Los Angeles teacher wins national chemistry award

Chemistry teacher Barbara P. Sitzman of Tarzana, Calif., will be honored April 3 by the world's largest scientific society for her efforts to convey to her high-school students the relevance and fascination of chemistry. She will receive the 2001 James Bryant Conant Award in High School Chemistry Teaching from the American Chemical Society at its 221st national meeting in San Diego.

"What's kept me in the classroom all these years are the many challenges," said Sitzman, who teaches chemistry at Chatsworth High School, part of the Los Angeles school district. "It's never boring. I'm continually learning, whether it's about how students learn or about new ways to bring the real world into the classroom."

She began teaching in 1974, and has also served on educational committees, written curricula and given seminars to fellow teachers and administrators to advance teacher as well as student development.

"Barbara is always trying to make chemistry real and relevant to teenagers," wrote a colleague to second her nomination for the award. "She has them making 'mole' models and ice cream and peanut brittle and soap and plastic and testing sewer water and all manner of hands-on experiences that bring chemistry to life."

"What I'd like students to leave my classroom with is the realization that science shows us the way to solve problems," said Sitzman. "It tells us how to make important decisions, whether it's where to go for college, how to vote on environmental data, whom to marry. It's the process of observing for yourself and evaluating the data." The teacher herself was attracted to chemistry as a teenager. "My high-school chemistry teacher was very inspiring. The course wasn't about memorizing things but understanding them. I found I could use chemistry to understand the world."

Sitzman received her undergraduate degree from San Diego State University in 1965 and two masters of arts degrees from Whittier College in 1977 and 1978. She is a member of the ACS division of chemical education.

The ACS James Bryant Conant Award in High School Chemistry Teaching is sponsored by Albemarle Corp.