Elizabethtown College A. C. Baugher Professor of Chemistry James MacKay was honored with a pair of Etown faculty awards for teaching and mentoring. MacKay earned the 2021-2022 Distinguished Mentor Award and the Honors Program’s Outstanding Professor Award.
The inaugural Distinguished Mentor Award was presented during the 2021-22 Etown Student Awards Ceremony where students nominated mentors who made a significant impact on their experience at Etown.
“Being recognized by students means a great deal to me as I try to be a student-centered faculty member keeping their best interests in mind,” MacKay said. “My philosophy of teaching has always centered around challenging and supporting my students and it’s really gratifying to know that they see this.”
MacKay was also selected by the Honors Program Student Council for their annual Outstanding Professor Award, which noted that “Dr. MacKay uses organic chemistry to help the community, including high school students and children. His courses incorporate the motto of the Honors Program: Learn, Serve, and Lead. He is an all-around passionate and helpful professor who wants to see his students succeed.”
James MacKay
A.C. Baugher Professor of Chemistry
“I have always thought it would be fun to engage more in the honors program but it was not until a couple of years that realized how I could offer a stacked version of my Organic Chemistry course that could enrich their learning,” MacKay explained. “Last year, the goal was to incorporate the Honors Program motto of ‘Learn, Serve, Lead’ into the course and in doing so have students use their immense creativity to do a project that met all three ideals of the model.
“What resulted was beyond my expectations with students doing such things as writing songs, building furniture, giving cooking demonstrations, creating games, writing children’s books, and much more. Each of these projects incorporated organic chemistry and more importantly reached an audience beyond the walls of my classroom.”
About James MacKay
MacKay is a synthetic chemist by training with a passion for the training and mentoring of undergraduates in the area of organic chemistry. His current research focuses on the design, synthesis, and binding studies of novel nucleobases for incorporation into Peptide Nucleic Acids for the sequence-specific recognition of double-stranded RNA through triple helix formation.
Interested in majoring in Chemistry at Etown? The in-depth program includes foundational and advanced coursework in the five traditional subdisciplines in chemistry: analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, organic and physical. Learn more.