LATROBE, PA – Dr. Caryl Fish, a professor emeritus at Saint Vincent College and a veteran Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) practitioner, has been named one of three recipients of this year’s POGIL Impact Award.
The POGIL Project is a national nonprofit professional development organization that aims to improve teaching and learning by fostering an inclusive, transformative community of reflective educators.
The honor is presented to individuals or teams who have achieved extraordinary outcomes related to The POGIL Project’s strategic plan. The award celebrates sustained impact and/or innovation achieved by POGIL members and highlights a strong footprint in both The Project and the broader POGIL community.
An environmental chemist, Fish holds a Bachelor of Science in environmental studies and chemistry from Manchester College, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Dayton and a PhD in environmental chemistry from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. She taught chemistry, environmental science and health science for 32 years at Saint Vincent.
During her tenure, Fish played a key role in developing the Monastery Run Improvement Project, a 20-acre mine drainage treatment wetland on Saint Vincent property. She also helped establish the Environmental Education Center at Saint Vincent, which hosts educational field experiences for students ranging from elementary school through college.
Fish began her work with The POGIL Project in 2005 and has made significant contributions to the community over the past two decades. She has published activities for analytical chemistry and environmental science, served on the POGIL Project Steering Committee and several strategic teams, and helped establish the “POGIL Activity Clearinghouse” journal, serving as its co-editor-in-chief for four years.
She has also been a member of the collaboration team for National Science Foundation-funded projects including Analytical Chemistry POGIL Activities and Enhancing Learning by Improving Process Skills in STEM (ELIPSS). She currently serves as a senior researcher with the SkillBuilder project, which is developing an online tool to support use of the ELIPSS rubrics.
“Since the POGIL pedagogy has been such an integral part of my professional career, I am thrilled to receive the Impact Award. POGIL was the answer to my search for an active, student-focused approach to teaching,” Fish said. “I loved helping students develop their process skills and learn content. Writing POGIL activities is one of my creative outlets, and I am excited to help authors write better activities. Most of all, I love the POGIL community and look forward to the many times we can gather together. This award from the people that I love is a wonderful honor.”
In addition to Fish, Dr. Michael Garoutte, professor of chemistry at Missouri Southern State University, and Dr. Clif Kussmaul, principal consultant at Green Mango Associates, LLC, will each receive a POGIL Impact Award. The trio will receive their awards at the POGIL National Meeting from June 13-16 at Washington University in St. Louis.
