Ryan Geisert was recently given the Citation for Excellence in Teaching Chemistry Award by UNL’s Department of Chemistry. Chemistry department staff and faculty chose Ryan not only because of his student evaluation results but also for his willingness to go that extra mile to engage his students.

“Ryan is a very driven person and it is always exciting to see teaching assistants who take that drive and apply it to their work and get excited about the results,” Dr. Jason Kautz said. “When Ryan is faced with a problem, he treats it like a challenge, and he won’t give up until it’s solved.”

“It makes me feel humbled, more than anything else,” stated Ryan. “It's true that I feel an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment for receiving the award. I'm proud of my work as a TA, but when I look at the way that I've taught, I realize that I'm far from perfect. I want to live up to whatever those around me see, and so I feel more driven than ever to work hard at growing in my position.”

Ryan’s aspirations involve a career in medicine, and his experience as a teaching assistant just may well help him become a patient favorite in regards to bedside demeanor.

“The field of medicine and teaching have stark differences, but also striking similarities, the most important being involvement with people,” commented Ryan. “Learning how to take on the role of a teacher has helped me begin to understand the complex relationship that teaching entails, similar to that of a doctor. Building credibility without arrogance, maintaining authority while empathizing, and learning to effectively utilize time are all valuable traits I'm trying to develop while teaching, I hope to carry these same traits throughout my career.”

Additional Accomplishments:

• College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s List—2012-2013
• University of Nebraska Lincoln Honors Program—2012-2014
• University of Nebraska Lincoln David Distinguished Scholarship—2013-Present
• University of Nebraska Lincoln Lester C and Joan M Krogh Scholarship—2014-Present
• Order of Omega Honors Society—2014-Present
• Chair’s Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Awardee 2014-2015
• Milton Mohr Scholarship 2015-Present
• Ralph F. Nielsen Scholarship 2015-Present