NCSCE Announces New Appointments and 2020 Bennett Award

At the “virtual” SENCER Summer Institute in August three new appointments to NCSCE leadership were announced. Davida S. Smyth, Associate Professor of Natural Sciences in the Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at The New School, will assume the new position of Deputy Director, with special responsibility for professional development programs, pedagogy, and assessment in the SENCER initiative.   Davida brings a wealth of direct experience in mentoring students and faculty and designing “SENCERized” undergraduate research experiences, as well as deep knowledge of evidence-based practice in STEM education.

Amy Shachters longstanding role as the key organizer of the nine SENCER Centers of Innovation  has been formalized with her appointment as Director of SENCER Centers of Innovation and Regional Engagement.  Amy will also be the SENCER Visiting Research Scholar for the years 2020-2022 and will support research initiatives and grant development throughout the NCSCE network.

After decades of serving as supporter and advisor to the SENCER project, Jay Labov will join NCSCE as Director of Partnerships.  His long career at the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, and his personal leadership of many STEM improvement initiatives and research projects, has given him incomparable and systemic insight into every aspect of science education and the key levers of change and improvement.  For his contributions to science education Jay received NCSCE’s highest honor, the 2020 Wm. E. Bennett Award.

All three of these individuals have long associations with both SENCER and NCSCE, and have served as Senior Leadership Fellows.  We are grateful that NCSCE can draw on their deep knowledge and expertise, as well as their proven commitment to empowering students and faculty as informed and science-capable civic and community leaders.

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