| Chemist Awarded for Educating Texas Teachers
The Texas Chemical Council (TCC) honored Dale Taggart, Deer Park Chemical Plant analytical chemist, with an Outstanding Service Award in October 2005 for his volunteer efforts on the TCC’s Education committee. Taggart, chairman of the Science Teachers and Industry – Chemicals and the Environment subcommittee, was recognized for his role in developing programs that help science teachers acquire more insight into the chemical industry.
Shell has helped fund the science teachers’ program since it began in 1990. “Approximately 600 teachers and 75,000 of their students have benefited directly from the program, and they share their knowledge with many others,” says Taggart.
The program provides science teachers with information on the chemical industry and environmental issues during a graduate-level summer class that is funded by the TCC. The 10-day class is offered to Texas educators who teach science in grades 4-12. Representatives from the chemical industry, activists groups and the government share their opinions of the impact of the chemical industry on society with the teachers. Every year, a number of Shell employees present information to the classes.
Taggart works with a professor of science education at the University of Houston and the Texas Chemical Council to provide teachers with a balanced view of how the chemical industry affects the environment. “The program also provides an opportunity for science teachers to tour local plants and develop teaching materials related to the chemical industry,” says Taggart.
The 17th annual “Science Teachers and Industry – Chemicals and the Environment” class will be held in July 2006 at the University of Houston. For more information on this program, visit http://209.235.210.229/pdf/index.htm
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