Distinguished Alumni > 2005 > Patricia A. Mason

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Patricia A. Mason

• B.S. Chemistry, 1968, Purdue University
• M.S. Chemistry, 1971, Purdue University

Patricia Mason teaches Chemistry I, AP Chemistry II, Integrated Chemistry/Physics, and Physics at Delphi Community High School in Delphi, Indiana. She has been with the school since 1990, and she currently serves as the department chairperson.

Patricia Mason’s career has included work both in the chemistry profession and in the teaching profession. Her career as a chemist included work in such diverse areas as polymer characterization, bromine and flame retardant chemistry, clinical chemistry, and medical instrumentation. She worked as an analytical chemist while pursuing her bachelor’s degree in chemistry, and carried her real-world chemistry skills into the classroom. She coached the Delphi Science and Interdisciplinary Superbowl teams that won state championships in 1997, 2000, 2001, and 2003, and she was the teacher sponsor of the Grand Prize winner of the Purdue Regional Science Fair in 1985 and 1986. She has won numerous state and national awards for teaching, the most recent being the 2003 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching for Indiana.

She has served both students and other teachers for many years as a sponsor of science fair participants, and as a sponsor of presenters at the Indiana junior Academy of Science meetings. She has been a member of the State Textbook Nomination Review Committee for Science, a supervising teacher for Purdue student teachers, and active membership in professional teaching organizations. She is a member of the Hoosier Association of Science Teachers, a member and past president of the Indiana Alliance of Chemistry Teachers, and a member of the National Science Teachers Association. She was also an Indiana finalist in the Teacher in Space in 1985.

Patricia grew up in Joliet, Illinois, but has been a West Lafayette resident since 1972. She is active in her community, with service as the Wabash Township Trustee, membership in the League of Women Voters, Friends of the West Lafayette Public Library, and the Wabash Township Strategic Plan committee.