Resumen de Introducing the Virtual Issue: Marcy H. Towns Festschrift
In the acknowledgments of her first Journal of Chemical Education paper, written in 1990 (DOI: 10.1021/ed067p923), Marcy Towns thanked William R. Robinson and Drannan Hamby for their contributions, and particularly recognized Hamby for first introducing her to physical chemistry. She would later note that Professor Hamby is her scientific role model. What most of us may not realize is that Professor Hamby is Marcy’s father, who she credits with instilling her with a spirit of questioning and curiosity that pervades her career. What those of us who know her do realize is that Marcy herself is laser focused on helping you realize your potential, and dedicated to empowering and inspiring you to question and be curious; she is indeed our scientific role model.
Professor Towns is a graduate of Linfield College (McMinnville, Oregon; B.A. 1985) and Purdue University (West Lafayette, Indiana; M.S. 1990, Ph.D. 1994). Her career began as a high school chemistry and mathematics teacher at St. Mary of the Valley Catholic High School (Beaverton, Oregon). This experience motivated her to pursue graduate studies in chemical education; while her goal was to return to high school teaching, her passion for physical chemistry and chemical education led her in another direction. Marcy joined the chemistry department of Ball State University (Muncie, Indiana) in 1995 where she taught for 12 years. In 2006, Marcy returned to Purdue University as faculty, where in 2020, she was recognized as the Bodner-Honig Professor of Chemistry. Marcy chose to have her professorship in the combined surnames of two significant scholars representing her two disciplinary interests: George M. Bodner, a chemical education researcher, and Jurgen M. Honig, a physical chemist.
In her career, Professor Towns has taught general and upper-level chemistry to over 20,000 students. She has received every teaching award offered by Purdue University including the Murphy Teaching Award (2013), the Kelly Award for Outstanding Teaching in Chemistry (2013), and the Outstanding Innovation in Helping Students Learn Award (2015). Purdue University has recently recognized her accomplishments with the 2021 Morrill Award, the university’s highest faculty honor. Marcy truly goes out of her way to support student success, including holding additional office hours in the Black Cultural Center, the LGBTQ Center, and almost every dining facility at Purdue. Since 2017, Marcy has served as a Faculty Athletic Representative for Purdue University to the National Collegiate Athletics Association, and she is regularly seen by students at athletic events.
At Ball State University and Purdue University, Professor Towns has advised a total of 25 graduate students and has mentored countless others. She creates an inclusive, progressive environment for students to pursue scholarship at the interface of chemistry, mathematics, education, cognitive psychology, and many other fields. More importantly, each of Marcy’s students has memories of her deep support on a personal level, such as being welcomed into her home for a meal, being encouraged to spend time with family during semester breaks, or being able to share personal struggles with her that were impeding research progress. Marcy is more than an excellent researcher; she is a great person who appreciates other people, values their well-being, and promotes their success.
Professor Towns served as the Associate Editor of Chemical Education Research for the Journal of Chemical Education from 2012 to 2020. During her tenure, Marcy articulated chemistry education research criteria that remain the JCE standard for authors and reviewers. When asked about her time serving as Associate Editor, she noted pride in having numerous chemical education research articles selected for ACS Editors’ Choice. Nominating papers for this distinction was not only a way to recognize the authors’ work, but also an opportunity for her to advocate for chemical education research to the broader chemistry community.
Professor Towns has received multiple accolades for her scholarship (117 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters), including being one of only two people ever to receive three key chemistry education awards: the ACS Award for the Achievement in Research for the Teaching and Learning of Chemistry (2017), the James Flack Norris Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Teaching of Chemistry sponsored by the ACS Northeastern Section (2017), and the Royal Society of Chemistry Nyholm Prize for Education (2019).
This Festschrift collects articles from ACS Publications that are aligned with three key themes of Professor Towns’ work:
Learning in the instructional chemistry laboratory Learning physical chemistry, including education research at the interface of chemistry and mathematics Building scholarly collaborations among chemical educators Each theme includes articles authored by Professor Towns, her graduate students, and her collaborators. Also listed are recent articles that rely on Towns’ prior work and demonstrate the profound impact of her work in these fields.
