Events
- Annual Convention
- Great Teaching Round-up
- Leading from the middle
- fall conference for faculty leaders
- The Texas Network
"I think there is something more important than believing: Action! The world is full of dreamers, there aren't enough who will move ahead and begin to take concrete steps to actualize their vision."
Events: 2012 Chemistry Schedule
Chemistry Summary
Friday, 11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
"Applying ACS Resources to Improve Effectiveness at Your Institution: A Collaborative Project of 2YC3 and the ACS"
Speakers: Dolores Aquino, Professor of Chemistry, San Jacinto College–Central Campus; and Thom José, Instructor of Chemistry, Blinn College–Bryan Campus
Friday, 2:30 - 3:45 p.m.
"Science Literacy: A Source of Happiness"
Speaker: Nivaldo J. Tro, Professor of Chemistry, Westmont College
Saturday, 9:00 - 10:15 a.m.
"Lone Star Solutions Throwdown"
Speaker: Diana Mason, Associate Professor of Chemistry Education, University of North Texas
Friday, March 2nd, 11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
"Applying ACS Resources to Improve Effectiveness at Your Institution: A Collaborative Project of 2YC3 and the ACS"
Speakers: Dolores Aquino, Professor of Chemistry, San Jacinto College–Central Campus; and Thom José, Instructor of Chemistry, Blinn College–Bryan Campus
The landscape at two-year colleges continues to change in response to economic, educational, and political factors. Along with the challenges these changes bring, come opportunities. Workshop participants will consider their goals, share resources and connections, and develop strategies for engaging colleagues and garnering support for professional and program development.
Biographies:
Dolores C. Aquino, PHD, is Professor of Chemistry at San Jacinto College Central, where she has been employed since 1993. She received a B.S. in Chemistry from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. from Ohio State University. Her employment record also includes industrial experience as a Research Chemist with Exxon Research and Engineering Company.
Dolores is currently working on an American Chemical Society committee on education task force that is working to improve Chemistry education at Two Year Colleges. She previously served on the national task force that wrote the 2009 revision of the ACS “Guidelines for Chemistry in the Two-Year College”. She served the ACS Division of Chemical Education for eleven years on the Executive Committee of the Two-Year College Chemistry Consortium (2YC3) as Past Chair/Future Sites Coordinat (2007 - 2009), 2YC3 Chair (2006) and Membership Chair (1999-2004).
Thom Jose is the Chemistry program coordinator at Blinn College – Bryan. Thom received his B.S. in Biochemistry from Indiana University. After a six-year career as a biochemist, he turned his focus to education entering Texas A&M Univeristy’s Department of Chemistry Master’s Program in Chemical Education. He joined the faculty of Blinn College in 2003. His publications have appeared in both chemical education and biochemistry journals.
Thom is a member of the American Chemical Society’s Task Force on Two-Year College Activities and a member of one of the Two-Year College Chemistry Consortium’s regional advisory boards. He was co-chair for the two-year college program at the 2010 Biennial Conference on Chemical Education and this year’s Chemistry section chair for TCCTA.
Friday, March 2nd, 2:30 - 3:45 p.m.
"Science Literacy: A Source of Happiness"
Speaker: Nivaldo J. Tro, Professor of Chemistry, Westmont College
Science is a fundamental way to understand the world around us--it reveals knowledge not attainable by other means. Such knowledge not only results in many practical applications, but also serves to deepen and enrich our lives--it helps us to live a good life. Professor Tro's talk will focus on why every college graduate should be literate in science, and how science literacy contributes to personal well-being and responsible citizenship.
Biography:
Dr. Tro is a Professor of Chemistry and Department Chair at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. He joined the faculty in 1990. Prior to joining, he received his Ph.D. In chemistry from Stanford University for won on developing and using optical techniques to study the adsorption and desorption of molecules to and from surfaces in ultrahigh vacuum. He then went on to the University of California at Berkeley, where he did postdoctoral research on ultrafast reaction dynamics in solution. Since coming to Westmont, Dr. Tro has been awarded grants from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund, from Research Corporation, and from the National Science Foundation to study the dynamics of various processes occurring in thin adlayer films adsorbed on dielectric surfaces. He has been honored as Westmont’s outstanding teacher of the year three times and has also received the college’s outstanding researcher of the year award. Dr. Tro is the successful author of three textbooks with Pearson Chemistry, Chemistry: A Molecular Approach, Principles of Chemistry: A Molecular Approach, and Introductory Chemistry.
Saturday, March 3rd, 9:00 - 10:15 a.m.
"Lone Star Solutions Throwdown"
Speaker: Diana Mason, Associate Professor of Chemistry Education, University of North Texas
Therefore, be it resolved, that the Senate of Texas, the House of Representatives concurring therein, does here and now approve this Resolution and set apart annually the entire week in which March the Second comes as a season to be known as Texas Week! What better way to celebrate than to experience the commercial solutions of Texas (for example, Crazy Water, Dr Pepper, Big Red, Lone Star Beer, Shiner, wines from 104+ wineries and the growing industry of Texas vodkas along with our frozen solutions called ice cream.) Exploring the facts and folklore of Texas as they relate to the study of chemistry is a lot of fun and you might even learn some practical Texas chemistry by participating in this hands-on/mouths-on experience.
Biography:
Dr. Diana Mason received her B.A. in 1974 from The University of Texas at Austin and her M.S. in 1978 from Texas A & M University, Commerce. Following 10 years of teaching high school chemistry and mathematics at Jesuit College Preparatory School in Dallas, she returned to The University of Texas at Austin and received her Ph.D. in 1994. She joined the UNT faculty in 2001 after teaching at The University of Texas at San Antonio for six years.
Dr. Mason is a multiyear honoree in Who's Who Among America's Teachers. She has served as the Secondary School Section Editor for the Journal of Chemical Education, and on the American Chemical Society's Division of Chemical Education's Committee on Chemical Education Research. She is a past president of the Associated Chemistry Teachers of Texas, and is actively involved in outreach programs that present chemical demonstration shows to elementary school students and their teachers. Diana has served as general chair for ChemEd 07 and the 2010 Biennial Conference on Chemical Education and is a 2011 ACS Fellow.
Chemistry Section Chair:
Thom Jose, Blinn College