Scott Pomerville Receives Spring 2024 MAGS Excellence in Teaching Award


Ph.D. candidate Scott Pomerville, Computer Science

Ph.D. candidate Scott Pomerville, Computer Science, has been awarded the spring 2024 Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) Excellence in Teaching Award.

The MAGS Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes graduate students who exemplify excellence in the teaching and learning mission of MAGS member universities. Each year, MAGS awards two Excellence in Teaching Awards, one to a master’s-level student and one to a doctoral-level student.

Pomerville is advised by Professor Soner Onder, Computer Science.


The following comments from Scott Pomerville appeared on the Michigan Tech Graduate School Newsblog.

Learning is hard, and it takes effort, but it can be easier when you’re having fun and feel like there is someone there helping you along. My name is Scott Pomerville, and I’m a PhD candidate in the Department of Computer Science working on the architectural design of computer processors under Dr. Soner Önder. I did my undergraduate degree here, and decided that I loved both the area of Computer Science and the University enough to continue getting my Doctorate here.

I have found my voice in the classroom in trying to be openly energetic, passionate, and excited to hear what students say. I want to let my personality and passion bleed into the classroom. By being relatable and demonstrating excitement over the material, I think I can help students connect with the same topics that I personally also find fun. My objective as a teacher isn’t to just convey information, but to also show how exciting the field can be, from my lectures down to the assignments I give them.

My mentors and fellow colleagues have been instrumental in shaping me as both a researcher and as a teacher, and I am very thankful to each and every one of them for helping inspire both a love of research and a love of teaching. I am thankful for the nomination, and I am humbled and honored to be representing the University for the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools Excellence in Teaching Award for 2024.


MAGS member colleges and universities are accredited institutions of higher education in the central U.S. that offer graduate programs leading to master’s, specialist, and doctorate degrees.