UMass Amherst Libraries Announce Recipient of GEOSET Award

The UMass Amherst Libraries are pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2021 Sir Harold W. Kroto and Steve F.A. Acquah GEOSET (Global Educational Outreach for Science Engineering and Technology) Award is Jacque Moon Yee ’22, a rising senior who produced an animated video about Saccharin, the artificial sweetener, and why it is so controversial.

“I am incredibly honored to receive this year’s GEOSET Award from Dr. Acquah,” Yee says. “I am very grateful for the recognition of my work with Professor Laura Vandenburg in the SCoPE (Science Communication to Promote Environmental Health) program at UMass, and I hope to continue to share science education with the world through digital media.”

The award was established by Steve Acquah, Digital Media Coordinator and Associate Research Professor of Chemistry, to continue the late Nobel Laureate’s legacy in research and outreach. It is given each year to a chemistry major who has demonstrated excellence in science communication through digital media. The Chemistry Award Ceremony falls on the fifth anniversary of Kroto’s passing, a timely tribute.

“This past year we all became experts in digital media, navigating a landscape that was challenging at times,” says Acquah, “but over the next year, I hope we all continue to find new and exciting ways to communicate our work and ideas through digital media.”