NARST Honors IIT’s Norman Lederman for Lifetime Contributions To Science Education Research
The National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) has awarded Norman G. Lederman, professor and chair of the Illinois Institute of Technology Department of Mathematics and Science Education, the 2011 NARST Distinguished Contributions to Science Education through Research Award.
This lifetime achievement award recognizes an individual who, through research over an extended period of time, has made outstanding and continuing contributions, provided notable leadership, and made a substantial impact in the area of science education.
The award is presented at the Annual International Conference but is bestowed only when a superior candidate is identified, according to NARST. Lederman, who also is a past president of NARST, will be presented with a plaque from NARST at an awards luncheon in Orlando, FL on April 5, 2011.
"I know I speak for the entire Awards Committee and the NARST Leadership Team when I tell you how proud and happy we are for you," said NARST awards chair and University of Leeds professor of science education Phil Scott.
NARST is a worldwide organization of professionals committed to the improvement of science teaching and learning through research. Since its inception in 1928, NARST has promoted research in science education and the communication of knowledge generated by the research. The ultimate goal of NARST is to help all learners achieve science literacy.
Lederman joined IIT in 2001 to establish the Mathematics and Science Education Department (MSED). Since then, MSED has become a force locally, nationally, and internationally for discipline-based mathematics and science education, with an emphasis on how scientific inquiry can improve science teaching and learning. Internationally known for his research and scholarship on the development of students' and teachers' conceptions of nature of science and scientific inquiry, Lederman has studied pre-service and in-service teachers' knowledge structures of subject matter and pedagogy, pedagogical content knowledge, and teachers' concerns and beliefs. The author or editor of 10 books, including an elementary science teaching methods textbook, Lederman is the editor of the recently published Handbook for Research on Science Education. He has written 15 book chapters and published more than 200 articles in professional refereed journals. In addition, Lederman has made more than 500 presentations at professional conferences and meetings around the world.
This is Lederman's third major professional honor for science education research in the past twelve months. He was named a fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world's largest general scientific society, and the American Education Research Association for his contributions to science education last January and February, respectively. Lederman was also named Distinguished Professor at Illinois Institute of Technology in February 2011. The title of distinguished professor is awarded to full-time professors who have achieved preeminence in their fields of expertise, based on their scholarly work and the excellence of their teaching.
Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,700 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law. IIT's interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment. Visit www.iit.edu.
The National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) is a worldwide organization of professionals committed to the improvement of science teaching and learning through research. Since its inception in 1928, NARST has promoted research in science education and the communication of knowledge generated by the research. The ultimate goal of NARST is to help all learners achieve science literacy.NARST promotes this goal by:
