Chemistry Educator Selected for Texas 10 Honor
Education is not just a job for Dr. Fatima Fakhreddine, but a true joy. “Nothing gives me more pleasure than interacting with my students in class.”
Fatima Fakhreddine teaches during TIP Chemistry Jumpstart in 2017. The class gave incoming TIP freshmen a head start by allowing them to meet their professor, brush up on basic chemistry ideas, and hear from a panel of past chemistry students on how to do well in the class.
Dr. Fatima Fakhreddine of the College of Natural Sciences has been selected as one of The Alcalde’s Texas 10 for 2018. Nominated by alumni and celebrated in the Texas Exes publication, the Texas 10 are dedicated educators who have had an unforgettable impact on the lives of students. Fakhreddine and the other winners this year were chosen from a pool of more than 100 nominees.
Fakhreddine, a Distinguished Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, joined the faculty in 1999 after earning her MA (1996) and PhD (1999) in chemistry from The University of Texas at Austin.
Most of Fakhreddine’s tenure at UT has been spent teaching freshman chemistry for students in the Texas Interdisciplinary Plan (TIP). The nationally recognized program creates a small academic community that provides freshmen, known as TIP Scholars, with a supportive environment while promoting academic excellence and intellectual investment. As Fakhreddine told The Alcalde, “Once they do well in their freshman year, they have built the confidence to do well later on.”
The Texas 10 is not the first time Fakhreddine has been celebrated for excellence in the classroom. Her previous awards include the Dads’ Association Centennial Teaching Fellowship, Texas Exes Teaching Award, Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, Henze Teaching Excellence Award and Welch Teaching Award.
Education is not just a job for Fakhreddine, but a true joy. “Nothing gives me more pleasure than interacting with my students in class,” she said.
Learn more about Fakhreddine and her journey to UT Austin in her Texas 10 profile in The Alcalde.
