A Biography Of
Jane
Seltzer Spencer
written by a
friend
Jane Seltzer
Spencer’s love of chemistry began at Beaver College (now Arcadia University)
in Glenside, Pennsylvania during her Freshman year in Dr. Arthur Breyer’s
General Chemistry class. She began
as a Biology/PreVet major, but changed her major after her first year. Jane worked as a laboratory assistant for Dr. Breyer in the
Chemistry Department at Beaver and was involved with the NSF (National Science
Foundation) Summer Institutes. It
was during the summer of 1972 that Jane found another “Love” and married
fellow NSF colleague, Jim Spencer, in 1976.
Jim taught Chemistry and Physics and was Head of the Science Department
at Choate in Wallingford, Connecticut until his sudden death in 1982.
From 1975 until 1986, Jane worked as a Medical Chemistry Technologist at
the Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven, Connecticut.
Jane knew that she wanted to continue working with students in Chemistry
and in 1986 began working as a Chemistry and Mathematics teacher at Oldfields
School in Glencoe, Maryland. Jane
lives in the dormitory at Oldfields and continues dorm parenting and advising.
One of Dr. Breyer’s
closest associates was Dr. Hubert Alyea of Princeton University who often
visited Dr. Breyer and became the inspiration for Jane to introduce a Chemistry
2 class during her second year of teaching at Oldfields School, where she is
about to begin her twentieth year. Jane
designed a Chemistry 2 course with a hands-on approach to advanced topics with
innovative assessment techniques culminating in an all school assembly that has
received local TV news coverage. The
Chemistry Assembly always includes a finale with the famous Alyea Rocket,
which Dr. Alyea passed on to Jane after she helped him clean out his lab at
Princeton in 1987. Although she was
reluctant to accept it at first, she did so willingly when Dr. Alyea told her
that the reason he wanted her to have it was because he knew she would use it
and allow her students to enjoy it. As
a result, each assembly was dedicated to Dr. Alyea just before setting off the
rocket.
This very fun course and
assembly incorporate many of the demonstrations and projects from Jane’s
experiences at ChemEd. Another
ChemEd idea was implemented when Jane instituted the Annual Mole Day Event in
1991 and continues a highlight at Oldfields on October 23rd.
There are signs, banners, fireworks and a creative skit that give
everyone a greater appreciation for the concept of the “mole”.
Weeks of preparation include staging, costumes (mostly black plastic bags
and mole noses), and set design and in class assignments related to the theme
for the year. Students start posing
mole questions and mole puns at morning meetings the week before the big event.
Each year is a challenge but inspiration often comes from the ChemEd
conference. Inspired by the Auburn
University ChemEd ‘03 Elvis (Molevis), Oldfields had a fantastic Rock ‘n
Mole experience with Jane Spencer on the drums.
Yes, Jane really does play the drums and was very much a part of the
performance.
Jane’s work in
promoting a love of Chemistry through her work in and out of the classroom has
earned her the most prestigious award given by the International Mole Day
Foundation, Mole Of The Year (MOTY) 2005.
Jane joins the six previous winners:
1993 - Arthur Logan - Clio High School - Clio, MI
1995 - Joan Laredo-Liddell - St. Barnabas High school - Bronx, NY
1997 - Scotty Ellerbe - Watauga High School - Boone, NC
1999 - Rose Blanchard - Buckeye Valley High School - Delaware, OH
2001 - Sally Mitchell - East Syracuse - Minoa High School - East Syracuse, NY
2003 - Tom Tweedle - Millersport High School - Millersport, OH