Previously a science educator at Niles Township High Schools in Skokie, Ill., for more than 30 years, Levinson has dedicated her professional career to teaching high school students the excitement and challenges of chemistry. She strongly advocates hands-on, laboratory-based learning, and she is renowned for her creative assignments that teach students how chemistry can help them better understand their lives and current events.
A tribute to her success, Levinson's students received gold and silver medals in the International. Chemistry Olympiad in 1999 and 1997. Many of her students have also spent summers conducting research at Northwestern University, Argonne National Laboratory, Loyola University and Evanston Hospital.
The Chemical Industries Council of Illinois honored her with the Davidson Award for Outstanding Chemistry Teaching in 1996. She currently serves on the U.S. Chemistry Olympiad Committee.
Levinson received her B.S. in chemistry from Roosevelt University in Chicago in 1966 and her M.S. in chemistry from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in 1971. She resides in Highland Park, Ill.
The ACS Regional Award in High School Chemistry Teaching recognizes educators who challenge and inspire their students, provide high-quality instruction, and participate in extracurricular activities that stimulate young people's interest in chemistry.