Uddin Ahmed believes in giving back to his community.

As he became more involved on campus, Ahmed discovered the Supplementary Instruction (SI) program and saw this as on opportunity for giving back to his peers.

“Having the Supplementary Instruction program at UM-Dearborn has allowed me to aid students in ways that can leave a lasting positive impression on their education,” said Ahmed. “Many times, students need help outside of the classroom. By becoming an SI in classes I had previously taken, I could guide students through challenging problems.”

The efforts of this biochemistry major have not gone unnoticed. Lecturer Jean Saillant has taught Ahmed in two classes and worked with him as an SI student for two semesters. He’s been impressive in both roles, but especially as an SI leader.

“In addition to regularly scheduled sessions and worksheets, he schedules special review sessions for every test, posts pictures of slides on line, and tries to help the students understand how to learn as well as what to learn,” Saillant said. “He bends over backwards to accommodate the students’ schedules and needs.”

Outside of his role as an SI student, Ahmed has an active role in the Biology Club. Starting in his junior year, Ahmed took on a leadership role as event coordinator. He was then selected as president of the Biology Club, with a goal of promoting undergraduate research on campus. Working with four other student organizations, Ahmed organized a research panel of professors who advised students on how to obtain a research position.

“One of my goal is to open the door of opportunities for incoming freshmen and sophomores when it comes to choosing the right career, area of study and area of research. I wanted to make sure students know and utilize all the opportunities laying in front of them,” Ahmed said of planning the research panel. “I am happy to say the attendance was excellent and many students walked out having research position with professors that were at the panel.”