John Dropkin Tutor of the Year Award

Professor John J. Dropkin had a long, rich, and multifaceted association with School of Engineering, first as a graduate student, then as a faculty member, as Chair of the Physics Department, and later as Professor Emeritus. What may not be as well known is that after he retired from the Physics Department in 1978, Professor Dropkin continued his commitment to science education at Polytechnic by founding the Learning Center and directing it for ten years. This was a place where students could go for academic support in physics, chemistry, and calculus. They could speak with Professor Dropkin, or with one of the peer tutors he recruited and trained. Students could ask questions, get help with their homework, and prepare for exams.

Then, as now, engineering students were intelligent, curious, and hardworking young people with dreams of building their futures through careers in science and engineering. Like today’s students, they were often the first in their families to go to college, and many of them were recent immigrants to the United States. They often juggled their educational and professional goals with more immediate financial needs. Professor Dropkin was committed to reaching these talented young people through the sciences and to supporting their efforts to succeed in their chosen fields.

The Polytechnic Tutoring Center (PTC) is the direct descendent of Professor Dropkin’s program. We are proud to continue the work he began.

In that spirit, The Dropkin Tutor of the Year Award was established in 2007. The PTC gives this award each year in memory of John J. Dropkin, who chaired the physics department from 1947 until 1978, then served the students by establishing mathematics and science tutoring services. This award recognizes peer tutors who continue this tradition by helping their fellow students at the Polytechnic Tutoring Center.

This year's John J. Dropkin Tutor of the Year Award goes to:

Jason Li and Jiyuan Ren

Jason Li is a graduate student in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering who joined the Polytechnic Tutoring Center Physics Team in 2021. Since then, he has worked with many students and tutors throughout the years at the PTC, always trying to help them come to their own understanding of the topic and making a connection to a bigger picture outside of just Physics. What he enjoyed most about being at the PTC was the environment of people seeking to learn and supporting each other in that goal. Outside of the PTC, he has been part of projects and teams in NYU where he applies what he has learned to practical applications such as the AIChE Chem-E Car team during his senior year, and the Sustainable Energy Transitions Group where he is currently doing research developing models for decarbonization of chemical production processes. Jason will graduate in May 2025 and continue working as researcher here at NYU throughout the summer to finish a publication before entering industry.

Jiyuan Ren (Ren) is a Computer Engineering undergraduate at NYU Tandon School of Engineering and joined the PTC as a tutor in Summer 2023. He has always held an interest in obtaining and sharing a systematic way to understand coding. Entering college with no prior experience with programming, he received extensive help from many tutors working at PTC, especially the previous tutor-of-the-year Jorge, who impressed him deeply and inspired him to be creative and persistent in learning. Ren’s journey at the PTC began with him working as a Physics/CS dual tutor, later focusing solely on CS to meet shifting demands in tutoring service. Throughout his entire time as a PTC tutor, Ren is a very visual learner and tries his best to be adaptive to the tutees’ learning styles. Ren also works as a residential assistant at Othmer Hall and puts up a serious effort to advertise the PTC among the students living on campus. Ren will graduate in August 2025 and move onto the MS portion of his degree at NYU Tandon.