2024-25 UMSI Outstanding Graduate Student Instructors announced

Alicia K. Stone (Williamson), Chinmay Inamdar and Sarosh Manzar have been named recipients of UMSI’s 2024-25 Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award. The annual award recognizes overall exemplary performance as a GSI, including dedication, enthusiasm, impact, accessibility, communication and instructional skills. Recipients are selected based on course evaluations and nominations by faculty, students and peer GSIs.

Alicia K. Stone (Williamson) is the doctoral recipient of the award. Stone was a GSI in the Bachelor of Science in Information courses SI 407/487: User Experience Capstone. Stone’s research investigates how technology enables and impedes health care access among marginalized populations, with a particular focus on mental health care accessibility. 

Sarosh Manzar, who joined Stone as a GSI in SI 407/487: User Experience Capstone, is a master’s student recipient of the Outstanding GSI Award. Manzar is a recent graduate of UMSI who studied UX research and design. He has a background in product management. 

Chinmay Inamdar, also a master’s student recipient of the Outstanding GSI Award, served as a GSI in the courses SI 520: Graphic Design and SI 611: Advanced Interaction Design. Inamdar studied UX research and design at UMSI and is passionate about product design and branding.

Nominees highlighted the enthusiasm, commitment and deep expertise Stone, Manzar and Inamdar showed their students, as well as the support they provided when students encountered challenges. 

The following GSIs were nominated for this year’s award by students, faculty or fellow GSIs. Congratulations to these nominees: 

• Aadarsh Padiyath, SI 206: Data-Oriented Programming
• Alexandria Rayburn, SI 302: Introduction to Information Ethics
• Angelica Wang, SI 506: Programming I
• Anhua Wu, SI 559: Intro to AR/VR & SI 659: Advanced AR/VR Development
• Anna Vento, SI 564: SQL and Databases
• Anupama Bhatta, SI 506: Programming I
• Apoorv Singh, SI 539: Web Design
• Ben Litterer, SI 670: Applied Machine Learning
• Blair Bocklet, SI 539: Web Design
• Carleen Liu, SI 422: Needs Assessment and Usability Evaluation
• Clarissa Diaz, SI 422: Needs Assessment and Usability Evaluation
• Damon Carucci, SI 658: Information Architecture
• Garret Potter, SI 335: Social Media in Organizations
• James Dumlao, SI 301: Models of Social Information Processing & SI 487, User Experience Capstone
• Meghan Quigley, SI 422: Needs Assessment and Usability Evaluation
• Nadia Karizat, SI 110: Introduction to Information
• Nilay Gautum, SI 330: Data Manipulation
• Pedro Pazmino Carrera, SI 520: Graphic Design
• Sam Ankenbauer, SI 110: Introduction to Information
• Sheza Munir, SI 504: Servers, The Shell, and Git
• Siddhi Rajesh More, SI 552: Introduction to Accessibility
• Sidney Xiang, SI 506: Programming I
• Skyeler McQueen, SI 370: Data Exploration & SI 649, Information Visualization
• Soyoung Lee, SI 622: Needs Assessment and Usability Evaluation
• Sumeet Pandhare, SI 307: Introduction to Design
• Sushwarya Awhad, SI 542: Introduction to Health Informatics
• Vardan Sargsyan, SI 307: Introduction to Design & SI 594, Automotive User Experience
• Vivek Selvaraj, SI 559: Intro to AR/VR
• Wells Santo, SI 510: Information Ethics
• Woosuk Seo, SI 610: Advanced Digital Studies Seminar
• Xingjian Zhang, SI 671: Data Mining: Methods and Applications
• Xinying Hou, SI 206: Data-Oriented Programming