Annually, a faculty member from Caltech is honored with the Richard P. Feynman Prize for Excellence in Teaching in recognition of exhibiting “in the broadest sense, exceptional talent, creativity, and innovation in undergraduate or graduate classroom or laboratory instruction.” Awardees, selected by a committee designated by the provost, are nominated by faculty, students, postdoctoral associates, staff, and alumni.
This year’s honoree of the Feynman Prize is Joel A. Tropp, Steele Family Professor of Applied and Computational Mathematics. The committee praised Tropp for “the inclusivity, innovation, intuition, and inspiration of his teaching, and for the remarkable Herculean effort that students and colleagues testified he invests in his classroom instruction.”
Tropp has been instructing courses in computational mathematics, linear algebra and analysis, probability theory, and convex geometry at Caltech since 2007 and has previously received two additional teaching accolades: the ASCIT Excellence in Teaching Award in 2008 and Professor of the Month in 2012, an honor awarded by the Academics and Research Committee.
Tropp is distinguished for effectively teaching classes with a heterogeneous group of students, ranging from second-year undergraduates to postdoctoral scholars. In nominating Tropp, one student characterized him as “a unique instructor, someone who can not only convey his expertise on the subject … but someone who genuinely cares about the development and comprehension of each individual student.” Others remarked on “his instinctive approach to elucidating very abstract ideas” and “the clarity, structure, and logical progression” of his lectures. “What distinguishes Professor Tropp,” stated a student nominator, “is his talent for making complex mathematics come alive. He blends rigorous proofs with enduring intuition, offering students a framework to grasp and apply probability theory well beyond the classroom. His teaching is both motivating and transformative, equipping students with tools they carry throughout their academic and professional journeys.”
“In teaching, I aim to share the excitement and beauty inherent in computational mathematics,” Tropp remarks. “I urge students to connect formal concepts with real-life applications in science and engineering, including their own research endeavors. Mathematics is not a spectator activity!”
Upon receiving the Feynman Prize, Tropp expressed, “I am thankful and profoundly touched to discover that my efforts in the classroom have inspired students and colleagues on their own paths as researchers and educators.”
The Feynman Prize is sponsored by Ione and Robert E. Paradise along with an anonymous local benefactor. Recent recipients include Rustem Ismagilov, the Ethel Wilson Bowles and Robert Bowles Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering; Lulu Qian, professor of bioengineering; Rob Phillips, the Fred and Nancy Morris Professor of Biophysics, Biology, and Physics; and Melany Hunt, the Dotty and Dick Hayman Professor of Mechanical Engineering.