Stanford professor wins top award for impact on science education

Professor Jonathan Osborne was awarded the 2018 NARST Distinguished Contributions to Science Education through Research Award for his impact on science education. The award was given on March 19 in Atlanta.

The award is the highest honor given by NARST, a worldwide organization for improving science teaching and learning through research. In announcing the award, NARST said in a news release that it "recognizes Dr. Osborne for his more than 30 year career in science education that has provided significant leadership throughout the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as globally."

Osborne, the Kamalachari Professor of Science Education at Stanford, began his career as a science teacher. After earning a master's degree in physics, he taught in London high schools for nine years in the '70s before pursuing a doctorate in education. Prior to joining the faculty of Stanford GSE in 2009, Osborne served 23 years as a lecturer and professor of science education at King’s College, London.

Osborne is one of the authors of the Next Generation Science Standards, which aims to improve students' performance in science, technology, engineering and math. He's published papers on the most effective teaching strategies and works with pre-service teachers on how to teach science. He's also developed online courses, or MOOCs, and is chair of the expert group responsible for producing the framework for the OECD PISA science assessments in 2015 and 2018.