Every year, recent alumni of Stevens help select a professor who has had a significant impact on their learning and experience on campus to be the recipient of the Outstanding Teacher Award. Selections also must hold the position of a full-time undergraduate rank above Senior Lecturer and must have taught for at least three years. The Stute got the chance to speak with this year’s recipient, Sandeep Bhatt, Teaching Professor in the Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Science, to learn more about his experience and feelings about teaching.
Dr. Bhatt received his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Following his education, he taught for nine years at Yale University as an associate professor. Then, from 1992 to 2017, Bhatt held various industrial research positions before coming to Stevens. He lists all of the courses he currently teaches at our institution, “I teach two theory courses that are required for CS and CySec majors: CS 135 (Discrete Structures) and CS 334 (Theory of Computation). I also teach CS 601 (Algorithmic Complexity) and a special topics elective CS 810 (Algorithmics).”
When asked what it means to him to be a teacher, Bhatt remarks, “It’s a pleasure to share my excitement in simple and beautiful ideas that have shaped computer science. And, it’s a joy to watch students’ faces light up when they see how simple ideas can combine to yield unexpectedly powerful results.” Bhatt’s past teachers taught him the importance of “leaving [his] ego outside the door of the classroom” by slowly and strategically breaking down complex concepts for his students and admitting when he does not know the answer to a question. From these admired teachers, he has also learned to challenge his students and make himself available for them as much as possible.
For students who might want to become a professor one day, Bhatt shares that they should take advantage of the opportunity to become a course assistant at Stevens and to try their best to get into a good graduate program. He explains, “Graduate school provides essential training for research and life-long learning, and especially in a fast-evolving field like Computer Science, a Ph.D. is a must.” To current instructors, Bhatt advises that you keep your courses rigorous as to not pander to course evaluations, but also to be able to absorb student feedback.
When asked what it means to him to win this award, Professor Bhatt reflects, “As the instructor of two mathematically rigorous and challenging courses required of every CS and CySec major, the award came as a surprise. It speaks to the character of Stevens undergraduates—not just willing to take on any challenge, but appreciating it as well, even if in hindsight!” In what may be a reflection of his mastery of overcoming ego, he also noted that he shares his award equally with the course assistants he has had the privilege to work with throughout his Stevens career.
