Published: Jan. 3, 2017

Brian Zaharatos, an Applied Mathematics instructor, has been invited to join the ASSETT (Arts and Science Support of Education through Technology) Faculty Fellowship Program. Since ASSETT began in 2008, the organization has aimed to “support the use of technology in advancing the teaching and learning mission of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado at Boulder.” Personally, Zaharatos is interested in creating the most meaningful undergraduate experience possible. He is also interested in implementing more effective teaching strategies in coordinated courses with large lecture sections, such as the APPM calculus for engineers sequence. The ASSETT Faculty Fellows is comprised of faculty members from many different departments in the College of Arts and Sciences. Zaharatos hopes to learn from his colleagues about their successes and challenges in their own implementation and to share the successes and challenges that he has encountered. For two years, ASSETT Fellows commit to engaging their departments with student needs for technology, often through outreach events. Faculty members work with ASSETT staff to coordinate these events in an effort to enhance student engagement. Faculty Fellows strive to be technological leaders, mentors, and liaisons for their departments. As for his personal development, Zaharatos said, “I believe that the Faculty Fellows program is especially beneficial for my professional development because of my interest in interdisciplinary education. In addition to expertise in Applied Mathematics and Statistics, I am also interested in application areas of applied mathematics and statistics, and have a graduate degree in philosophy; engaging with faculty members across campus would provide the opportunity to explore interdisciplinary teaching opportunities.” Each of the ten faculty fellowships includes a $3000 professional development award. Upcoming ASSETT events can be found here.