Prof. Anna Marie Bohmann receives Nordhaus Award
Prof. Anna Marie Bohmann is the recipient of the 2023 Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in the Natural Sciences award. This is a prestigious, college-wide award. Prof. Bohmann is known throughout Vanderbilt as a brilliant lecturer and an energetic advocate for her students. We are lucky to have her in our ranks!
The award was presented at the December faculty meeting for the College of Arts of Sciences. At the meeting, Associate Dean Roger Moore gave the following laudation.
Professor Bohmann’s students praise her for many things. They laud her, for instance, for her skill in lecturing. Her “incredibly-clear, well-framed lectures,” one writes, “were the key to my success.” Another said that Professor Bohmann’s lectures “were some of the best I have ever attended.” She is not just eloquent in presenting information, however. She uses helpful examples to make abstract concepts accessible. “Professor Bohmann does a great job of guiding you towards the answer instead of just telling you,” says one student. Another commented “I typically consider myself to take longer to understand abstract concepts…but Professor Bohmann’s teaching really helped me understand abstract ideas and apply them myself in proofs.” One student paid her the compliment of saying that Professor Bohmann’s classes “made me think more critically than most classes that I have taken.”
Students are grateful for the time that Prof. Bohmann devotes to them in office hours. “She was extremely helpful in office hours,” says one, “where we were able to really get to the root of what I don’t understand.” In office hour consultations, they learned just how committed their professor was to helping them master the material: “she did a great job in office hours of ensuring that our proofs improved over time.”
Most of all, her students praise her for her positive attitude. One writes “Overall, Professor Bohmann brings such an unparalleled joy into every class day. She is always ready to laugh at silly examples and radiates a sincere love of the subject material.” Congratulations, Professor Bohmann!!
