Northwestern CS Announces Spring 2024 Outstanding Teaching Assistant and Peer Mentors

Northwestern Computer Science honors and recognizes students who demonstrate excellence in computer science mentoring and teaching with the Peter and Adrienne Barris Outstanding Teaching Assistant and Outstanding Peer Mentor awards. Six students were cited in spring 2024.

Nominated by any member of the department for service to the CS community that goes beyond expectations, the teaching assistants and peer mentors work with faculty to deliver courses and support of the highest quality.

Vsevolod Suschevskiy

Suschevskiy was named the Peter and Adrienne Barris Outstanding Teaching Assistant (TA) for the spring 2024 quarter in recognition of his service to students in the COMP_SCI 341: Social Networks Analysis course. He developed comprehensive lab materials tailored for a flipped classroom model, recorded weekly videos, and prepared template scripts.

“Vsevolod has shown exceptional dedication to educating both STEM and non-STEM majors, ensuring that all students grasp the concepts regardless of their academic background,” a nominator said. “He also demonstrated proactive problem-solving skills by promptly addressing and resolving students' issues.”

“It's important to provide scaffolding to non-STEM students who learn computer science,” said Suschevskiy, a student in the joint PhD program in Technology and Social Behavior through Northwestern Engineering and Northwestern’s School of Communication. “They often have valuable ideas with social impact, as well as important questions about the world.”

Suschevskiy is advised by Noshir Contractor, Jane S. and William J. White Professor of Behavioral Sciences in the McCormick School of Engineering, the School of Communication, and the Kellogg School of Management. Suschevskiy explores how people’s interactions create patterns in society, organizations, and teams. He is investigating how to improve performance in hybrid teams and how to make the process of teamwork more enjoyable.

“By simulating our social world in a computer or in a digital experiment, I can see how our social networks shape everything from trends to movements — think of it as mapping the hidden pathways of human behavior,” Suschevskiy said.

Spring 2024 Outstanding Peer Mentors

The Northwestern CS peer mentor program is designed to ensure that students representing a range of computing backgrounds receive individual attention and real-time feedback.

Madeleine Carter

Carter reflected that she always felt more comfortable reaching out to a peer for help, so it was important to her to pay it forward for students in the COMP_SCI 212: Mathematical Foundations of CS Part 1: Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science course.

“As someone who loves computer science and math but is not always the quickest to fully grasp a topic, I want to ensure that students like me feel like they have the support they need to be successful,” said Carter, a fourth-year student in computer science at Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. “It is personally fulfilling to know that I have played a role in others’ success or greater understanding in a complex topic.”

Carter, who is also pursuing a minor in art theory and practice, is co-president of Northwestern’s Art Union club. She is passionate about oil painting, digital art, and 3D modeling and aims to build a career that combines her computer science and creative skills.

Nominators praised Carter’s approachability and ability to help students gain a deeper understanding of challenging concepts.

“Madeleine's transparency in sharing her thought process as she works through a proof has been invaluable in developing my own proof writing skills,” a nominator said. “She isn't afraid to admit uncertainty but instead uses it as a teaching opportunity, guiding peers through her reasoning and empowering them to become independent and capable thinkers themselves.”

Zarif Ceaser

Ceaser will graduate in June with a combined BS/MS degree in computer science at Northwestern Engineering. He went “above and beyond” for students in the COMP_SCI 310: Scalable Software Architectures course.

“If I could have Zarif as a peer mentor in any class I took for the rest of my time at Northwestern, I would gladly take that option,” a nominator said. “Despite the difficulty of homework assignments, Zarif was able to effectively break down complex concepts without completely giving away the answer, allowing the student to fully understand how to arrive at the correct conclusion.”

Ceaser chose to serve as a peer mentor to help students manage the stress of coursework and to help develop collaboration skills.

“Collaboration and interpersonal communication are key in computer science and are skills that need to be cultivated in order to be a better teammate and generally a more likeable coworker,” Ceaser said.

Ceaser plans to join Northwestern Mutual as a full-time software engineer following graduation.

Justin Dong

A third-year student earning a combined BS/MS in computer science at Northwestern Engineering, Dong assisted students in the COMP_SCI 343: Operating Systems course with “humility and kindness.”

“Many of the topics in Operating Systems are conceptually hard to grasp and even harder to explain. Yet, Justin is exceptionally skilled at helping students crack issues in their understanding or code,” a nominator said. “Justin is the peer mentor that other peer mentors in the class look to for extra guidance.”

Dong collaborates on systems research in Prescience Lab, advised by Peter Dinda, professor of computer science and (by courtesy) electrical and computer engineering at Northwestern Engineering. Dong is also a member of the CS Student Advisory Group.

“Northwestern Computer Science has a great culture of collaboration and support,” Dong said. “I learn new things from other students every day, so I try my best to do my part to continue fostering that culture and giving back to the community.”

This summer, Dong will join Citadel Securities as a software engineer intern.

Nathan Hendrickson

Hendrickson is a second-year student pursuing a double major in computer science and mathematics. Nominators in the COMP_SCI 211: Fundamentals of Computer Programming II course praised his patient, supportive, and considerate guidance.

“Nathan was truly one of the most helpful peer mentors I have worked with so far at Northwestern,” a nominator said. “He understood this was a difficult class for many and did not hesitate to take extra time out of his day when there was a particularly difficult project that week.”

Leaning toward a career in industry, Hendrickson is also considering computer science education as a future path. Twice a week, he works with preschool students and serves as a teacher’s aide through Jumpstart, a national early education organization.

“I enjoy helping people with computer science problems,” Hendrickson said. “I know how difficult CS projects can be and how even just a little bit of guidance and help can make a big difference. I've been blessed with problem-solving and teaching abilities, and I want to use those gifts to help others.”

Hendrickson will join payment processing platform Stripe for an internship this summer.

Bennett Lindberg

Lindberg, a second-year student in computer science at Northwestern Engineering, served as a peer mentor for the new COMP_SCI 396: Foundations of Security course.

“Bennett is a great team player and always makes great contributions to the course,” a nominator said. “He designs intricate and encouraging homework questions and is very reliable. I value him greatly as a colleague and am encouraged and inspired by his work ethic and creativity.”

Drawing on his own positive experiences from computer science faculty mentors, Lindberg sought to provide similar encouragement as a peer mentor.

“I firmly believe in the positive impact of a welcoming, supportive atmosphere in achieving one's goals,” Lindberg said. “Computer science and its subfields can be daunting to break into for new and veteran students alike, and I hope that fostering an empathetic learning environment for others can ease their first steps into this exciting area.”

Lindberg is the director of technology for the Safe Security club at Northwestern, a student group committed to expanding cybersecurity awareness and accessibility within the Northwestern community.

Lindberg is also involved in programming languages research. He aims to pursue a PhD in computer science to further investigate topics such as language pragmatics and logic mechanization.