Dr. David Nguyen
Course Instructor
he/him
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Professor Nguyen actively made an effort to support student mental health initiatives, including the new Engineering Mental Health Steward program. He voiced his support for these types of programs within the engineering faculty. Professor Nguyen provided mental health resources within our course content slideshows and provided them as hyperlinks in OnQ under a section he created called "Health, Happiness, Math". Even though the course content he taught may have been difficult, he provided great support and help to his students.
Anonymous Student
To me, mental health in academic, specifically the freshman and sophomore setting that I exclusively teach, is primarily about building healthy confidence. While, being able to recognize it is ok to have flaws, to make mistakes and seek ways to improve oneself.
This year was my first time teaching MATH/MTHE 228 (Complex Analysis for Engineering). The course couldn't have ran smoother thanks to useful inputs from Oleg Bogoyavlenskij who taught it last year and in particular, the outstanding TA support from Neil McVicar. I promote and support student mental health in the course by awarding a quarter to any student who points out a mathematical mistake I made during a lecture. This practice demonstrates that making mistakes is a natural part of learning and should be celebrated as an opportunity for growth. I often remind students of the various resources and support available to them, and encourage them to seek help whenever they need it.
Last spring a couple wonderful students from the Engineering Mental Health Steward (EMHS) asked to make a short presentation in class, which I gladly accepted without hesitation. I think it could be best to normalize discussions about mental health, so that students want to talk about it with their peers. Instructors should also be open to these opportunities and should give the green light when they arise.
--- Dr. David Nguyen