Manasi Anand, an Indian American PhD candidate at Cornell University, has been honored with the 2024-2025 Cornelia Ye Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award for her exceptional commitment to teaching. The award, presented annually by Cornell’s Center for Teaching Innovation (CTI), recognizes an international teachingassistant who goes above and beyond in their educational role. Established in 2012 by Mao Ye and Xi Yang in honor of their daughters, the Cornelia Ye Award highlights the importance of fostering learning across diverse cultures and perspectives.
Anand is pursuing her doctorate in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment within Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). Her research examines Nature-Based Climate Solutions (NCS), focusing on forest conservation policy and how climate mitigation strategies are implemented across global, national, and local contexts, including in India’s Western Ghats.
Anand believes her dual role as a researcher and educator is mutually enriching. Teaching has helped her become a more thoughtful scholar, while her research has deepened her ability to guide students through complex environmental challenges. One of her most meaningful experiences has been leading discussion sections for the Society and Natural Resources and Environmental Governance course, which she describes as a highlight of her PhD journey.
Her teaching style is creative and immersive, blending role-playing, storytelling, and policy simulations to make abstract concepts more tangible. Anand encourages students to draw from disciplines like ecology, economics, geography, and institutional analysis, applying theory to real-world conservation issues. She emphasizes place-based learning, urging students to consider solutions in their hometowns, on campus, or in unfamiliar cultural settings.
One unique classroom exercise involved using childhood cartoons like The Flintstones and The Jetsons to explore the relationship between nature and capitalism. Anand believes tapping into nostalgia helps students better understand the complex ties between human behavior and environmental policy.
For Anand, winning the Cornelia Ye Award is a reflection of her belief in the power of education to bridge divides. In today’s polarized world, she sees teaching as a tool for fostering dialogue, equity, and reconciliation. Her approach underscores the value of embracing students’ diverse backgrounds to create vibrant and meaningful learning experiences.
