Dr. Lillian A. Rankel obtained a Ph.D. from Princeton University in Organometallic Chemistry. She is a recipient of the President’s Service Award by President Biden.
Lillian went to work as a research chemist researching catalysts for petroleum processing for Mobil in Pennington, NJ for 17 years. When the Mobil site closed and the job moved to Texas, Lillian changed fields and became a high school Honors and AP Chemistry teacher. One of her students was blind, so Lillian started working with Marilyn Winograd, a teacher of the blind, and Dr. Cary Supalo to make chemistry accessible through tactile and audio means.
On a school field trip to Kenya with her blind student, Lillian became involved in helping Thika High School for the Blind, starting with teacher workshops with Marilyn Winograd, on teaching chemistry and physics to the blind. On subsequent trips to Kenya, Lillian started a Baby Program to show how mothers can prepare blind babies for school: to date, a retired teacher in Kenya continues to visit families to support and encourage parents in preparing their babies for school.
Drawing on these experiences, she wrote four children’s books—Friendship Tea, All in a Day’s Work, Church Bells Ringing, and Heaven Send Rain—that show how visually-impaired children contribute to their families and communities while attending school. These books have given hope to families who once doubted their children’s ability to pursue education and independence.
Lillian is a member of the Hopewell Valley Lions Club which has awarded scholarships for Thika High School and higher education. To date there are 17 blind students in the program and 14 have graduated. For her work in Kenya, Dr. Lillian Rankel was awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award by President Biden.
Lillian is the author of Out-of-Sight Science Experiments and Hands On Science Activities, published by National Braille Press, which introduce young children to science through accessible, engaging experiments. She has also been featured by Princeton University’s She Roars.
