OREANDA-NEWS. Mumbai: In line with its mission of serving society through science, Tata Chemicals is organising its 3rd edition of the annual Best Chemistry Teacher Award (BCTA) 2013 along with the Association of Chemistry Teachers (ACT) and CII. These awards recognise exceptional contribution of individuals from the chemistry teaching fraternity and inspire a whole new generation to actively pursue chemistry and its allied subjects.

Nominations to apply for the awards will be open until September 30, 2013, wherein the applicant should be a full-time teacher engaged in teaching chemistry to class XI and XII, or at the graduate or post graduate level. The applicants of BCTA 2011 and 2012 (excluding the winners) are also eligible to participate in BCTA 2013. The nominations for the entries are classified in five distinct award categories: Best Chemistry Teacher (Class XI/XII and equivalent), Best Chemistry Teacher (Bachelor’s degree and equivalent), Best Chemistry Teacher (Master’s degree and above), Best Chemistry Teacher for promotion of Chemistry as a subject and Best Young Chemistry Teacher.

Commenting on this initiative, R Mukundan, managing director, Tata Chemicals, stated, “With the tremendous nationwide response received in the past, we are excited to launch the third series of the award. The BCTA awards recognise the efforts of teachers who are responsible in creating awareness and educating the younger generation about the intrinsic presence of chemistry in everyday life and its role in meeting modern day challenges. We at Tata Chemicals believe that chemistry is fundamental to the sustainable development of human society and this is in line with our mission of Serving Society through Science.”

Tata Chemicals has created an interactive website called the Human Touch of Chemistry (www.humantouchofchemistry.com), wherein interested and eligible teachers can send in their nominations online for awards in the above-mentioned categories. Teachers can also submit handwritten applications by downloading the forms from www.humantouchofchemistry.com The winners for the awards will be selected by eminent panelists comprising renowned Indian scientists, professionals and academia. The winner teachers will be felicitated at a formal award ceremony which will be announced in November 2013.