By Erwin Boschmann
The American Chemical Society has named Professor David Malik a ‘fellow’ to “recognize members of ACS for outstanding achievements in and contributions to science, the profession, and the Society.” The ACS cited him for long-standing contributions to student success through active learning pedagogies, scholarship in academic practices and function, and leadership in ACS governance and programs.
Professor Malik is the Chancellor’s Professor Emeritus who retired in 2018 after having served as both a faculty member and an administrator for many years.
Partha Basu, chair of the department, says “David Malik embodies service leadership – to the profession as a chemist, to the enterprise of higher education and service to the American Chemical Society. This honor recognizes his sustained contribution that spans over 40 years!”
Malik has actively been involved with the ACS since 1969 serving in many capacities both locally and nationally. He came to IUPUI in 1980 and soon became a beloved professor to many students who responded by doing very well in chemistry. He changed the way students learn by introducing the award-winning Peer-led Team Learning. He was very passionate about serving as a member of the ACS Society of Education for eight years, with three of those years as Vice Chair. The mission of the committee is to advance chemistry education and to connect the diverse communities. “It was a nice balance of changing expectations in education that interfaced with my professional, Society,” Malik said.
As a previous long-serving chair of the department, he was instrumental in the department’s move to online testing, and the establishment of its Ph.D. program.
The ACS Fellows Program, began in 2009, now has about 1200 members with this distinction. The ACS is the largest scientific society in the world with over 150,000 members. Malik becomes the second IUPUI faculty to be named a Fellow following that of Pratibha Varma-Nelson.
The School of Science, the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and this writer congratulate Professor Malik on his many accomplishments.