Doctoral Candidate Parker Poulos Receives Award

PER Candidate Parker Poulos Selected for Graduate Student Council Teaching Award

The department is proud to celebrate Parker Poulos, a doctoral candidate from Mount Sterling, Kentucky, as a recipient of this year’s Graduate Student Council (GSC) Award for Graduate Student Teaching Excellence. One of only two university-wide honorees, Parker was recognized for her vital role in K-State’s educational mission and received a $500 scholarship for her achievement.

"Parker’s dedication to her students is a perfect example of the impact our graduate teaching assistants have on the K-State community," said Tim Bolton, physics head. "Her work has been especially instrumental in developing and refining our General Physics course as we took it online, ensuring it was ready to provide a high-quality, accessible experience for all students. We are proud to see her excellence recognized at the university level."

Parker’s teaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that students learn best through collaboration and that physics should be accessible to everyone. She especially enjoys teaching non-physics majors, helping them connect complex concepts to their own academic interests.

Her journey has included some lighthearted learning moments, such as a "Hunger Games" joke about wood density that famously fell flat in a lab. “You could hear a pin drop,” she laughed. “I avoided pop culture references for months after that.” However, that experience only reinforced her professional mindset: “Good teachers are always looking for ways to improve.”

Parker credits her success to the mentors and peers in the department who have pushed her to excel. As she prepares for a career in collegiate teaching, she notes that K-State has provided invaluable experience in course planning, lecturing, and leading recitations.

We congratulate Parker on this well-deserved honor and for continuing our department’s tradition of excellence.