Who are being recognized for their leadership of the Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) method that is widely used in a wide range of disciplines in high schools, colleges, and universities across the country. The James Flack Norris Award will be presented to the trio at the November 12, 2015 meeting of NESACS. 

Originally conceived in 1994 and developed with funding from the Department of Education and the National Science Foundation, the POGIL project has grown to impact small and large high school and college classrooms not only in chemistry but also in biology, computer science, engineering, and mathematics.  Over 1,000 faculty have implemented POGIL in their classrooms, and a large number of classroom and laboratory activities, and textbooks in support of this active learning method.

The James Flack Norris Award is the first national award for outstanding achievement in the teaching of chemistry.  Established in 1950 by NESACS to honor the memory of James Flack Norris, Professor of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a teacher of great repute the award recognizes dedicated teachers of chemistry at any level whose efforts have had a wide-ranging effect on chemical education.  As such it is highly fitting that the leaders of the POGIL Project be the award recipients this year.

For further information about the James Flack Norris Award, contact Professor Patricia Ann Mabrouk, at p.mabrouk@neu.edu or +1. 617.373.2845. Additional details will be available on the NESACS website, www.nesacs.org.

NESACS has nearly 7000 members and fosters the advancement of chemistry and chemical engineering, the promotion of research in chemical science and industry, the improvement of the qualifications of chemists and chemical engineers through high standards of educational and professional ethics, the increase and diffusion of chemical knowledge, and the promotion of scientific interests and inquiry. More information on NESACS initiatives can be found at our website, www.nesacs.org. For press inquiries about NESACS, contact Jack Driscoll and Jennifer Maclachlan, , Public Relations, at pidguy@aol.com and pidgirl@gmail.com.