He is popular to his students because of the the quiz he gives every lecture day. His colleagues regard him as an expert in organometallic chemistry. But for the rest of the Ateneo community, Dr. Armando Guidote Jr. is just the new Chairperson of the Chemistry Department.

With more than ten years of teaching experience, Dr. Guidote certainly has the credentials to lead the multi-awarded Ateneo Chemistry Department for the next three years and probably more. In this interview, Dr. Guidote gives a preview of some of the future plans and goals of the Chemistry Department and how he is coping up with the demands of being the department chairperson for the first time.

Time
Dr. Guidote points out that there is actually no conflict between being a chairperson while also doing teaching duties at the same time. Still, he mentions that being a chairperson takes up a lot of one's time. Aside from preparing for his classes, Dr. Guidote is at the forefront in maintaining the cohesiveness of the department. He is the one who prepares the schedule of classes for the each semester while also making sure that members of the faculty are doing well in teaching their students and in their research projects as part of research groups. He takes care of the department's needs in terms of the supplies such as chemicals, overlooks the maintenance of the building but more importantly he is the one who takes care of the staff of the department.

Hands-on and Delegation
Dr. Guidote trusts his team obviously and treats them with the utmost respect.. “My style..is a matter of a combination of hands-on and delegation. And when I delegate [tasks], it is almost sure that the member of the faculty will do what needs to be done.” But things remain calm even if Dr. Guidote is disappointed that you almost feel like there is no problem. With him, there are no angry outbursts or shouting involved. “It's a matter of talking it out with the person,” this is how Dr. Guidote in his usual calm demeanor talks about working out his disappointments especially when it is directed toward a particular person.

Proven Formula: Beyond the classroom
“Chemistry is only appreciated when it is experienced,” says Dr. Guidote. This maxim that guides the chemistry teachers has proven effective so far as more experiments and demonstrations are conducted in natural science and general chemistry lecture courses. But the department goes further than that in promoting chemistry to students. The Chemistry Camp is held annually for top high school students in the country.
On the other hand, the Chem Teach program of the department is targeted toward the development of better chemistry teachers in high school. Dr. Guidote explains it this way, “If we train the high school teachers better then they will teach better and their students will appreciate chemistry more. This will entice the them [the students] to come to the Ateneo, or even in other schools, to take up chemistry.” But this program has been stopped for now as the department concentrates om the graduate programs it offers one of which includes chemistry education.

Outreach
In choosing between the academe or the corporate world as a profession, Dr. Guidote says that this is up to the chemistry graduate. Still, he assures everyone that both are equally challenging fields. Being in the academe is not just about teaching. It involves research and development. It also involves the community. The department helps in the Ateneo Center for Education Development. Members of the faculty are active in professional organizations such as the Integrated Chemists of the Philippines (ICP), the Kapisanan ng Kimika sa Pilipinas (KKP), and the Philippine Society for Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (PSMBB). They are also a part of the Philippine Association of Chemistry Teachers (PACT) and the Organic Chemistry Teachers Association (OCTA). The National Chemistry Instrumentation Center is housed in the Ateneo (NCIC) and so is the Philippine Institute for Pure and Applied Chemistry (PIPAC).
Clearly, the Ateneo Chemistry Department extends itself beyond the decades-old Schmitt Building. The department's list of awards and recognitions for excellence from both the Ateneo community and external organizations goes on and on. Just drop by the Schmitt Building and see all the banners and posters. These are just a testament to the thrust for excellence and leadership Chemistry in the Ateneo is synonymous of. In organic chemistry, chair conformations are the most stable among other conformations. Stable, calm, and collected is what the new chair represents. With Dr. Guidote at the helm, Ateneo Chemistry can only get better.