GPSA Mentor Award

GPSA OUTSTANDING MENTOR AWARD

Dear Evaluation Committee:

This is a letter of strong support for my professor and mentor, Dr. Hasan Deniz for the GPSA outstanding mentor award. I believe that he is the best instructor I have ever had. Because of his tremendous commitment to my learning, and my fellow students as well, I believe that he is by far the best choice for this prestigious award. Dr. Deniz’s dedication to his students’ is legendary on campus. He is an outstanding leader and he shows tireless efforts in addressing and raising awareness about mentoring. But what is also staggering is how the efforts of one person, one particular person, can truly make a difference in a student’s life. Dr. Deniz has provided support in multiple ways,

Deniz. He set the tone for a productive work environment for us. The tone-setting often happens in simple, day-to-day, unintentional interactions that can wield an outsize influence, the only thing that counts as writing is writing and be passionate about your issue but neutral about the answer. Dr. Deniz modeled for us how a premiere scholar can and does prioritize working with students. And while demonstrating how teaching and research can feed off each other, all the talents he was helping us to develop: the nuances of preparing grant, fellowship, and job applications; in-class best practices; clarity of writing; interview and lecture skills; elegance and consistency in professional self-presentation. His keen, incisive critical eye, coupled with his genuine excitement over what his students produce, keeps us motivated to continue producing. It is easy for students to work hard when we know that our advisor is rooting for us. Dr. Deniz has crafted an environment where people feel like they are part of a family that tackles the challenges of science together. He actively encourages us to spend valuable time following our passions outside of science. Too many advisors want their students to spend all their time in studying; Dr. Deniz wants us to balance our lives so that we have the energy necessary for real inspiration. He believes that happier scientists are better, more creative scientists, he encourages us to develop our diverse perspectives on life so that we may have diverse perspectives on science education. He created a mutually supportive culture where people help each other interpret data, write together, and collaborate on projects. Dr. Deniz makes areas of struggle feel like opportunities to improve creating an atmosphere where people can admit mistakes or problems and get help, which I believe improves the quality of