EDITORIAL pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Celebrating Excellence: A Lesson from the 2011 Oscars Norbert J. Pienta* Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1294, United States ABSTRACT: A connection is made between the 2011 Oscar awards given by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and student success in chemistry. KEYWORDS: General Public these “psychic dollars”, our own reward or boost for being part of our students’ success. Besides, you never know which of those students will find achievement at another level or in a completely different setting. This brings me back to the story of Ms. Portman, who pursued and completed a psychology degree at Harvard University, while immersed in a series of successful film roles. When asked about her academic pursuits, she is quoted as saying,8 “I don’t care if [college] ruins my career. I’d rather be smart than a movie star.” Who would not be proud to have had her as a student or to have published a paper with her in this Journal? And do not forget to keep working with those students and submitting papers to the Journal that we can all continue to celebrate.
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iving awards is a common form of recognition, and some parts of our culture seem to relish this activity. In early spring, the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, AMPAS,1 presents a series of Academy Awards, also referred to as the Oscars, and does so in an event best described as a spectacle. That the U.S. film industry would f^ete itself in such a grandiose manner speaks to an elevated role of entertainment in our society. And it is hard to tell whether the celebrated performances are those in the films or the awards event itself. The press reported that the estimated television audience of 37.6 million fell short of last year’s 41.7 million viewers,2 no doubt a disappointment to some, but consistent with my earlier characterization. Personally, I must admit that I am disappointed when attendance at my class is 10% less than the previous one, although I do my own marketing and have a much smaller budget. But the 2011 Oscars do have another connection with the Journal, besides the musing of its editor. You may or may not know (or care) that Natalie Portman won the 2011 Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of a ballerina in the artsy fantasy Black Swan.1 And once elevated to the accompanying level of fame, the press (including this author) must find something interesting to write about you. It seems that Ms. Portman has a precocious nature to her, one that would make a chemical educator proud. She made it to the semifinals of the Intel Science Talent Search.3,4 Natalie Portman is the stage name for Natalie Hershlag, and as a Syosset (NY) High School student, her work, published in this Journal,5 served as the basis for recognition by the Intel Search. I will put it in another context, using a game called “six degrees of separation”,6,7 popularized by another actor, Kevin Bacon. The idea is that any person on Earth is an average of six steps away from any other one. When applied to the present case for Natalie Portman, two awards for very different accomplishments have a very simple and direct connection. And if I ever play the six degrees game with some unsuspecting person, I have a twostep connection to an Oscar winner. Students win awards at various levels on a regular basis, bringing honors to themselves, their families, and their mentors. The students do not always get written about because the awards rise to different levels and involve different circumstances. Although I am talking about awards, a student publication in a journal, including this one, is another occasion for recognition. As their instructors and mentors, we should take pride in all of these accomplishments. They are as important and long lasting as our other academic achievements or metrics by which we are evaluated. Especially during times of financial exigency, we can give ourselves Copyright r 2011 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
’ AUTHOR INFORMATION Corresponding Author
*E-mail:
[email protected].
’ REFERENCES (1) The Internet description of AMPAS can be found at http:// www.oscars.org/ (accessed Mar 2011). (2) A New York Times report on the 2011 or 83rd annual Academy Awards can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/ movies/awardsseason/01oscar.html (accessed Mar 2011). (3) For a description of the Intel Science Talent Search, see http:// www.societyforscience.org/STS (accessed Mar 2011). (4) For a biographical sketch of Natalie Portman, see http://www. nytimes.com/2011/03/01/science/01angier.html?_r=1&src=ISMR_ AP_LO_MST_FB (accessed Mar 2011). (5) Hershlag, N.; Hurley, I.; Woodward, J. A Simple Method To Demonstrate the Enzymatic Production of Hydrogen from Sugar. J. Chem. Educ. 1998, 75 (10), 1270 1274; DOI: 10.1021/ed075p1270 (6) For a description of the “six degrees of separation” game, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separation (accessed Mar 2011). (7) The “six degrees of separation” game includes a charitable organization directed at making a difference by making the world “smaller”: http://www.sixdegrees.org/ (accessed Mar 2011). (8) D’Angelo, J. Cerebral Celebs Give Up Screen for Studies. Fox News Channel, May 23, 2002. http://www.foxnews.com/story/ 0,2933,53474,00.html (accessed Mar 2011).
Published: March 18, 2011 523
dx.doi.org/10.1021/ed200159m | J. Chem. Educ. 2011, 88, 523–523
