Seidon Alsaody receives pedagogical award from student union
Last year's pedagogical award from the Uppsala Union of Technology and Science Students (UTN) goes to the mathematics lecturer Seidon Alsaody, because he has "through his teaching method succeeded to inspire, support and motivate his students in a way that few teachers have managed to do". "I was really happy and surprised when UTN told me about it", says Seidon Alsaody.
(Image removed) Seidon Alsaody
Hello there, Seidon Alsaody. Congratulations on the award! How does it feel?
"Thanks! It's a wonderful feeling. I was really happy and surprised when UTN told me about it, and I feel very honored, especially considering all the eminent previous winners. It has been a non-trivial year for my colleagues and me. We have reflected, discussed and worked extra hard to make the teaching as good as possible - so the students' appreciation means a lot."
The motivation highlights your ability to inspire. How do you inspire students in mathematics?
"The fantastic thing about mathematics is that it is inspiring in its own right. Mathematics is about deep, beautiful, simple and powerful ideas, among the finest we humans have mustered. You do not need to add anything to inspire. My task is to unwind what stands in the way between students and mathematics, and let the ideas speak."
You have studied mathematics here at Uppsala University and are now conducting research in algebra. How did you find algebra?
"I found both mathematics and algebra by being attracted by the beauty in the order, which was exposed to me by the fantastic teachers I had. Today I am researching the frontier between algebra and algebraic geometry. It is a fascinating area where you see how simple but powerful ideas work: you get answers to more than you ask for. You do not invent anything, but really have the feeling that you are discovering a landscape."
More information about the pedagogical award is available at UTN's Facebook page (in Swedish)