CUMBERLAND — The Western Maryland Section of the American Chemical Society will meet on Thursday at the Science Building, Allegany College of Maryland, Room S-15.

Pizza and soft drinks will be available for a fee at 5:15 p.m., with a presentation by Al Hazari will begin at 6 p.m. Participants planning to eat should contact James D. Stickler at (301) 784-5256.

Hazari’s presentation is titled “Chemistry in Comics.” Just as humor is most entertaining when its theme fits the topic of conversation, so too comics that depict chemistry situations and/or materials are most effective as a teaching strategy when they reinforce a topic or concept students are currently studying.

A variety of chemistry comics will be presented, and the learning situations into which they best fit will be discussed.

Hazari is a 2000 recipient of the ACS Helen M. Free Award for Public Outreach and the 2002 Science Educator of the Year awardee from the Tennessee Science Teachers Association, Hazari, a native of Lebanon, attended the American University in Cairo and received a bachelor’s egree in chemistry in 1968. He also holds an master’s in chemistry (1972) from Youngstown State University (Ohio) and a doctorate in science education (1997) from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

From 1968 to 1971, Hazari taught middle and high school science, math, and chemistry here and overseas. He was a chemistry instructor and lab coordinator at Tougaloo College in Jackson, Miss., from 1973 to 1976. This was followed by a 15-year stint as instructor in chemistry and director of labs at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. In 1991, he joined the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Chemistry Department as director of the undergraduate chemistry labs and lecturer in chemistry.

He has received many grants from government agencies, industry, and various organizations to improve undergraduate chemistry lab instruction and also to support K-12 hands-on science and chemistry school visits and teacher workshops.