Dana M. Barry, senior technical writer at Clarkson University’s Center for Advanced Materials Processing, has received a prestigious award from the American Chemical Society (ACS). It was presented by the Committee on Community Activities for Barry’s contributions to the National Chemistry Week Program. She is being recognized for demonstrating commitment to the Society, inspiring others to volunteer, promoting the importance of science literacy, and for making a positive difference in the community.

Barry has been a member of the ACS for 37 years. She serves as secretary for the Northern New York section and is the section coordinator for both the National Chemistry Week and Earth Day events.

Several of Barry’s programs, sponsored by the Northern New Yoin lovrk section, have received national awards from the ACS. In 2004, Barry’s Chemical Sensation program, carried out in collaboration with Hideyuki Kanematsu of Suzuka National College of Technology in Japan, received a ChemLuminary Award in Public Relations. The program uses a multisensory teaching approach and is an international effort to promote and improve public perceptions of chemistry and chemical professionals. At the same time, her World First MarsLink Mission program received a certificate of excellence from the ACS. This project now includes student participants in the United States, Malaysia, and Japan. Barry’s collaborator in Malaysia is Roger Haw, co-founder of Ansted University; her collaborator in Japan is Hideyuki Kanematsu.

In addition, Barry’s International Program in Creative Education, carried out in collaboration with Kanematsu, received second place for the ChemLuminary Award in Public Relations in August. Its main goals are to turn students of all ages on to science and engineering and to prepare them to be critical thinkers and creative problem solvers. This program makes use of Barry’s and Kanematsu’s new creative science book, Develop Critical Thinking Skills, Solve a Mystery, Learn Science, published by Tate in 2007.

Barry is a certified professional chemist and serves as Scientific Board President for Ansted University. She has many other honors and publications to her name.

Clarkson University, located in Potsdam, New York, is a private, nationally ranked university with a reputation for developing innovative leaders in engineering, business, the sciences, health sciences and the humanities. At Clarkson, 3, 000 high-ability students excel in an environment where learning is not only positive, friendly and supportive but spans the boundaries of traditional disciplines and knowledge. Faculty members achieve international recognition for their research and scholarship and connect students to their leadership potential in the marketplace through dynamic, real-world problem solving.

Learn more about “Develop Critical Thinking Skills, Solve A Mystery, Learn Science”