{"id":61435,"date":"2024-09-25T09:22:54","date_gmt":"2024-09-25T13:22:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=61435"},"modified":"2024-10-02T09:00:13","modified_gmt":"2024-10-02T13:00:13","slug":"bridging-cultures-and-disciplines-hassan-afzals-unique-journey-from-bangladesh-to-utc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2024\/09\/bridging-cultures-and-disciplines-hassan-afzals-unique-journey-from-bangladesh-to-utc\/","title":{"rendered":"Bridging cultures and disciplines: Hassan Afzal\u2019s unique journey from Bangladesh to UTC"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dr.

Dr. Hassan Afzal joined the UTC faculty in fall 2023 after earning his Ph.D. from Kent State University. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

Dr. Hassan Afzal laughed when the question was posed.<\/p>\n

How did someone who began his college journey as an engineering student in Bangladesh become a political science instructor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga?<\/p>\n

Afzal\u2019s path to UTC is anything but typical, with an academic background as varied as it is impressive.<\/p>\n

He holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in electrical and electronics engineering from American International University-Bangladesh, two master\u2019s degrees\u2014in IT and business\u2014from the University of Dhaka, an MBA from Idaho State University and a Ph.D. from Kent State University in Ohio.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor most South Asian families, it\u2019s always like you have to be a doctor or an engineer or something like that, but I always have had this passion about public policy or policy analysis or the experiences of human beings and how we can improve things collectively,\u201d said Afzal, a visiting assistant professor who first came to UTC in fall 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love my parents, and they wanted their firstborn to go into engineering. But as you look at my background, you see I made the gradual shift from engineering to IT to information management to data science.\u201d<\/p>\n

His not-quite-straight-line to Chattanooga, he said, gradually pulled him away from the technical world of engineering and into the social sciences.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, I look back on my life, and I feel like, as human beings, we need to have the freedom to make choices\u2014and we don\u2019t have to stick with it,\u201d Afzal said. \u201cWe always have a choice. So I kept trying things and finally found my niche\u2014political science, public policy, data analysis.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time, I also found it inspiring to collaborate with students\u2014mentoring, teaching and researching.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Kristina

Kristina Thompson, left, and Sophia Chrisco, at the Midwest Political Science Association Conference in Chicago. Both political science majors were mentored by Dr. Hassan Afzal (photo courtesy of Hassan Afzal).<\/p><\/div>\n

During Afzal\u2019s first year at UTC, it didn\u2019t take long for him to have an impact.<\/p>\n

Two political science majors he was mentoring, Kristina Thompson and Sophia Chrisco, presented their original research at the Midwest Political Science Association Conference in Chicago in April. The MPSA annual conference is one of the most significant political science conferences in the discipline, with over 1,000 panels.<\/p>\n

As their mentor, Afzal accompanied them, guiding them through the process of presenting as undergraduates\u2014an opportunity typically reserved for graduate students.<\/p>\n

Thompson, now a senior and a Brock Scholar in the Honors College, presented \u201cAsian American Women: Political Prowess and Effective Participation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the experience, Thompson talked about the traits that Afzal brought to his role as a mentor.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Afzal is really excited about the work that he does and has a wide array of research interests,\u201d Thompson said, \u201cand that made it easier for me to develop my own independent research projects. He\u2019s incredibly supportive and genuinely cares about his students\u2014which I think is really special.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe felt uplifted from faculty members when he went to graduate school and he shares that with his students. I think he really wants to support students in the same way that he was supported.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson\u2019s time at UTC has included a study abroad semester at Chiang Mai University in Thailand, participation in Immigrant Day on the Hill, service with the Student Government Association, multiple research fellowships, and her current role as managing editor of UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity.<\/p>\n

With all that on her resume, Thompson\u2014a Chattanooga native and graduate of Collegedale Academy\u2014called presenting at the MPSA conference \u201ca defining moment\u201d in her academic journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt MPSA, Dr. Afzal made sure I met a lot of faculty from around the country. It really inspired me to continue my journey in political science and maybe go on to graduate school to continue the research,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be respected as an undergraduate doing research and to have senior faculty from esteemed universities provide constructive feedback was incredibly affirming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her research continues this year as her honors thesis.<\/p>\n

Chrisco, who received a bachelor\u2019s degree in political science in May, presented a project titled \u201cHow Misinformation Regarding COVID-19 Caused a Decline in Childhood Vaccination Rates in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

