Tata Chemicals in collaboration with the Association of Chemistry Teachers (ACT) felicitated the seven winners of the Best Chemistry Teacher Award (BCTA) at a ceremony in Mumbai. Through this initiative, Tata Chemicals recognized exemplary individuals involved in the teaching of chemistry and its allied components.
The United Nations’ Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 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, Tata Chemicals Limited (TCL) took a leading role in launching several initiatives to commemorate the 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 general public with Chemistry.
To inspire and motivate teachers to achieve outstanding performance in the field of Chemistry education and recognize 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 criterion and transparency contribute to making this Award significant for the recipient. The jury consisted of eminent award winning scientists, leading professors, 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 perception 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”
About the Winners of Best Chemistry Teachers’ Award, 2011:
Ravindra Bhaskar - Best Chemistry Teacher (For Class XI/XII and equivalent)
Prof. Raghunath Toche - Best Chemistry Teacher (For Bachelor's Degree and equivalent)
Dr. Santosh Haram - Best Chemistry Teacher (For Master's Degree and above)
Dr. Palash Moni Saikia - Best Chemistry Teacher for promotion of Chemistry as a subject
Dr. Lakshmy Ravishankar - Best Chemistry Teacher for innovation in teaching
Ms. Tasneem Kausar - Most Popular Chemistry Teacher - purely based on social media response