For the second consecutive year, the American Chemical Society (ACS) Summer Research Fellowships for High School Chemistry Teachers Program awarded Duquesne University’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry two summer teaching fellowships.
The chemistry high school teachers who are spending their summer in the research lab for a second time are Rebecca Winek from Mars Area High School and Josh Lucas from Sto-Rox High School in McKees Rocks.
Winek is working with Dr. Jeffry Madura, professor of chemistry, to develop chemistry workbooks for high school students to visualize molecules and perform rudimentary modeling exercises.
Lucas is working with Dr. Jennifer Aitken, assistant professor of chemistry, and Dr. Jin-Lei Yao, a chemistry post-doctoral fellow, on preparing new compounds that will be investigated for their optical and magnetic properties.
The summer research fellowship program, according to the ACS, allows high school chemistry teachers to update their knowledge by conducting cutting-edge research and provides an experience that they can utilize to excite and motivate their students toward careers in science.
Duquesne University was chosen as a recipient institution because of the chemistry department’s excellent track record, including earning the national ChemLuminary Award for the Most Outstanding Project SEED Program in 2007.
