Science educator Doris Ash wins University of Stockholm lecture award

Doris Ash, associate professor of education at UC Santa Cruz, has been awarded the Svend Pedersen Lecture Award from the University of Stockholm.

The award is given annually to an internationally recognized researcher who has made major and lasting contributions in the fields of mathematics or science education. Ash, an expert in science education, will present her lecture "Lessons learned from informal science learning research: From theory to practice and back again" at the University of Stockholm on December 6.

In announcing the award, the university said Ash's research over the past 20 years has been an inspiration to Swedish science education researchers, particularly her studies on learning in informal environments such as museums, science centers, and aquariums.

Ash's research focuses on science learning in and out of the classroom, working with culturally and linguistically diverse students and families. She has sought to understand how social groups make sense of science in these contexts.

"Throughout her research and commitment to equity and access to science learning, she has made a long and lasting contribution to the field of science education," the award announcement says.

In Santa Cruz County, Ash has been a key participant in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville Inquiry-based Learning in Environmental Science (SCWIBLES) project that links UCSC graduate students in science fields with high school students and teachers in Pajaro Valley secondary schools.