LITE Director honoured by fellow academics in 'Festschrift'
SEVENTY academics have contributed to 30 chapters to the publication of a 'Festschrift' in tribute to LITE Director Professor Tina Overton.
'Teaching Chemistry in higher education', is a collection of contributions from experienced chemistry educators from the UK, Ireland and Australia who have worked on themes related to Prof. Overton's approaches to teaching Chemistry.
A Festschrift is a collection of writings published to honour the work of a scholar.
Prof. Overton, who was Professor of Chemistry at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, has been the recipient of multiple awards, including the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Higher Education Teaching Award and a National Teaching Fellowship.
HONOURED: Prof. Tina Overton, who's career and work has been celebrated in a Festschrift.
Among her achievements, Prof. Overton is a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Education at Monash, a Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
The tribute book has been edited by Professor Michael Seery, Director of Teaching at the School of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, and Dr Claire McDonnell, an Assistant Head of the School of Chemical & Pharmaceutical Sciences at Dublin Institute of Technology.
Prof. Seery, said:
this kind of thing is extremely rare, and a measure of the esteem in which Tina is held
"I’ve been really delighted to be able to bring this project to fruition. Tina has been an inspiration to the chemistry education community.
Contributions from authors reflect her pragmatic method in introducing innovative approaches in areas like problem solving, context- and problem-based learning, laboratory education – areas Tina has championed through her own research and practice.
"Authors from UK, Ireland, and Australia have described Tina’s influence on their own practice and personal careers, before elaborating on innovative approaches well embedded in their own practice.
"They also give some insight into how others might adopt their approaches, so as to maximise the potential for adaptability.
"Therefore, this book will be a reflection on Tina’s career in the promoting the scholarship and practice of teaching and learning in chemistry.”
Prof. Overton joined the Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence (LITE) as Director in February.
Professor Tom Ward, Deputy-Vice-Chancellor: Student Education, University of Leeds, said:
Tina is a leading light in chemistry education and pedagogic research, who has had a significant impact on education across many institutions. This Festschrift is both a testament to that and, thoroughly deserved.
"We were delighted that Tina joined the University of Leeds as Director of LITE. In her short time as Director of the Institute, she has already made a real impact supporting the University as an international leader in pedagogic research and debate.”
Prof. Overton said:
“This Festschrift is an immense honour. I have spent my career doing what I love and it is very humbling to think that any of that has had an impact on colleagues.
This collection brings together the leading lights of chemistry education and the resulting book should be of enormous value to anyone teaching chemistry in the university sector.
Book will be launched at the European Variety in Chemistry Education conference in Italy this month (July) and will be available for purchase then.
The book’s ISBN is: 978-0-9928233-1-3 and website is: overtonfestschrift.wordpress.com.