Katherine Aubrecht, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry at Stony Brook University, is a recipient of the 2016 ACS-CEI Award for Incorporating Sustainability into Chemistry Education, sponsored by the American Chemical Society’s Committee on Environmental Improvement. She was chosen based on her work, “Connecting Chemistry to Sustainability for both Science Majors and Non-Science Majors.”
The award program recognizes individuals and organizations that have made exemplary contributions to the incorporation of sustainability into chemical education.
Aubrecht is also a faculty member in Stony Brook’s Sustainability Studies Program at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences as a chemist whose research and teaching interests include the development of learning materials about sustainability for the chemistry curriculum, context-based approaches in chemical education, biodegradable and biorenewable polymers, and environmentally benign synthetic methodology.
“Dr. Katherine Aubrecht is an exceptional faculty member with an impressive track record of productivity and leadership in chemical education and sustainability,” said Professor Nicole S. Sampson, Chair of the Department of Chemistry. “Her process-oriented, guided-inquiry learning materials and activities are designed to activate a learning cycle of exploration and guide students to connect chemistry with social, economic and cultural spheres of sustainability. Her work is critical for meeting our mission to educate both science and nonscience majors in issues of sustainability.”
Aubrecht will be honored for her accomplishments at the American Chemical Society National Meeting in San Diego, March 13-17, 2016. In the award symposium, she will give a talk titled “Connecting Chemistry to Issues of Sustainability: Preparing Students for Transdisciplinary Challenges.”
“I feel very fortunate to work in the area of sustainability education at Stony Brook,” said Aubrecht. “I am grateful for the curiosity and enthusiasm of Stony Brook students and for the contributions and support of colleagues in Chemistry, Sustainability Studies and I-STEM.”
Chemistry Professor Katherine Aubrecht is also part of Stony Brook’s Sustainability Studies Program.