Diana Moanga receives Excellence in Teaching Award

It’s not uncommon to find students from Diana Moanga’s geographic information science (GIS) courses working in the computer lab late into the night. 

Moanga is often in the lab along with them – for troubleshooting, brainstorming ideas, or just for support.

“I’ve never encountered students as motivated, hardworking, dedicated, and incredibly smart and passionate,” Moanga said. “They are here until very late at night working on their projects – and of course I stay and help them if I can. Why wouldn’t I help them?”

Moanga’s commitment to teaching, learning, and her students’ personal and professional growth earned her the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability’s 2025 Excellence in Teaching Award, which was established to acknowledge and recognize dedication to quality teaching. Awardees are selected annually based on nominations from students, faculty, and alumni, and honored during the school’s commencement diploma ceremony. 

“Great teachers inspire students for the rest of their lives, and Diana’s dedication and care for all those taking her courses demonstrate just how profound that impact can be,” said Arun Majumdar, dean of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. “Diana not only brings an infectious passion for the content to her courses, she also connects students to how their work can change lives, influence policy, and support communities. Diana truly epitomizes the power of teaching.”

The award nominations for Moanga noted her kindness, commitment to students, and her ability to build community. Both an expert and advocate for GIS, she is active in the research computing spaces on campus, including the Spatial Analysis Center, which she managed from 2023 to 2025. 

“I took Diana’s Intro to GIS class when I was a junior, and genuinely had my world at Stanford changed,” commented another nominator. “Not only did I gain an incredibly valuable skill (GIS) in today’s workforce, but I also felt so supported and welcomed by Diana even though I had never had a class with her before. She invests so much into her students.”

Moanga joined Stanford University in fall 2022 as a postdoctoral researcher, then became a part-time manager of the Spatial Analysis Center and a lecturer in the Department of Earth System Science in 2023. Originally from Romania, she moved to the United States at the age of 18 to study at the University of Miami, where she earned a bachelor’s and master’s in Marine Affairs and Policy. She earned a doctorate in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of California, Berkeley, working to understand coastal ecosystems and how communities are impacted by changes like increased storm surge and sea level rise.

“As an international student obsessed with mapping, seeing a young female leader in geospatial sciences who came from abroad and built a successful career in GIS in the U.S. makes her an incredibly inspiring mentor to be taught by,” another nominator wrote. “Diana doesn’t just teach GIS – she shows us that we belong in this field, and she makes every class an experience to look forward to.”

The art and science of mapping

GIS combines the scientific skills of research, data collection, and analysis with creativity and storytelling. It is used in a wide range of fields, including urban planning, environmental management, disaster response, transportation, and utilities.

“I love to paint and I enjoy playing around with color – mapping allows you to do that,” she said. “You’re trying to disseminate different information to broader audiences – I like that visual aspect. You can understand trends and patterns. It helps you see what’s going on in a way that you might not recognize until you apply that analysis and visuals to the data.” 

She works to incorporate creativity in her classroom and instructs her students to be careful to display their information in clear, concise ways. 

“On top of her skill navigating GIS mechanics, she also always encourages students to look for broader stories to tell with their information, see spatial data with a critical eye, and find ways to better the world with their new skills,” according to another nominator.

Moanga draws on her own academic experiences to guide her teaching. 

“When I first learned this myself, I was very overwhelmed. Things were explained, but not in that much detail, and I would feel very lost,” Moanga said. “I try to avoid making students feel that way now that I have the chance to teach it myself. Students can feel intimidated by writing code for the first time. I’m trying to make them see that it’s not that bad, and the things that they can do with these skills makes it worth the learning curve.”

Bringing data to life

Moanga began teaching the Fundamentals of Geographic Information Science course in fall 2023. She built the course from the ground up, and in 2024 was able to add Advanced Concepts in Geographic Information Science in response to student demand. 

“I try to think about ways you can showcase information in a creative way to capture students’ interest and curiosity. I want them to want to learn more,” she said. “And Stanford students are so amazing – they just take the information and run with it.”

Moanga also co-teaches the Remote Sensing of Land course, which introduces students to satellite-based monitoring of land use and land cover, as well as an independent study GIS course. This spring, 11 students signed up to work with her, developing individual research projects throughout the quarter. 

GIS visualizations are powerful tools for disseminating information across disciplines by translating complex datasets into spatial narratives that inform, engage, and inspire action. GIS research supports the Doerr School’s sustainability mission by providing new ways to make sense of data and the changes happening in the world.

Students that have taken the introductory and advanced GIS courses created final projects on diverse topics, including soil science, environmental monitoring, ocean conservation, flood risk mitigation, disaster preparedness, sustainable transportation planning, and urban design. They also investigated issues in their own communities – such as access to green space in San Jose or tsunami risk in the Greater Seattle area.

Mapping the future

Moanga is already thinking about how she can make her courses even better, incorporating student feedback and additional creative elements. She’s also developing a Cardinal Course as the recipient of a Community Engaged Teaching Fellowship from Stanford’s Haas Center for Public Service.

The award helps her create more opportunities for students to lead spatial data projects that have real-world impacts. The students get to help a cause important to them and also connect with potential employers and careers.

“I want to connect students with community leaders and help them achieve their goals – make maps that can actually help people, influence policy, and drive change at a community level,” she said. 

One nominator noted her goal in practice: “Diana remains a beacon of everything teaching should be, and the dozens of students who leave her class each quarter with marketable GIS/remote sensing knowledge are a testament to this.”