OREANDA-NEWS. January 18, 2012. Tata Chemicals in collaboration with the Association of Chemistry Teachers today felicitated the seven winners of the Best Chemistry Teacher Award at a ceremony here in Mumbai. Through this initiative, Tata Chemicals (TCL) recognised exemplary individuals involved in the teaching of chemistry and its allied components.

The United Nations’ Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization announced the year 2011 as the ‘The International Year of Chemistry (IYC 2011)’, intended to celebrate the achievements of chemistry and its contributions to the well-being of mankind. In line with its mission of serving society through science, TCL took a leading role in launching several initiatives to commemorate IYC 2011 in India.

Apart from sponsoring a National Chemistry Quiz across 21 states in India for students from classes 7-12, a series which attracted more than 27,000 entries, TCL dedicated to the cause www.humantouchofchemistry.com, a website that aims at connecting the general public with chemistry.

To inspire and motivate teachers to achieve outstanding performance in the field of chemistry education and recognise exceptional individuals from the chemistry teaching fraternity, TCL also launched a nation-wide ‘Best Chemistry Teacher Award’.

Besides taking into account the experience and expertise of the teachers, these awards also focus on innovative methods in teaching chemistry. It takes into cognizance contributions made by individuals towards scientific literacy. The methods of nominations, selection criteria and transparency contribute to making this award significant for the recipient. The jury consisted of eminent award-winning scientists, leading professors and researchers from top institutes like TIFR, NCL, HBCSE, Tata Chemicals, ICT/UDCT, IISC, ACT, etc.

R Mukundan, MD, Tata Chemicals, said, “Chemistry is fundamental to the sustainable development of human society. It is therefore vital that we start to proactively develop large-scale awareness around the potential for chemistry’s applications, especially amongst the younger generation, to encourage vocational uptake. I believe teachers can play a significant role in shaping a generation of chemistry lovers that can use their dedication and passion to drive innovations, and provide solutions to many of the current challenges around resource scarcity and chemical industry perceptions that we face today. This platform is our tribute to the exceptional teachers who have contributed towards the promotion of chemistry and science in the country.”