Chemistry Department Instructor Kathy Rust is the recipient of the 2024-2025 College of Arts & Sciences Award for Innovative Teaching. Mrs. Rust is recognized for using music and rhythm to increase student engagement inside and outside of her General Chemistry class. She shows students that chemistry is particulate and can be understood by looking at the nature and interactions of the particles analogous to the way that music can be understood by looking at the nature of the notes (pitch, duration, timbre) and how they interact.