Tau Beta Pi announces 2026 Teaching Award and Teaching Honor Roll

Scott Delp was working on his mechanical engineering graduate studies at Stanford in the 1980s when he went across campus to the children’s hospital and changed his career trajectory. There, he began working with kids with cerebral palsy and found he wanted to find surgical solutions to help children experiencing gait issues, so he paired his master’s and PhD in mechanical engineering with his medical interests, pursuing the field of biomechanics.

More than 30 years later, Delp, the James H. Clark Professor in the School of Engineering, a professor of bioengineering and of mechanical engineering, was recognized by current students at the department’s commencement ceremony on June 14 for his mentorship in cultivating the next generation of innovators. Delp accepted the 2025-26 Teaching Award presented by the Stanford chapter of the national engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi.

“I didn’t know it at the time, but reflecting back, being a student at Stanford was a transformational experience for me, and I try to provide that for the current students,” said Delp, who is also the founding chairman of the Bioengineering Department and director of the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at Stanford. “This award was a big surprise, and I was happy it wasn’t just for me but for the whole teaching and lab team.”

The award, given annually, honors a School of Engineering faculty member who has displayed exemplary teaching, superior mentorship, and notable contributions to engineering education. Each spring, Tau Beta Pi pending candidates and members submit names of professors they believe should be recognized. Students noted Delp’s mentorship and direct impact on their professional paths.

Stanford senior Sydney Barta, Bioengineering, BS ’26, said that even though Delp may be well-renowned and famous in his field, he’s “an incredibly humble, approachable person” who became a pivotal mentor helping her develop as a biomechanics researcher on her path to becoming a physician. Barta, a 2026 Rhodes Scholar and the first Paralympic athlete to compete for Stanford track and field, is pursuing a career as an orthopedic surgeon for athletes with amputations.

“A lot of times engineering can feel kind of far removed and a little bit more academic and textbook – doing math on a whiteboard – but to see how Dr. Delp’s research directly impacted people for the better made me realize that part of my mission could be to serve not only through the lens of a physician but also through the lens of an engineer,” Barta said.

When Delp arrived at Stanford in 1985 as a graduate student, he said he soon saw how the campus uniquely allowed him to mix analytical abilities, computation, and design thinking together to work on interdisciplinary research. “That’s just how it was at Stanford. I thought it was typical, but it’s not,” Delp recalled. “I really try to embody that in my own person, lab, and teaching.”

“Through experiences with him and his lab, he has consistently fostered an environment that encourages curiosity, collaboration, and innovation,” Barta wrote in a testimonial. “He challenges students to think critically while also making complex biomechanical concepts approachable and exciting.”

Delp has worked across Stanford to make connections more systemized so that School of Engineering talent can apply their skills to address problems patients are experiencing at Stanford Medicine. That interdisciplinary ethos was “just in the water at Stanford when I was a student, and now it’s even more possible and more visible,” Delp added.

“Just seeing Dr. Delp not only work with me, but with the other people in our cohort – introducing undergrads who had never really been exposed to research before and introducing them in a way that was engaging, motivating, and accepting of differences – was really empowering to me,” Barta said.

Delp believes his students can apply their skills impactfully through helping people with disabilities.

“We have an incredible honor and responsibility of having classrooms full of amazing Stanford students. I try to get them to use their superpowers for good – which may not always be the best economic decision, but it’s the best life decision,” Delp said. “Students want to have a life where they serve humanity, and I try to show them a path.”

In addition to honoring Delp, Tau Beta Pi at Stanford also announced a Teaching Honor Roll recognizing other notable instructors.

“We’re incredibly grateful at Stanford to have such amazing faculty members,” said Raina Talwar Bhatia, Bioengineering, MS ’26, academic chair of the Tau Beta Pi chapter. “This award and the other nominations are just one way we try to recognize the amount of time and effort they put into their classes, sticking up for their students and truly influencing the next generation.”

2025-26 Teaching Honor Roll recipients are:

Adam Boies, Mechanical Engineering
Dan Boneh, Computer Science
Jennifer Brophy, Bioengineering
Dan Congreve, Electrical Engineering
Kavyon Fatahalian, Computer Science
Christopher Gregg, Computer Science
Tatsunori Hashimoto, Computer Science
Nick Parlante, Computer Science
Jian Qin, Chemical Engineering
Christopher Re, Computer Science
Amin Saberi, MS&E
Christina Wodtke, Design

The Stanford chapter of Tau Beta Pi was established in 1935 and is one of more than 250 collegiate chapters of the organization nationwide today.