Meet the ACS National Award winners for 2026

The following vignettes highlight recipients of the 2026 American Chemical Society National Awards. The quotes were provided as written statements and have been edited for length and clarity.The award recipients will be honored at a ceremony at ACS Spring 2026 in Atlanta on March 24, 2026.Sponsor: Endowed fund established by ACS Exams InstituteCitation: For innovative research on instruction and learning in secondary and tertiary chemistry, research that has advanced teacher development and learners' conceptual understanding of chemistry internationallyCurrent position: Professor of chemistry, Miami University Education: BSEd, chemistry, University of Arizona; MEd, secondary education, Northern Arizona University; PhD, curriculum and instruction, Arizona State University Yezierski on the most rewarding part of her job: “It is being able to experience three facets of chemistry education research simultaneously. The first is uncovering knowledge about how people learn chemical ideas and how to facilitate that learning. The second is supporting the growth of emerging scholars as coinvestigators in chemistry and chemistry education. The third is recognizing that the knowledge gained and the people developed will seed future advancements for the chemistry enterprise by strengthening how chemistry is taught and learned.” What Yezierski's colleagues say: “Ellen is widely considered to be the premiere scholar on the professional development of high school chemistry teachers in the US. Her research has directly impacted the classroom pedagogy of more than 6,907 chemistry teachers around the globe and, by direct extension, the learning of their students.”—Stacey Lowery Bretz, Ohio Northern University Sponsor: Endowed fund established by Rohm and Haas Citation: For the design of an environmentally