James Bryant Conant Award in High School Chemistry Teaching
Award at a Glance
Purpose
To recognize, encourage, and stimulate outstanding teachers of high school chemistry in the United States, its possessions or territories, at the national level.
Description
The award consists of $5,000 and a certificate. Up to $2,500 for travel expenses to the meeting at which the award will be presented will be reimbursed. A certificate will also be provided to the recipient's institution for display.
Eligibility
The award will be granted regardless of race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, presence of disabilities, and educational background. Any individual, except a member of the award selection committee or a currently enrolled student of the nominee, may submit one nomination or one support letter in any given year.
Local sections are especially encouraged to submit nominations for the award. The nominee must be actively engaged in the teaching of chemistry in a high school (Grades 9-12). The nomination should clearly demonstrate as many of the following attributes of the nominee as possible:
- Quality of teaching (unusually effective methods of presentation should be emphasized)
- Ability to challenge and inspire students
- Extracurricular work in chemistry including science fairs, science clubs, and activities that stimulate the interest of young people in chemistry and related sciences
- Willingness to keep up-to-date in the field, as evidenced by pursuit of a higher degree in chemistry, enrollment in refresher courses and summer institutions, regular attendance at scientific meetings, and other means of self-improvement
The nomination should include a nominee-authored statement of not more than 500 words which describes the nominee’s beliefs about teaching and learning, how those beliefs have developed, and specific examples of how those beliefs have been put into practice. This statement should be included in the section where any publications or patents are listed.
One support letter is required. A second support letter is optional, but strongly encouraged. Support letters may include careful evaluations of the teacher's effectiveness by a supervisor or principal, by associates, or by members of the Society who have visited the nominee's classes. Letters from currently enrolled high school students are not acceptable, but letters from former students may be included. Retired teachers are not eligible for this award.
Deadline
November 1 (Annual Review)
How to Apply
The nomination period is open from July 1 to November 1 annually. Learn more about submitting a nomination for the ACS National Awards.
Sponsor
Journal of Chemical Education and ChemEd X
History
The award was established in 1965 by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. and sponsored by them until 1972. The ACS sponsored the award in 1973, 1974, 2005, and 2006. The award was sponsored by the Chemical Education Material Study from 1975 to 1979 and by the Ethyl Corporation from 1980 to 1993. The Albemarle Corp. sponsored the award from 1994 to 2004 and Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. sponsored the award from 2007 to 2016. Beginning in 2017, the Journal of Chemical Education and ChemEd X established the Conant Award Endowment to support the award.
Contact Information
ACS National Awards Program
American Chemical Society
1155 16th Street NW | Washington, DC 20036
Email: awards@acs.org
