When Houston Museum of Natural Science president Joel Bartsch says that he is going to keep things moving, trust him. The annual Excellence in Science Luncheon, over which he presided at River Oaks Country Club on Tuesday, catapulted from start to finish in little more than an hour.

During that time, more than 200 guests enyoyed their lunch, awards were presented and a keynote address given. The program even included a brief thanks to the presenting luncheon underwriter Enterprise Products Partners.

Each year, the luncheon honors two outstanding high school seniors who have excelled in the fields of science and mathematics and two teachers of science or math, who stand out as exceptional classroom leaders. Chuchu Ma of Klein Collins High School and Jenna Netland of James Taylor School took bows for the academic acheivements in science.

Debbie Horgan,a fourth grade teacher at Millsap Elementary School, andNghia Le, engineering instructor at Booker T. Washington High School for Engineering Professions, were recognized with the Excellence in Science or Mathematics Teaching Award.

Guest speaker was Amy Myers Jaffe, Wallace Wilson Fellow in Energy Studies and director of the Baker Institute Energy Forum at Rice University's Baker Institute.

Receiving congratulations for the luncheon that doubled proceeds from the previous year were chairs Pat Burk and Jason Fertitta. They were surrounded by family members that included Greggory Burk, Linda and Jerry Fields, Courtney Fertitta, Diane and John Connally and Zack Fertitta, who had officially announced only the day before that he is running for Harris County District Attorney.

Supporters included Randa Ducan Williams, Ernie Cockrell, Thurmon Andress, Susanne and Bill Pritchard, Brady Knight, John Kirksey, Steve Mach, Frank Tsuru, Michael Mithoff and Elizabeth Petersen.