The Regional Meetings Committee (RMC) is charged by the Division to:
- Provide oversight of the ACS Division of Chemical Education Region Awards, which includes the development and maintenance of Award Guidelines, participation in the selection and presentation of the Region Awards,
- Ensure that a Chemical Education Program is part of each Regional Meeting, and
- Promote the purpose and work of the ACS Division of Chemical Education.
RMC is pleased to outline in this NEWSLETTER Report recent efforts to address its charge.
ACS Division of Chemical Education Region Awards:
2023 ACS Division of Chemical Education Region Awardees for Excellence in High School Teaching:
Nine of the ten ACS Regions held meetings in 2023 providing opportunities to recognize and reward excellence in the teaching of high school chemistry. RMC is pleased to report on two region Award presented in 2023.
The 51st ACS Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting, June 9-10, New York City, NY
The winner of the 2023 Division of Chemical Education, Middle Atlantic Region Award for Excellence in High School Chemistry Teaching is Dr. Roxanne Spencer from Ranney School in Tinton Falls, NJ.
Dr. Roxanne Spencer earned a B.S. with High Honors in Chemistry (ACS Certified) from Eckerd College (St. Petersburg, Florida), and an M.A. and Ph.D. in chemistry from Princeton University. She was inducted into Sigma Xi and is a member of the National Association of Science Teaching (NSTA) and the American Chemical Society (ACS). For the past 10 years, Roxanne has taught all levels of high school chemistry, from college prep to Advanced Placement, and is currently an Upper School Science Teacher and the Science Department Chair at Ranney School (Tinton Falls, NJ), as well as the AP Chemistry teacher for One Schoolhouse. She teaches chemistry from a problem-solving perspective based on a strong foundation in basic concepts and trends and recently customized the cK-12 open-source chemistry textbook to support the Ranney chemistry curriculum. The 51st ACS Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting June 9-10, New York City, NY The winner of the 2023 Division of Chemical Education Middle Atlantic Region Award for Excellence in High School Chemistry Teaching is Dr. Roxanne Spencer from Ranney School in Tinton Falls, NJ.
A registered US Patent Agent, she managed intellectual property strategy for a variety of small companies in pharmaceuticals and alternative energy for 15 years prior to returning to the classroom. She draws on this experience to provide real-world context to lessons and in teaching an Entrepreneurship Maymester at Ranney. In addition, Roxanne mentors high school students in science research and presented a poster on “Authentic Chemistry Research in High School” at the 2017 Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting. As a charter member of the American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT), she has been selected for three content writing teams (2016 Chemistry of Cars, 2022 Chemistry & Sustainability, and 2023 Skilled Technical Workforce).
The 45th ACS Northeast Regional Meeting, June 14-17, 2023, Boston, MA
The winner of the 2023 Division of Chemical Education Northeast Region Award for Excellence in High School Chemistry Teaching is Dr. Parul Kumar from Lexington High School in Lexington, MA.
2023 ACS Division of Chemical Education Northeast Region Award for Excellence in High School Teaching winner, Parul Kumar: I have been an educator for the past twenty-one years. I have a Masters in Organic Chemistry from the University of Lucknow and a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from Central Drug Research Institute. Working with youth is my primary passion. I have found that in the field of chemistry, even the most abstract theory can be made more concrete via real world examples and analogies. I strongly believe in the strengths of research and inquiry-based learning, especially in a field of science. I continually try to engage students with active learning techniques. I have been teaching students to learn, analyze, apply, and make use of several technology resources available to them. I believe in differentiated learning and teaching styles. I approach every class as a new opportunity and a new challenge, finding the right “process” to facilitate learning in my students. While my teaching interests and abilities lie primarily in the area of Chemistry, I am also involved with the scientific research program in my high school. I am co-coordinator of our school science fair where I coordinate with members of our school, the regional, and state science fair operating committees. Besides classroom teaching I am involved with the larger school community as an advisor for National Honor Society (NHS), and South Asian Students Association (SASA) at my school. I have a vision of educating all students irrespective of their ethnic, financial, or social background.