Jersey City, NJ – September 9, 2024 – Saint Peter’s University proudly announces that Patricia Redden, Ph.D., professor emerita of chemistry, has been selected to receive the 2025 Award for Volunteer Service to the American Chemical Society (ACS). This prestigious award recognizes Dr. Redden’s exceptional contributions spanning more than 45 years in chemical safety, support for chemists with disabilities and public outreach.
Established in 2001, the ACS Award for Volunteer Service honors individuals who have significantly advanced society’s goals and objectives through their dedicated volunteer efforts. Dr. Redden’s journey of service began with the establishment of a safety committee for the New York Local Section. This committee played a pivotal role in enhancing safety standards by visiting colleges and high schools throughout the region to provide safety talks and conduct laboratory and stockroom inspections.
“We are immensely proud of Dr. Redden’s remarkable achievements and the profound impact she has made within the field of chemistry,” said WeiDong Zhu, Ph.D., interim vice president of academic affairs. “Her dedication to advancing chemical safety, supporting chemists with disabilities and engaging the public through outreach exemplifies the Jesuit value of service to others. Faculty like Dr. Redden are the cornerstone of our academic community, not only for their expertise and research but for the profound impact they have through service and outreach.”
Public outreach and education have also been central to Dr. Redden’s work. Inspired by a visit to her nephew’s kindergarten class, she initiated the first public event for children and adults sponsored by the New York Local Section in 1986. This event featured hands-on exhibits and science shows at the American Museum of Natural History, laying the groundwork for National Chemistry Week. Dr. Redden expanded and led this annual event at the museum until 1997 and served as a long-standing member of the ACS Committee on Chemical Safety and Committee on Chemists with Disabilities
Dr. Redden will be presented with the 2025 ACS Volunteer Service Award at the Spring ACS National Meeting and Exposition in San Diego, California. She is also the recipient of the 2024 Stanley C. Israel Regional Award for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences Award sponsored by the ACS Committee on Minority Affairs and the 2024 Chemists with Disabilities Inclusion ChemLumnary Award.
# # end # #
For more than 150 years, Saint Peter’s University, inspired by its Jesuit, Catholic identity, commitment to individual attention and grounding in the liberal arts, educates a diverse community of learners in undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and professional programs to excel intellectually, lead ethically, serve compassionately and promote justice in our ever-changing urban and global environment. To learn more, please visit www.saintpeters.edu.
Media Contact
Angeline Boyer
aboyer1@saintpeters.edu
(201) 761-6238