SOLER

Read about the SSA position here.

Anna Gasha is a 6th-year PhD candidate in Historic Preservation at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Her doctoral research focuses on how multilateral organizations disseminate scientific knowledge through their disaster risk reduction and response efforts for built cultural heritage. She received a BSc in Materials Engineering and a BA in History of Art and Architecture from Brown University, and an MS in Structural Engineering from UC Berkeley. Her passion for teaching and understanding how students learn began as an undergraduate teaching assistant for courses across computer science, architectural history, and engineering. Anna’s main interest in pedagogical and educational development is creating inclusive classroom environments for students with differing levels of familiarity with the subject matter. At Columbia, she has been a teaching assistant for MS Historic Preservation courses and served as a Teaching Observation Fellow at the Center for Teaching and Learning (2022–2023). She is currently based in New Orleans, LA, with her two cats.

Connor Martini is a 6th-year PhD candidate in Religion at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. After three years working for a nonprofit women’s college in Rwanda, Connor joined Columbia University in 2017, earning his MA in 2019 and MPhil in 2021. Connor’s dissertation, “The Evidence of Things Not Seen: Presence and Wonder and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence,” is an ethnographic study of the astronomers looking for life in the universe. Connor aims to demonstrate how this scientific project, defined by the relationships forged between practitioners and the yet-unseen presences for whom they search, can be more fully understood through the tools and rubrics of religious studies and the methods of qualitative research. Connor has also made pedagogical training in tools and strategies for inclusive teaching a priority during his graduate studies. Over his nine teaching appointments, Connor has endeavored to create a classroom environment in which all students feel comfortable, supported, and capable.

Elissa Sorojsrisom is a 5th-year PhD candidate in Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology (E3B) as the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. She is co-advised by Dr. Eaton in E3B and Dr. Ambrose at New York Botanical Garden. Her dissertation research investigates the evolution and development of plant life cycles, with a focus on the fern gametophyte. She completed her ScB in Biology at Brown University and earned a Certificate in Natural Science Illustration from Rhode Island School of Design. Prior to beginning her PhD, she worked in the paleontology collections at Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, where she developed training materials for student workers and educational programs for the public. She was also a core developer for BCEENET, an NSF-funded network that develops open-access teaching materials for undergraduates. As part of her dissertation, she creates pedagogical tools and materials for teaching Python programing, botany, and genome evolution. Elissa has also been a part-time freelance scientific illustrator for over 10 years, and she is passionate about interdisciplinary education and the value of visual communication in the sciences. She believes learning should be a joyful and enriching experience that helps students feel more empowered, confident, and connected to the world. 

Former SSAs:

• Byung Cheol Lee (CBS: Marketing)
• Josh Friedman (TC: Cognitive Science in Education)
• Avery Kim (GSAS: Astronomy & Astrophysics)
• Sanjana Rosario (CBS: Marketing)
• Ksenia Rybkina (CUIMC: Cellular, Molecular & Biomedical Studies) 
• Niharika Telrandhe (CUIMC: Public Health)
• John Thorp (GSAS: Psychology)
• Chenyou Wu (TC: Instructional Technology & Media)