SAFS Lead TA

My name is Kristi Straus and I am the SAFS Lead TA for the 2006-2008 academic years. I am a SAFS student working with Carolyn Friedman to research conservation and aquaculture of marine invertebrates. I have had the opportunity to TA four courses while at SAFS and have greatly enjoyed my experience working in the classroom.

My job as the SAFS Lead TA is to make resources available to graduate student TAs at SAFS and to facilitate the teaching experience of those students.  In order to do this, I organize an annual TA training workshop (which happened yesterday) and quarterly TA discussion meetings for all interested SAFS graduate students. Additionally, I communicate regularly with SAFS graduate students regarding events, technology, and resources available to them at SAFS, UW, and elsewhere.  We are very lucky to work in a department and a University that values teaching so highly and provides so much support to help us better facilitate learning.

TA responsibilities vary widely in our department—from leading laboratory sections, to running discussion sections, to designing and grading assignments, to giving course lectures. I am here to help prepare you for these roles, to connect you with various resources on campus, to observe your teaching and give you feedback—essentially, I am here to facilitate your teaching in any way that I can! The previous SAFS Lead TAs were Nathalie Hamel (2002-2004) and Amanda Bradford (2004-2006). Their dedication to teaching and to SAFS graduate students is admirable, and they both encouraged me to apply for this position. I hope that I can be just as helpful to you as they have been to me.

Whenever I TA, I am impressed with the impact that TAs have on the experience and success of students. As TAs, we may be more approachable and accessible than professors, and students can become quite reliant on our feedback and guidance.  This guidance can not only impact a student's performance in the class, but may help to shape the student's future.  Thus, regardless of the reason that a graduate student takes a TA position (e.g., teaching experience, salary support, resume development), this role must be taken seriously and performed responsibly.  I will work hard to positively contribute to my fellow SAFS TAs who have this important responsibility.

Please contact me if I can help you in any way.

Kristi Straus
kmstraus@u.washington.edu

206-218-5080 (cell) 206-616-6341 (office)

School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences
University of Washington
Box 355020
Seattle, WA 98195

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