For excellence in teaching and dedication to departmental service

CCB's May faculty meeting opened with an annual ceremony: Gregg Tucci, a literal Harvard Hero, and Professor Dudley Herschbach, a hero of many realms, presented the 2019 Dudley R. Herschbach Teaching Award to this year's winner, David Gygi.

The award, given annually to one or two CCB student-teachers, honors those who display unusual teaching prowess and selfless dedication to the undergraduate students they teach.

Gygi fits.

Students praised the Nocera Lab member for his fast response to emails, even after midnight. But response time is the smallest of his successes. In the lab, he follows questions down tangents, waits, answers, and follows further if the student has more.

Professor Dudley Herschbach hands his teaching award certificate to this year's winner, David Gygi

Gygi's deep knowledge is obvious, one student said. But, Gygi has a grander goal than displaying intellect: helping students build their own. When asked a question, he often answers with another, a prompt for the student to find her own way to a solution. 

At the ceremony, Herschbach, whose zeal for teaching inspired the award, handed Gygi his certificate. But the Professor had another gift: a testimonial on the life of E. Bright Wilson, who, according to the text, "made no distinction between research and teaching." Since both require patient exploration, Gygi is well-positioned for success in the classroom, the lab, and whatever labyrinths they might bring.