A teacher who inspires students to learn and colleagues to modify their teaching methods, is rare. Vanier College is pleased to announce that Physics teacher Rhys Adams, who is such a rarity, has been awarded the 2022-2023 Teaching Excellence Award for his exceptional commitment to student success, the Physics Department, the Science program, and Vanier College.
In presenting the award, the selection committee stated that Rhys was nominated for his exemplary teaching practices that combine excellence and innovation that support students' success; his expert knowledge of physics and ability to bring complex concepts to life, fostering deep understanding and enthusiasm among students; his efforts to incorporate real-life experiences and engaging activities into the classroom; his enthusiasm to nurture curiosity and to make courses accessible and meaningful; and his deep commitment to teaching excellence through his involvement in many initiatives and projects within (and outside) the Vanier Community.
Rhys Adams also garnered very high praise from his students for his teaching ability. "He is truly deserving of this recognition," said one student, "Rhys is a highly accomplished educator with an exceptional track record of inspiring students to excel." Another former student stated, "I have yet to come across as incredible a lecturer implementing active teaching methods since Rhys introduced me to them almost five years ago."
His colleagues praised Rhys as "the quintessential example of an educator who is student-centered and who puts "talk into practice". He represents the qualities that we hope all good pedagogues possess - a deep knowledge of the topic, a strong understanding of the difficulties in learning the concepts within the discipline, a genuine passion for making his course materials accessible and meaningful for all students, and a desire to share this freely with colleagues."
Rhys who is constantly seeking ways to improve his teaching and enhance student engagement has already won several teaching awards. In 2015, he won the SALTISE Best Practices & Pedagogical Innovators Award College level. In 2016, he received the 2016 CAP (Canadian Association of Physicists) Award for Excellence in Teaching High School/CEGEP Physics (Quebec and Nunavut). In 2018, he was a co-recipient of the EdCan Network Ken Spencer Award for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, and he has been nominated by Vanier College for the FRQNT college researcher of the year award.
While teaching full time at Vanier College, Rhys has also continued to carry out research in photonics at McGill University. Most importantly, Rhys has blended teaching his Vanier students with visits to the McGill Photonics Lab to introduce them to real-world science and has organized research projects in the lab to give them a unique opportunity to understand research up close. For some students these experiences have been a turning point in their budding scientific interests. Others highlighted how Rhys Adams encouraged and supported them to do a summer internship with the Perimeter Institute's International Summer School for Young Physicists, which changed the course of their lives and studies leading them on to careers in scientific research.
Congratulations to Rhys Adams, recipient of the 2022-2023 Vanier College Teaching Excellence Award.
