Contributed by Jennifer Stark
Award I, Level I, Outstanding Science Teacher Educator
Award I, Level 1, the Outstanding Science Teacher Educator of the Year Award, recognizes the individual achievements and contributions of persons having ten or fewer years in their career service. This year’s Outstanding Science Teacher Educator is Dr. Julie Contino, Senior Specialist in Science and Teacher Education at the American Museum of Natural History.

Award II, Outstanding Mentor
Award II, the Outstanding Mentor Award, recognizes outstanding accomplishments in contributing to the professional development of pre-service and in-service science teachers and teacher educators. Dr. Len Annetta, Taft Distinguished Professor of Science Education at East Carolina University, is our 2022 Outstanding Mentor.

Award III, Outstanding Longtime Service to ASTE
Award III, the Outstanding Longtime Service to ASTE award, recognizes outstanding service by a senior member of ASTE. For the purpose of this award, service is defined as work accomplished over 15 years by a committed ASTE member in an effort to address issues, goals, and actions that have intellectual merit and broader impact on science teacher education, while simultaneously serving the needs of ASTE members. Two deserving ASTE members were recognized for their outstanding service this year:

Dr. Kathy Trundle
Professor of Science Education
Utah State University

Dr. Patricia Morrell
Head of School of Education
The University of Queensland
Award IV, Innovation in Teaching Science Teachers
Award IV, Innovation in Teaching Science Teachers recognizes an outstanding paper presented at the ASTE 2021 conference that encourages the development and dissemination of new designs for courses and curricula, new instructional methods or approaches, and other types of innovations in the pre- or in-service education of teachers of science. The award winning paper presentation is:
Strategies for Science Teacher Educators: Preparing Elementary Preservice Teachers to Integrate Engineering Skills and Practices by Kristie Gutierrez, Orlando Ayala, Jennifer J. Kidd, Stacie I. Ringleb, Krishnanand Kaipa, and Pilar Pazos (Old Dominion University)
Award V, Implications of Research for Educational Practice
Award V, Implications of Research for Educational Practice recognizes an ASTE 2021 conference paper presentation that identifies a persistent and recurring problem in the practice of science teacher education. The paper addresses strategies to resolve the problem based upon a comprehensive synthesis of relevant research and interpret theory and research for practice. Two paper presentations were awarded, including one for the graduate student level:
Developing and Empirically Grounding the Draw-An-Engineering-Teacher Test (DAETT) by Tina Vo (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) and Rebekah Hammack (Montana State University)
Graduate student level: Supporting Secondary Science Preservice Teachers’ by Exploring Their Science Teaching Identities by Regina P. McCurdy (currently at Georgia Southern University)
Future Awards
- Please nominate your fellow ASTE members for Awards I, II, and III, and papers presented at this year’s conference for Awards IV and V.
- You can recommend papers in the Conference survey.
- The Awards Committee will follow-up with the authors.
- Deadlines:
- Awards IV and V: March 1st
- Awards I, II, and III: June 1st
- Apply online: