Museum's NCTL Receives National Science Board Public Service Award

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

In May, the National Science Board (NSB) presented its 2015 Public Service Award to the Museum of Science, Boston's National Center for Technological Literacy® (NCTL®) in Washington, DC. Museum president and director Ioannis Miaoulis accepted the award from Internet pioneer Vint Cerf, chair of the NSB honorary awards committee.

"The center's innovative exhibits, programs, and curricular projects have brought engineering, technology, and science to millions of students across the country and provided teachers with the professional training they need for the 21st Century classroom," said Cerf. This prestigious award honors exemplary public service in promoting public understanding of science and engineering. This year, the American Museum of Natural History also received an award.

Led by Miaoulis, the Museum created the NCTL in 2004. Responding to the lack of elementary engineering curricula, the NCTL piloted its Engineering is Elementary® (EiE®) with eight teachers and 200 students. As of June 2015, NCTL curricula had reached an estimated 93,600 teachers and 8.3 million students nationwide. The NCTL has also created curricula for middle, high, and out of school.

"We are deeply honored to receive the National Science Board Public Service Award," said Miaoulis. "We believe that a scientifically and technologically literate citizenry is critical. We also believe that engineering brings science and math alive so that children can learn to solve problems in our engineered world. Some of these children may also later pursue STEM careers and help to create the innovations that can improve our lives."

Other Milestones:

--Promoting engineering to over 3 million people via its Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibition, created with Lucasfilm Ltd.

--Leading an NSF-funded Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network among university scientists and educators, creating activities and exhibits reaching 30 million people since 2005;

--Engaging more than 600,000 visitors in the engineering design cycle via Museum-based Design Challenges since 2003;

--Endorsement by the Massachusetts STEM Advisory Council for districtwide STEM reform via the Gateway Project;

--Supporting the first Engineering Education for Innovation Act and the Educating Tomorrow's Engineers Act.

Related Links:

• National Science Board/National Science Foundation