Mary Virginia Orna

A faculty member since 1966 at the College of New Rochelle, Orna is internationally recognized as a distinguished and influential educator in chemistry. Her honors include the prestigious Merck Innovation Award in Undergraduate Science Education, the CASE New York State Professor of the Year Award, and the National Catalyst Award for Excellence in College Teaching of Chemistry. Here she shares a story about a Christmas gift that changed her path to learning, as part of the exhibition Science at Play.