David Vosburg, a chemistry professor at Harvey Mudd College, was awarded the 2025 Teaching Green Fellowship for his efforts to incorporate sustainability concepts and practices into the college’s chemistry curriculum.
The award includes a certificate granting $10,000 for faculty summer salaries and $5,000 for student summer stipends. Additionally, Vosburg will be honored at the 29th annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference, where he will be a featured speaker. He will also serve on the judging panel for next year’s fellowship.
“It’s very encouraging,” Vosburg said. “It validates the work we’ve been doing at Harvey Mudd, not just me, but us as chemists.”
The award is given annually by the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the Green Chemistry Institute (GCI). The ACS and GCI selected Vosburg for his extensive work in redesigning the chemistry curriculum to better prepare students for addressing sustainability issues.
Vosburg said that education on sustainable practices and methods in chemistry is extremely important across STEM disciplines.
“I think even more important than doing green things here is helping students develop that mindset about thinking critically,” he said.
Since he began working at Harvey Mudd College in 2005, Vosburg said he has worked to implement sustainable practices into his chemistry courses. His efforts have included replacing toxic solvents, reducing environmental hazards and producing energy-efficient reactions.
According to Vosburg, his classes have added a collaborative element to his goal of developing sustainability practices in chemistry.
“One of the nice things is I’m not the only one generating ideas,” Vosbug said. “My students are, too. So they’re true partners in the work.”
He added that he feels lucky to have the support of the chemistry department.
“It’s fun to have a really supportive department and college that are on board with things like green chemistry and sustainability,” Vosburg said. “It is great to have administration, colleagues, and students really stoked about it.”
Chemistry Department Head Karl Haushalter expressed his appreciation for Vosburg’s work.
“Professor Vosburg has been a leader in the green chemistry movement here at Harvey Mudd and on the national scene as well,” he said. “Vosburg’s work, developed in his research lab, has been brought to his teaching labs and is now being taught nationally.”
Haushalter said that sustainability plays a big role in Harvey Mudd’s chemistry curriculum and that the department is continuously working to adapt and create new sustainable experiments and teaching lessons.
“I think it is an excellent recognition of the good work that’s being done by Professor Vosburg and by his students, and work that’s going to spread throughout our department,” he said.
He added that sustainability will remain a priority in the college’s chemistry curriculum.
“I think it’s really our responsibility as scientists, especially as scientists training in the next generation of scientists, to have this be central to our thinking,” Haushalter said.
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