The 2023 Northwest Region Awards will be presented on Friday evening at the Food Truck Rodeo and Awards Presentation, starting at 7:30 PM, Friday June 30th at the Story Mansion.
Learn more about the awards ceremony and other NORM 2023 Highlights.
This award recognizes the volunteer efforts of an individual who has served the American Chemical Society and contributed significantly to the goals and objectives of the Society through their regional activities.
A physical chemistry professor at Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, Professor Bopegedera has been an active member of the ACS since 1987 and a member of the Puget Sound Section since 1991. She is highly respected for her volunteerism with ACS, which spans more than three decades. Notably, in 2022 she received the Outreach Volunteers of the Year Award for the Puget Sound Local ACS Section and the AWIS award for Excellence in Education/Outreach. She is a Career Consultant of the ACS, a member of the ACS Division of Chemistry Education Public Relations Committee, and the Local Section Activities Committee (LSAC). She served as a moderator for the “DEIR: Promoting Student Success” panel for the 2021 ACS Puget Sound Section and as a reviewer for the Journal of Chemical Education from 2006 to date. She is a member of the Pauling Medal Award Selection Committee. She has been a member of the ACS Puget Sound Section Executive Committee for decades, serving as Chair in 2005, as Alternate Councilor from 2007-2017, and Councilor from 2018-present.
Prof. Bopegedera has been the organizer of the ACS Puget Sound Section Career Events for undergraduate students since 2004. In addition, she served as chair of this section’s International Year of the Periodic Table Committee in 2019. In this role, she helped with fund-raising and invited Theodore Gray to serve as a speaker for the celebration of the 150th anniversary (2019) of the discovery of the Periodic Table of chemical elements in multiple locations in Western Washington.
This award recognizes the efforts of an extraordinary high school teacher. The awardee will be chosen based on the quality of their teaching as evidenced by incorporation of unusually effective teaching methods, ability to challenge and inspire students, willingness to keep up to date in chemistry, and extracurricular work in chemistry or a chemical science.
Ms. Marshall teaches AP Chemistry and General Science at Woodland High School in Woodland, WA. She makes a point of connecting lessons that the students are learning in their classroom to their lives, community, and world. She works hard to make sure that all her students have equal access to materials. She moreover provides students with multiple opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge, comprehension, and laboratory technique. During online learning due to the pandemic, Ms. Marshall created extremely vivid and sometimes volatile labs so students could both easily see the experiments remotely and to increase student engagement in the lessons. In addition to her classroom and laboratory teaching, Ms. Marshall is the Head Robotics Coach. The “BeaverBots” Team’s Green Robotics Initiative used chemistry conceptually to turn plastic waste into 3D printer filament, which is used to 3D print parts for the robot as well as other school items like keychains. She is also involved in her school’s Building Leadership Team, which helps implement school-wide policies and communications. She has served as a mentor for undergraduates majoring in chemical education within the Chemistry Educators Mentoring Program for Oregon State University. Ms. Marshall is a member of the American Chemical Society and of the National Science Teachers of America.
The ACS E. Ann Nalley Northwest Regional Award for Volunteer Service to the American Chemical Society recognizes the volunteer efforts of individuals who have served the American Chemical Society and contributed significantly to the goals and objectives of the Society through their regional activities.
The Glenn and Jane Crosby Northwest Region Award for Excellence in High School Teaching recognizes the efforts of extraordinary high school teachers.