Jennifer Altmann, Office of Communications
May 18, 2023
Luc Deike, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and the High Meadows Institute, has been named one of four recipients of the Graduate Mentoring Awards.
Awarded by the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning, the recipients will be honored during the Graduate School’s Hooding ceremony at 4:30 p.m., Monday, May 29.
A faculty member since 2017, Deike focuses on fundamental physics problems, motivated by their importance in environmental and industrial applications as diverse as the statistics of waves in the ocean, floating ice sheets, and oil spill mitigation strategies.
Several students praised Deike for sensing when they felt overwhelmed and offering them reassurance. One student recalled meeting with Deike after coming up short on some research goals. “I remember trying to act like everything was fine,” the student commented. “Luc saw through to my concerns and told me to focus on my classes, assuring me that we would figure out the research later. While it seems like such a small thing in retrospect, it meant a lot to me at the time. Since then, I’ve seen that Luc has an uncanny ability to sense when I am frustrated with myself and then offer encouragement.”
Others praised Deike for offering “generous time” and substantive support at every stage of a graduate student’s life, from early research to the general exam to the job search. “Luc is a phenomenal advisor because I trust him to simultaneously support and challenge me,” wrote one student.
Praising his kindness and encouragement, one student commented: “The way he carries himself as an adviser has convinced me to push towards my goal of becoming a professor in the future.”
The other recipients are Elizabeth Davis, associate professor of anthropology; Kinohi Nishikawa, associate professor of English and African American studies; and Lindy McBride, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and neuroscience.
For details on all the recipients, see the full story.