Chang, the TF recipient of the prize, is a laboratory teaching fellow in Chemistry 27, “Organic Chemistry of Life.”

Known affectionately by his students as “B Chang,” he said he did not expect to win the award.

“I was pretty shocked. My students asked for my address [to complete the nomination form] and I thought they were going to send me a prank through the mail,” Chang said. “I never got anything in the mail—all I got was a banquet invitation.”

Chang, who won the award after only one year of teaching, said he approached his lab section from the mentality that “a lot of people think of labs as a drag, and I said I’m going to make this as fun and laid-back as possible.”

But Chang attributed his award to the students in his section.

“Even after having some time to think about this award, I still don’t know if I deserve it,” he said. “I know for a fact that the students are what made this teaching experience so incredible. Without this particular group of students, I’m certain that I would not have received any recognition for teaching this year.”

The prizes, first awarded in 1983, honor the memory of Joseph B. Levenson ’41, a former history professor at the College.

—Staff writer William C. Marra can be reached at wmarra@fas.harvard.edu.