Last week, I wrote about the job that lies ahead in fixing the TA problem. This week, I’m going to tell you about the benefits.
Let’s start with the impact on the educational process. The teaching assistant is an integral part of the educational process at RPI. Whether a TA is leading a recitation under the expectation that they can answer students’ questions or simply correcting homework assignments, that individual has an obligation to the students in the class. When students can’t understand their TA, or when their TA can’t answer their questions, that obligation isn’t being fulfilled, and the process isn’t working. Solving the TA problem will have an immediate impact on what students take away from their critical core courses in subjects which they’re expected to draw on in advanced classes. Professors will spend less time reviewing fundamental material in later courses, allowing them to improve the depth of the RPI education. The benefits, however, won’t end in the classroom. Many students have experienced the unnecessary frustration associated with the TA problem, depriving them of energy they otherwise could have spent making more out of their time here. There’s no telling what percentage of the stress endured by RPI students is a direct result of deficiencies in TAs, and is therefore avoidable.
The duties of the graduate students who serve as TAs extend beyond the classroom, and therefore, so do the benefits of improving their spoken English skills. They are expected to present research at conferences where officials from government, industry, and other academic institutions make critical decisions about collaboration and funding. As our emissaries to the world, it is in the best interest of the Institute that graduate students be able to communicate as well as possible. President Jackson has rightfully brought attention to the growing shortage of scientists and engineers in this country with her discussion of the “Quiet Crisis.” By providing foreign-born students with the opportunity to strengthen their communication skills, RPI will be making them more attractive to American employers, thereby increasing the probability that they will choose to remain in the United States.
Now that you understand why I feel it is important to address this issue and some of the steps that are being made to do so, I want to change gears and talk about some important events that occurred on campus in the past week. The Computational Center for Nanotechnology Innovations celebrated its grand opening on Friday; it is this new supercomputing facility that puts RPI on the books as the most powerful university-based supercomputing center and a top 10 supercomputing center of any kind in the world. If you ever have an opportunity to visit the CCNI (or better yet, have the opportunity to conduct research that makes use of it), I suggest doing so. A really neat fact I picked up from the colloquy hosted by Jackson that preceded the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the CCNI was that this supercomputing center has the capability of performing up to one trillion calculations each second. Now that’s a fast computer.
Another event that occurred on Friday was the Rensselaer Alumni Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which happens only once every two years. The Rensselaer Alumni Hall of Fame was created by the Rensselaer Alumni Association to “preserve and celebrate the long and exceptional heritage of Rensselaer graduates.” The achievements of several RPI alumni were highlighted, including Robert H. Widmer ’38, who is a major contributor to the design of highly successful American military aircraft, and a father and son duo, Frank C. Osborn, Class of 1880, and Kenneth H. Osborn, Class of 1908, both of whom directed an engineering firm based in Ohio that designed more than 100 sports stadiums across the United States, including Fenway Park in Boston and Yankee Stadium in New York City. All three of these inductees are shining examples of RPI graduates who have literally changed the world.
And finally, the first-ever Hockey Line Party took place on Monday night to celebrate the countdown to the opening of ticket sales, which occurred at midnight. It was a great success not only because there was free food for college students, but also because many students showed up to support hockey at RPI. Even if you were unable to make it to this event or you didn’t have the slightest idea that it was happening, I strongly suggest you march over to the Houston Field House sometime in the next week or two and order your season tickets for hockey. After all, you wouldn’t want to miss a single game where RPI beats Clarkson, now would you?
As always, e-mail me with any thoughts or ideas you have. I’m listening: gm@rpi.edu.
