David Zach, academic advisor in the Department of Astronomy and Department of Physics is one of two 2024 recipients of the Mary Bailey Advising Award. This award from the Academic Advising Association of The Ohio State University (ACADAOS), highlights examples of outstanding advising and demonstrates the efforts advisors make in providing excellent service and helping students achieve academic success. The recipients and nominees are considered outstanding role models for all advisors at the university. 

The summary of David's nomination is below:

David joined Ohio State in 2019 and quickly established himself as an invaluable asset to the Department of Astronomy and Department of Physics. As a Senior Academic Advisor, David provides guidance to hundreds of students across multiple majors, minors, the Planetary Science certificate, and is described by a student nominator as “the lighthouse with which I and many of my peers have navigated college”. This includes that David “fights to remove barriers and to make our program equitable” and students consistently report in senior exit surveys that they would not have been successful without David’s expertise. By supporting students on both an academic and personal level, David also helps students succeed on the national stage, such as being selected for the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, Astronaut Scholarship, Brooke Owens Fellowship, and research experiences through the National Science Foundation. David also facilitates the Department of Astronomy’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program, which has grown substantially during David’s tenure. His colleagues also recognize the hard work that happens behind the scenes, such as tracking course enrollment data, serving on department committees, and pre-emptively addressing student concerns, such as incoming credit during NFYS orientation. One nominator even wrote that “this letter is a difficult one to write, and not because it is hard to speak about David’s accomplishments, but rather because there are far too many accomplishments to speak of”.

Congratulations David!