Lee Marek is an AP chemistry and Chemistry teacher at Naperville
North High School with over 29 years experience. His students
have won numerous awards including three chosen for the
Chemistry Olympiad Camp and Westinghouse. He has a B.S. in
chemical engineering and an M.S.T. in physics and another
M.S.T. in chemistry. He has done additional work at over 20 other
colleges and universities. He has a strong interest in the history of
chemistry and has traveled extensively in Europe studying the
history of science. For the last two summers, he helped to run a
history of science program in England and Ireland. Lee has
helped to run over 500 workshops/programs for teachers,
students, and the general public in the last 14 years. He is part of a
group called WEIRD SCIENCE that has done programs all across
the U.S. and in several other countries. Among the awards Lee
has received are the Presidential Award, Christa McAuliffe Fellow,
American Chemical Society's James Bryant Conant Award,
Chemical Manufacturers Association's National Catalyst
Award for Teaching Chemistry, Chemical Industries Council of
Illinois Davidson Award, Sigma Xi Outstanding Teacher Award,
Those Who Excel Award Illinois, Tandy Technology Scholar Award
for Outstanding Teachers, Governors Master Teacher and
ASTC (Assoc. of Sci. and Tech. Centers) Honor Roll of Teachers,
and a Golden Apple Award. He is Woodrow Wilson Chem Team
leader. He has run a teachers alliance group (over 400 teachers)
called CHEMWEST in the Chicago area for 14 years. He has
done several videos and laser discs and consulted for a number
of other projects. Lee has also become a regular on "The David
Letterman Show" with one of his segments a finalist for the Emmy
Awards. Lee was elected an Honorary Member of SCACT on March 13, 1999 and received his award on March 17, 1999.
Sister Mary Virginia Orna, O.S.U. (Order of Saint Ursula) is director
of Educational Services and editor of Chemical Heritage magazine at
the Chemical Heritage Foundation and professor of chemistry at the
College of New Rochelle. She has lectured and published widely in
the areas of color chemistry and archaeological chemistry. She is
active in several divisions of the American Chemical Society,
having served as chair of the History and Chemical Education
Divisions. She is a recipient of the following major awards: the 1984
CMA Catalyst Award for excellence in college chemistry
teaching, the 1989 New York State Professor of the Year and National
Gold Medalist, the 1989 Merck Innovation Award, the 1996 ACS
Visiting Scientist Award, the 1996 James Flack Norris Award, and
the 1999 ACS George C. Pimentel Award in Chemical Education.
She is presently president of ChemSource,Inc, a major effort in
chemistry teacher preparation and enhancement funded by the
National Science Foundation. She was a Fulbright Fellow in Israel
(1994-95), where she lectured at The Hebrew University, The
Weizmann Institute of Science, and Shenkar College of Textile
Technology. Mary Virgina was elected an Honorary Member of SCACT on March 13, 1999 and received her award on September 24, 1999.
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