Meet 10 Ohio State teachers whom alumni have loved

It takes a special teacher to make a college student look forward to a first-thing-Friday-morning class. Brittney Welch ’21 JD, now an associate at Gilbert, LLP, a law firm in Washington, D.C., has nothing but praise for the appellate advocacy class she took at that time slot. In it, Clinical Professor Colleen Garrity Settineri ’04 JD taught that word choice is critical in legal filings and suggested Welch apply for what would become her first legal job. 

“‘Joy’ is the best word I can think of to describe what learning from Professor Settineri felt like,” Welch wrote in her nomination for this year’s teaching awards. “She believed in me as a person.” 

All the winners drew similar praise from nominators, as these short excerpts from their nominations show.

Lindy L. Weaver ’05, ’08 M, ’15 PhD

Associate Professor-Clinical and Academic Affairs Director, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Medicine

“She takes the time and energy to earn the trust and respect of each and every one of her learners by allowing the space for reciprocal feedback, questions, supported failure, growth and resilience. This sets her up to be an incredibly effective resource for her students both in and out of the classroom.”

Laura Boucher ’14 PhD

Associate Professor-Clinical, Interim Director of Master of Athletic Training Program, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Medicine

“Her teaching is driven by her real-world clinical experiences, which she integrates into her curriculum to provide students with meaningful, application-based learning. Her experience as an athletic trainer provides examples that resonate with students, making the learning ‘sticky’ and ensuring that students grasp and retain complex material.”

Colleen Garrity Settineri ’04 JD

Clinical Professor, Moritz College of Law

“Her goals in these law courses include preparing students to be as practice-ready as possible prior to entering the legal profession. She develops course materials to help students master substantive law and procedural rules as well as the practical and strategic concerns for working in various professional roles in legal settings.”

Shirley L. Yu

Associate Professor, Director of Graduate Certificate in College and University Teaching, Department of Educational Studies, College of Education and Human Ecology

“Dr. Yu creates a classroom experience that is hands-on, energetic, peer-to-peer oriented, grounded in active learning, and ultimately very memorable. While paying special attention to moderating discussions, she allows students to explore concepts in novel ways in real time. Every moment of each lecture felt prepared, crafted and designed to maximize learning.”

Kristin K. Stover

Assistant Professor-Clinical and Director of Undergraduate Anatomy Education, Department of Biomedical Education and Anatomy, College of Medicine

“Dr. Stover creates a vibrant learning experience through her anatomy presentations. Not only does she teach the material well (which is hard to do through Zoom to over 800 students), but she is always coming up with new and creative ways to deliver content, or adding review sessions, etc., to help students.”

Nikole Patson

Professor, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences

“Nikole’s teaching philosophy goes beyond the traditional classroom, profoundly impacting both the university and the wider community. She sees teaching as more than just imparting knowledge; it’s a chance to mentor students into becoming engaged citizens who are confident in their critical thinking and scientific evaluation skills.”

Andy May

Associate Professor, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering, College of Engineering

“Andy teaches in an experience-focused manner, assigning projects instead of exams where he can give students a learning experience that is like the real world. He uses class time to go into in-depth explanation of his prepared notes and is known inside and out of the classroom as a kind and generous person with his time.”

Meow Hui Goh

Associate Professor, Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, College of Arts and Sciences

“Professor Goh would give passionate lectures about our assigned readings, illuminating hidden nuances and historical context. Class discussions did not focus on who was right and who was wrong, but on how each person could uniquely interpret ancient literature and connect to it in their own way. Every person’s input was equally valuable.”

Sara Gombash Lampe

Assistant Professor-Clinical, Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine

“Dr. Lampe is absolutely passionate about educating through innovative and technically advanced techniques. She wants her students to recognize their learning gains, express themselves creatively and see the value their own expertise brings to the classroom. Her goal is to share her knowledge of neuroscience in an interactive and engaging way.”

Tanya Nocera

Professor-Clinical, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering

“Dr. Nocera puts students above all else, perhaps even before her own needs, and treats every day like an opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life. I couldn’t imagine myself in a master’s program or pursuing medical school if it weren’t for her dedication to helping me succeed. She always offered the utmost respect and effort to help me create my vision for the future.”