in the material. Within class, he also brings in members of the community to discuss career routes and remind us how to connect lecture material with the real world. This helps me to be able to think ambitiously about my future and how to apply my everyday learnings to the world around me. I continued to take Dr. J’s classes, and am currently in my fourth course being taught by him. I noticed the same faces in my classes and soon came to realization that I obviously was not the only one that was influenced so greatly by him. Sometimes after class, other students and I gather and gossip about how honored we really are to be in his class. It sounds so cliche, but it really happens.”
“It is very rare in this world to meet someone, who so instantly inspires you, but Professor Patel is one of those instantly inspiring people. She is a young accomplished mathematician, and she is eager to teach and share her love of math. But beyo
nd that, Professor Patel is ready to connect with younger mathematicians. I entered her class assuming my academic career would be a
short undergrad experience before moving on to pursue finance. Upon meeting Dr. Patel, my plans changed very suddenly. I hadn’t had a female math teacher since the sixth grade, and without female role models in the field I had considered math first and foremost a hobby. Professor Patel truly changed that, as I now am aspiring to graduate school and even looking into undergraduate research in mathematics. She encouraged me in class to speak up and share my thoughts and ideas, transforming class from a lecture into a discussion. She has been so supportive and very eager to help me pick out classes to further my mathematics education, and help me prepare to apply for graduate school in a couple of years. She’s not just supportive on an individual level, she shares this support to all of her students.”
NSCS offers a million dollars in scholarships each year to help our members attain their goals and commend them for their outstanding academic excellence as well their leadership and service achievements.