Resources

Resources for Officers and Committees of the Tennessee-Virginia Highlands Section of the ACS

Criteria for Section Awards

TVHS-ACS Distinguished Member Award

Distinguished Member of the Year should be chosen from the active members in TVHS-ACS region based on any one or a combination of:

  • Outstanding technical contributions to the field of science
  • Impact on the chemical industry in some way other than a technical achievement
  • Outstanding contribution to science education
  • A positive impact on the perception of science with the public

There is no formal nomination format, but generally a nomination packet will contain two or three letters of recommendation, the nominee’s resume, and any information the nominators would like to highlight.

TVHS-ACS Technician* of the Year

Each year the Section and its TA Group will present an award to an outstanding Chemical Technician within the Section’s geographic territory. The technician need not be a member of TVHS-ACS, its TA group or the Division of Chemical Technicians in order to be eligible. The award will consist of a placque and a $100 check from the Section. The call for nominations is made in the Section’s Summer Newsletter, and the nomination process closes on September 1. Nominations, which must not exceed six pages, are sent to the TA liasion. A jury composed of two technicians and two supervisors of technicians is chosen by the TA liasion at the end of the nomination process. After choosing the Technician of the Year, the winning nomination is sent to the Division of Chemical Technicians for consideration as the National Technician Of The Year. The following criteria will be used in the judging process:

  • Job Skills
  • Level of contribution
  • Degree of independence
  • Safety and housekeeping
  • Teamwork
  • Publications and presentations
  • Reliability
  • Communication skills
  • Professional and community activities

*A Chemical Technician is a person whose training includes successful completion of a two-year post high school level chemistry curriculum leading to an Associate Degree, or the equivalent course work in a Baccalaureate Program, or the equivalent knowledge gained by experience. The Chemical Technician’s work is usually conducting experiments to solve chemical problems and /or discover new chemical knowledge, but work of a chemical nature outside the laboratory setting will also be considered.

TVHS-ACS High School Teacher of the Year Award

Purpose: To recognize, encourage, and stimulate outstanding teachers of high school chemistry in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.

Nature: The winner of the TVHS-ACS High School Chemistry Teacher of the Year will be honored at our annual Awards banquet. This will include dinner for the award winner and a guest.  The award itself consists of a plaque and a cash gift of $100.  In addition, there will be a grant of $400 made to the school to be used at the teacher’s discretion. The grant money can be used for projects in the classroom or for the continuing education of the teacher.

Establishment and Support: This award was started with the proceeds of the Southeast Regional Meeting of the ACS which was hosted by the Northeast Tennessee Section in 1995.

Regional and National Awards: Each winner of the TVHS-ACS Award is automatically nominated for the Southeast Regional Award in High Chemistry Teaching and therefore becomes a candidate for the James Bryant Conant Award in the following year. The winner remains a candidate for three successive years unless (a) he or she is selected as a recipient of the Conant Award, or (b) his or her nomination is withdrawn by the nominator. Selection will be made by a national award committee.

Selection: The Education Committee holds nominations in the Fall of each year and selects the winner during its Fall meeting. Information on the winner and a nomination package is forwarded to the National Office to meet the December 1 deadline to be considered for the regional and national awards.