by Hannah Buckelew
Jade Bustos, an undergraduate student in the UAB Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been named the 2023 UAB Student Employee of the Year at the UAB Student Excellence Awards ceremony for her work as a teaching assistant (TA) in EGR 265, a course instructed by Alan Eberhardt, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Chair of Education, Biomedical Engineering, and Gunter Stolz, Ph.D., Professor, Mathematics.

The Student Employee Award recognizes students who leave a lasting impact on their department and demonstrate reliability, initiative, and leadership.

“I really enjoyed taking this class myself, which is why I reached out about being the TA,” says Bustos. “I have always loved math in general, but this course highlights some of the applications we use in day-to-day engineering.”

In her role as TA, Bustos helps students with homework and projects during office hours. She also had the opportunity to teach a lecture, which helped her understand a new academic perspective.

“Working with Drs. Eberhardt and Stolz in this course has been extremely fulfilling,” says Bustos. “If students have the opportunity, I recommend trying it. I’ve learned a lot of new and valuable things.”

Bustos is looking forward to continuing in her role as TA in the fall in the UAB Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering.