Rafael Marin, a Ph.D. student in the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), received the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year Award. He was presented with the award at the CTL TA and Future Faculty Awards Day on April 17 at the Bill Moore Student Success Center. Marin was recognized for his work as a GTA in three different courses taught during the last two years.

Marin taught ECE 2026 Introduction to Signal Processing during fall 2017 and spring 2018, where he was a grader and a lab TA for ECE Professor Biing-Hwang “Fred” Juang. ECE 2026 has the largest team of GTAs in the School. Juang praised Marin’s overall performance in a course where lab sections are hectic and require exceptional communication skills, patience, and multitasking. 

After completing two semesters as an ECE 2026 GTA, Marin taught ECE 3006 Co-Curricular Professional Communications during summer 2018, fall 2018, and spring 2019. ECE 3006 is an online-hybrid course for students who are involved in sanctioned co-curricular activities such as undergraduate research, industry work such as co-op or internship assignments, or Georgia Tech entrepreneurship or leadership programs. 

The course consists of five modules, with the two major deliverables being a technical document and a technical presentation. While students do not attend an in-class lecture for ECE 3006, they must have three one-on-one consultations with the instructor during the semester. Anna Holcomb, an ECE lecturer and Marin’s teaching supervisor, said that Marin treated his teaching assistantship as opportunity not only to make a positive impact on the ECE community, but as an opportunity for personal growth. 

Marin taught CTL 8000 Graduate Teaching Assistant Preparation during fall 2018 and spring 2019. CTL 8000 is a class required by ECE for all of its new GTAs and is taught by its best and more experienced “super GTAs.” Teaching others how to be effective GTAs continued to improve Marin’s teaching skills, as he continuously applied his teachings to his own classroom, according to Daniela Staiculescu, an ECE academic professional and Marin’s supervisor for the course.