THE 15TH ASPAC PARANGAL AT PASASALAMAT
 |
Mary
Jocelyn Ang
Lecturer Department of Chemistry School of Science and Engineering Outstanding Part-time teacher |
Mary Jocelyn Ang – or Gigi, as she is fondly called by colleagues and friends – was recognized as this year’s ASPAC Most Outstanding Part-Time Teacher.
Gigi joined the faculty of the Chemistry Department in 1990 after completing her MS Chemistry. Before outside commitments took more of her time, she played an active role in research in electrochemical analysis and was associate chair of the Department of Chemistry. Today, despite her busy schedule running the family’s rubber footwear business, she still takes time to teach her trademark General Chemistry II class and laboratory for chemistry majors.
Her humor and ability to explain complex chemistry in terms of simple analogies was evident in the response she gave during the ASPAC award ceremonies, when she compared the award to thermodynamic stress that disrupted the equilibrium of her life, and her giving as a teacher as the conservation of energy: just as she expends energy to illuminate her students, she hopes that her students, in turn, will do something for society.
|
Chemical States This award comes as a pleasant surprise at a time when I have thought of myself as being in a state of chemical equilibrium. A system is said to be in a state of chemical equilibrium when all opposing reactions are occurring at the same rate. Such a system is DYNAMIC, but since the rate of the forward reaction is equal to the rate of the reverse reaction, NO NET CHANGE can be observed. I have been BUSY; but life has been CONSTANT. Lately, two events have started to disturb my equilibrium. Last week, I finally fulfilled one goal of an alchemist … I turned GOLD. Today, I am being described as OUTSTANDING for something that I just love to do. These two events are STRESSES to my equilibrium. When a stress is applied to a system in a state of equilibrium, the system will always react in the direction that will tend to REDUCE the stress until equilibrium is established again. As years are added to my system, my system would look for ways to reduce the effects of the added years. Does this mean that I might also fulfill the other goal of an alchemist and … find my FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH? Not bad at all! How about the outstanding part … does this mean favoring reactions that would lead to a NET LOSS OF ENERGY and become LESS outstanding? Well, I really don’t mind. When a system is allowed to interact with its surroundings, energy lost by the system is gained by its surroundings. Isn’t that what teaching is all about? … losing our energies to our students, so that someday, they too will lose their energies to their surroundings! While it is a privilege to be called upon to teach, I am forever grateful to the chemistry department for accommodating me almost every second semester of the school year. I am also thankful to have family and friends who have supported and, in many ways, subsidized my teaching. While it is true that I do part-time teaching, it is NOT my part-time job. Thank you so much for this recognition! |
___________________________
<< back to: Features | Home
>>