She acknowledged that she hadn\u2019t initially planned to attend the MPSA conference. Through Afzal\u2019s encouragement, she took the opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have wonderful things to say about the (political science) department, but I think that out of everybody I worked with, Dr. Hassan really went above and beyond,\u201d said Chrisco, a graduate of Ivy Academy in Chattanooga. \u201cHe invited our whole class to go to MPSA and I wish more people would have been open to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeyond the obvious\u2014that this was a wonderful thing to say I\u2019ve done\u2014I think it is very fulfilling in that I never would have thought that I would speak at a global conference. I started college as a very reserved individual. Granted, that was several years ago, and there are many things that have built up my academic identity throughout that time, but it felt very fulfilling to finish out my college career on such a high note.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her capstone class, Afzal guided students through writing a research paper, breaking it into manageable sections. Chrisco said he also equipped the students with valuable technical skills, including how to use the statistical software Stata.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a huge asset in the workforce, she explained, and it\u2019s something many don\u2019t learn until graduate school.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people have been impressed by the fact that I can say I have done data science,\u201d she said. More importantly to her, Afzal emphasized the ethical side of data analysis. \u201cHe taught me how to ensure the data is accurate and honest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chrisco, currently a legal assistant at Patrick, Beard, Schulman & Jacoway, PC in Chattanooga, is mulling a career path of pursuing law school or graduate school\u2014saying she\u2019s \u201ckind of preparing for both\u201d since being encouraged to present at the conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt definitely made me think more seriously about that avenue,\u201d she said, \u201cand I think if I do choose to do that, I feel much more prepared to go (to grad school) than I would have if I had not participated in MPSA.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Hassan provided so much support.\u201d<\/p>\n

Afzal said he was in awe of Thompson and Chrisco.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese political science students were presenting in front of a wider audience. They\u2019re interacting with professors from Harvard, professors from Yale, professors from Michigan, and they\u2019re standing their ground,\u201d he said. \u201cI was standing there thinking, \u2018We\u2019re included here and this is a big thing for us.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cThis summer, I visited my sister in Bloomington, Indiana, and my parents were there. I remember telling my mom, \u2018I can\u2019t believe two of my students actually presented their poster at a global conference. These two younger human beings trusted me to mentor them.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dr.

Dr. Hassan Afzal speaks in his “Public Policy in the Age of Big Data: Theory and Practice class” on Tuesday, Sept. 3, in Hunter Hall.<\/p><\/div>\n

Afzal\u2019s summer was also filled with professional development.<\/p>\n

He twice attended Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) workshops at the University of Michigan\u2014on \u201cExploring and Analyzing Monitoring the Future Data\u201d and \u201cThe Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study\u201d\u2014in addition to a National Institutes of Health-sponsored workshop at the Indiana University School of Public Health titled \u201cThe Mathematical Sciences in Obesity Research.\u201d<\/p>\n

The experiences allowed him to network with other academics and bring new insights back to his students at UTC.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m grateful to ICPSR and other institutions for these opportunities,\u201d Afzal said. \u201cThese trainings are quite helpful and supportive in building a solid foundation for me as a teacher. I hope to share this knowledge with my students, to inspire them to understand the value of data and to analyze social issues objectively.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also serves as a year-round mentor for MPSA. One of his mentees, Loyola University Chicago doctoral student Meherun Nesa, recently wrote about Afzal\u2019s mentorship<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Afzal\u2019s approachability and genuine concern for assisting rising scholars immediately made me feel at ease,\u201d Nesa wrote. \u201cOur discussions spanned from the nuances of political science research methodology to the problems and opportunities that await early-career academics in our area.\u201d<\/p>\n

This fall, Afzal is teaching lower- and upper-division courses at UTC, including \u201cGlobal Culture and Politics\u201d and \u201cPublic Policy in the Age of Big Data: Theory and Practice.\u201d He said his teaching approach emphasizes collaboration and exploration, encouraging students to engage deeply with the material.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love having a good, solid discussion with students in the classroom and outside of the classroom,\u201d he said. \u201cAs a human being, there\u2019s so much I don\u2019t know, so let\u2019s explore it together and learn together.<\/p>\n

\u201cI absolutely love teaching and mentoring and the interaction with students. This is my passion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

UTC Political Science and Public Service<\/a><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Hassan Afzal\u2019s path to UTC is anything but typical, with an academic background as varied as it is impressive. He holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in electrical and electronics engineering from American International University-Bangladesh, two master\u2019s degrees\u2014in IT and business\u2014from the University of Dhaka, an MBA from Idaho State University and a Ph.D. from Kent State University in Ohio.<\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1493,"featured_media":61471,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12778,70,123864,61,122313,7712,64,661],"tags":[123827,124206,124662,124661,124663,124660,123829,122265],"class_list":{"0":"post-61435","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-advancement-and-alumni","9":"category-college-of-arts-sciences","10":"category-experiential-learning","11":"category-faculty-and-staff","12":"category-news","13":"category-political-science","14":"category-students","15":"tag-creating-the-mocs-experience","16":"tag-hassan-afzal","17":"tag-inter-university-consortium-for-political-and-social-research","18":"tag-kristina-thompson","19":"tag-meherun-nesa","20":"tag-midwest-political-science-association-conference","21":"tag-operating-with-excellence","22":"tag-sophia-chrisco","23":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nBridging cultures and disciplines: Hassan Afzal\u2019s unique journey from Bangladesh to UTC | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dr. Hassan Afzal\u2019s path to UTC is anything but typical, with an academic background as varied as it is impressive. 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