BME Seminar Series: Tanya Nocera, PhD

Abstract:

What are the Building Blocks to YOUR Success?

Every person has their own goals and definition for success. For many, short-term goals like passing an exam are easier to set, whereas long-term objectives like selecting a career path can be much more difficult. One of my aims as an educator is to help students acquire the building blocks they need to recognize and achieve their own short-term and post-graduate goals. In this seminar, we will use examples from my own teaching and mentorship experiences to explore and discuss key building blocks for success. 

Biography:

Tanya received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering (concentrations: micro/nanotechnology, biomedical imaging) from The Ohio State University in December 2013, after obtaining a B.S. in Physics from Allegheny College in 2009. Her graduate research focused on improving the sensitivity of an atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based technique, namely magnetic force microscopy, to characterize magnetic nanoparticles for biomedical applications (advisor: Dr. Gunjan Agarwal).

In addition to her research, Tanya became actively involved in many teaching and mentorship roles. These included four years as either a teaching assistant for introductory physics labs at Allegheny College or as a graduate teaching associate (GTA) for BME domain and the measurement and instrumentation labs at OSU. She has also mentored several undergraduates, including two BME senior honors thesis students and a senior capstone design team. Additionally, Tanya served as the atomic force microscopy core laboratory manager during her graduate training, in which she taught over twenty individuals to operate the AFM. Tanya is an active member of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), and has further enhanced her training in engineering education by participating in a College Teaching in Engineering course and workshops on course design and techniques for enhancing and evaluating student learning. She also designed and led workshops for other graduate teaching associates as a GTA Orientation Facilitator for OSU’s University Center for the Advancement of Teaching (UCAT).

Tanya was the recipient of the 2013 OSU BME Graduate Teaching Associate Award, and was recently nominated for the 2014 university-wide OSU Graduate Associate Teaching Award. Her research and service were also recognized with the BME Andreas F. von Recum Graduate Research Achievement Award, the BME Graduate Service Award and the OSU Women in Engineering Distinguished Graduate Student Award.