AACT Member Spotlight: Martin Palermo



Every month AACT spotlights a passionate member who is dedicated to enhancing chemistry inside and outside the classroom. This month, we spotlight Martin Palermo. He is the 2024–2025 AACT President and Governing Board Chair. He is a chemistry and AP research teacher at William Floyd High School in Mastic Beach, NY.

Tell us about yourself.

I am a chemistry teacher from Long Island, New York and the current AACT governing board president. I have been teaching for the last 17 years at William Floyd High School, teaching biology, forensic science, chemistry and AP Research. For the past 2 years, I have spent part of my day as a lead teacher in my school, helping novice teachers build and develop their instructional practices. In addition to teaching, I conduct educational research at Stony Brook University investigating areas such as teacher attrition and student equity and achievement in science. When I am not teaching, I spend my time with my family, surfing and playing drums with my 11-year-old son and volunteering as a firefighter and rescue diver.

What are you most proud of in your work?

As a teacher, there are so many instances to be proud of but one that is on the top of my list happened this past school year. A student who was struggling all year gave me a note on the last day that said, “thank you for never giving up on me this year when there were so many times I wanted to give up on myself….if you don’t already know this, what you do matters and it doesn’t go unnoticed.” I am most proud of situations like this, where I had the opportunity to challenge students and see them work through those challenges to become successful.

Why did you become involved with AACT? What are the benefits of being involved?

I initially joined AACT after stumbling upon one of their free simulations. After spending some time perusing the website, I realized the wealth of resources that were available and quickly became a member. In addition to high-quality resources, AACT members have access to professional development, a network of support, and numerous teacher leadership opportunities. Since joining, I have attended numerous webinars from some amazing chemical educators, hosted a webinar, and written various articles/editorials for Chemistry Solutions.

What do you do to remain current and bring the latest science into the classroom?

To remain current, I continually research new and effective ways to teach chemistry through various outlets such as AACT, The Journal of Chemical Education, local and state science conferences, and through my professional learning network on social media platforms consisting of amazing educators across the globe. I am currently taking part in a workshop at Stony Brook University on Quantum Computing and ways to introduce this concept in the high school science classroom.

What fuels your passion for science and teaching?

Being able to challenge students and show them that there is more to science than just memorizing a bunch of facts. I love it when students tap into their creative side as they attempt to explain everyday phenomena or develop methods to test a proposed hypothesis.