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A teacher, par excellence

Assistant Professor Rajaratnam teaches a "stellar" class in which students want to re-enroll. 

By
Nancy Peterson
June 20, 2013
Stacy Geiken
Congratulations from the Dean to Prof. Rajaratnam

Bala Rajaratnam received the annual Stanford School of Earth Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award for “his genuine interest in his students, his extensive preparation and his commitment to provide Earth Sciences students with the quantitative skills necessary to become leaders in their fields.” Dean Pamela Matson presented the 2013 award to Rajaratnam at the school's diploma ceremony on June 16.  

Rajaratnam holds a joint appointment in  the Department of Statistics and in the School of Earth Sciences Department of Environmental Earth System Science. He came to Stanford in 2009 after receiving his PhD from Cornell. 

A stellar class

Rajaratnam received rave reviews for the class “Advanced Statistical Methods for Earth System Analysis.” One student who nominated Rajaratnam called it “a stellar class.” Additional student comments follow.

“I hope he teaches it again with different topics. I would love to re-enroll.”

"Because the course content centers on the cutting-edge methods that deal with Earth science data issues, it changes from year to year, so I audited his class again this winter, when new material was presented with great clarity and skill."

"Professor Rajaratnam achieved a remarkable feat in successfully integrating rigorous statistical methods with the tremendous breadth of research within Earth System Science. "

"Bala has always been a positive influence on his students, constantly encouraging and supporting quality research."

"His scientific standards and rigor are uncompromising. Bala is a tremendous asset to the school."

"He made the material come to life."

"I could immediately take the concepts I learned in the class and apply them to my research."