Todd Pagano: Candidate for Member-at-Large

Biography
Todd Pagano, an assistant professor and director of the Laboratory Science Technology (LST) program, came to Rochester Institute of Technology/ National Technical Institute for the Deaf (RIT/NTID) in 2002 where he led the implementation of the new LST program. During his career at RIT/NTID, he has set-up a state-of-the-art instrumentation laboratory, architected the new degree program, and helped to place numerous deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals into careers in the chemical sciences. He has worked on several pedagogical and chemical research projects and has presented or co-authored over sixty papers at regional, national, and international symposia. He has been honored as a recipient of RIT’s Richard and Virginia Eisenhart Award for Excellence in Teaching, EPA’s STAR Fellowship, Institute on College Teaching Fellowship, Dawan L. Albritton Faculty Humanitarian Award, Delta Sigma Phi Faculty Humanitarian Award, and ACS’s Stanley C. Israel Award for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences. He is active in encouraging underrepresented students into science fields and leads outreach initiatives to K-12 deaf and hard-of-hearing students. He has been a member of the ACS for 12 years, serves on the ACS Committee on Chemists with Disabilities, and is co-editor of the Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities.

Statement
I have enjoyed working with the ACS in many different capacities. As a member-at-large, I plan to continue the close collaboration between the Rochester section of the ACS and RIT/NTID. I am anxious to provide opportunities for underrepresented individuals in the field, including members of our deaf and hard-of-hearing community. I hope to continue to promote outreach initiatives to K-12 students, build alliances between academia and industry, and progress the general goals of the local section.