Glendale Community College Chemistry Professor Dr. Asmik Oganesyan has been awarded the 2022-23 Teacher-Scholar Award from the Silicon Valley Section of the American Chemical Society (SVACS.)  

Oganesyan became a full-time instructor at GCC in 2008. Within the first year, she started the Organic Chemistry Independent Research program with nine aspiring students. Soon the value of undergraduate research was recognized, and funds were granted by Title V and the GCC Foundation to purchase state-of-the-art equipment, supplies and chemicals. Since then, Oganesyan has trained over 230 students who are now pursuing careers in Ph.D. programs and medical, dental and pharmaceutical fields. Her students presented their research outcomes at multiple local, regional and national meetings. The experience they gained while conducting research during intersessions served as invaluable learning opportunity that many of them have expanded on in their professional careers.   

In 2018, Oganesyan was awarded a GCC Academic Senate Distinguished Faculty Award for excellence in teaching and contributions to the chemistry programs. She published a textbook, “Organic Chemistry at Your Fingertips,” which was adopted at the college and is available free of charge to the students at GCC. She is a coordinator of the Bridges to the Future program at CSULA, which gives qualified GCC students guaranteed transfer to CSULA and guidance to the nation’s most prestigious Ph.D. programs.   

The SVACS Teacher-Scholar Award honors community college faculty who demonstrate excellence in teaching, mentoring and scholarship and/or who make impactful contributions to their communities through outstanding leadership and service.  

On receiving the award, Oganesyan said, “I am grateful to teach these talented students the beauty of organic chemistry. It takes a village to receive this honorable award, and I am humbled and honored to represent our college to the largest scientific community of the world.”