Each year, the Statistics Department’s Teaching Assistant (TA) Committee honors a select group of exceptional TAs for their outstanding contributions to the department and the university. These outstanding TAs exemplify commitment, excellence, and authentic enthusiasm for education. They serve as instructors, role models and mentors, all while pursuing their own rigorous graduate studies. Award recipients each receive a $500 prize, with honorable mentions receiving $250.
For the 2024-25 academic year, the committee has chosen six graduate students who exceeded expectations as TAs and made lasting impressions on their students. The recognition celebrates exceptional instruction across three distinct course categories: graduate-level statistics courses; undergraduate statistics courses; and foundational (“gateway”) statistics courses, such as Introductory Statistics for Science and Engineering, which serve thousands of students across disciplines on the UW–Madison campus.
The Department of Statistics is proud to celebrate the six exceptional TAs recognized below!
Winners: Outstanding Performance as a TA
Graduate courses: Roddy Taing PhDx’26
Fall 2024: Stat 571 (Statistical Methods for Bioscience I), Spring 2025: Stat 572 (Statistical Methods for Bioscience II)
Taing’s impact on students was profound, with one declaring him a “lifesaver” who helped when they “didn’t understand chunks of lectures.” Students appreciated his dual approach to teaching: “He was engaging, clear, and offered both the ‘book answer’ as well as how the problem would be approached by a more advanced statistician.”
Taing’s discussion sections were essential learning experiences where he would “reteach an entire section in a smaller group setting” when needed, according to a student. Students consistently noted his thorough preparation and content mastery, with one explaining that “his discussion materials are excellent and helped me understand core concepts of the course.”
“Roddy is the GOAT,” one of his students proclaimed.
Undergraduate courses: Cameron Jones PhDx’27
Fall 2024: Stat 240 (Data Science Modeling I), Spring 2025: Stat 436 (Statistical Data Visualization)
Jones earned significant praise from students, with one declaring him one of the best instructors at the university. “Everything is just so clear and understandable, and he is very accommodating,” the student said. Students noted Jones’s kindness, patience, and “comprehensive approach to teaching,” describing how “he explains things from different angles and encourages questions, making it a safe place to participate.”
Students also noticed how Jones brought knowledge from other courses he had taken and taught into each course for which he served as TA. “He has a wealth of knowledge and that translates well into his teaching,” one student said. “I thoroughly enjoyed it when Cameron led the lectures.”
Gateway courses: Jacob Johnson PhDx’27
Fall 2024 & Spring 2025: Stat 324 (Introduction to Statistics for Science and Engineering)
Through his teaching, Johnson has enabled breakthrough moments for students grappling with statistical concepts as they apply in science and engineering fields. As one student explained, “Almost every time I come to discussion, and I hear Jacob’s explanation on a topic I didn’t understand during the initial lecture, I have an ‘ohh’ moment.”
Students consistently praised Johnson’s communication skills, empathy, and accessibility, with one explaining, “It is very obvious that [Jacob] has an outstanding understanding of the topics, but also can explain it in a way that people who have never taken a statistics class before can understand.” Another pointed out how Johnson “goes through things slowly and makes sure everything is understood.”
Honorable mentions
Graduate courses: Jingyun Jia PhDx’27
Fall 2024: Stat 609 (Mathematical Statistics I), Spring 2025: Stat 610 (Introduction to Statistical Inference)
Jia’s growth as an educator throughout the year impressed students. As one student observed, “Jingyun has improved considerably since I had him as my TA in 609. It’s clear that he took time to curate material for this course in a thoughtful and applicable manner.” Students also valued his patient teaching approach and flexibility, explaining how Jia was “very patient and friendly … [and] very willing to provide different ways of thinking about concepts encountered in the course.”
Undergraduate courses: Xiaobin Zhou PhDx’27
Fall 2024: Stat 333 (Applied Regression Analysis), Spring 2025: Stat 240 (Data Science Modeling I)
Students were grateful for Zhou’s clear explanations and willingness to help. They consistently emphasized her commitment to personalized education, with comments separately highlighting that “she is willing to help every student in the class,” that she is consistently “on hand and very willing to help,” and that she was “always easy to understand and learn from.”
Gateway courses: Deborah Bennor PhDx’29
Fall 2024: Stat 301 (Introduction to Statistical Methods), Spring 2025: Stat 324 (Introduction to Statistics for Science and Engineering)
Bennor created a vibrant learning environment that students genuinely enjoyed. One student shared that Bennor “was very approachable and encouraged participation in discussion sections.” She also exemplified another aspect of great teaching: meticulousness. In that vein, one student said Bennor was exceptional at explaining “the smaller details of statistics to help us understand key concepts.”
The Department of Statistics is incredibly grateful for our TAs, who commit themselves to every Badger in their classrooms and show students the power of statistics and data science to solve interdisciplinary problems. The six outstanding TAs recognized above have made immeasurable impacts on their students, encouraging not only academic growth but also real enthusiasm for statistical thinking that will serve students well beyond their time at UW–Madison.
Congratulations once again to our outstanding TAs!