Anne and John Daves Endowed Professor Sherry Southerland is the recipient of the highest award bestowed upon members of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST).

At the NARST 98th Annual International Conference in Washington, D.C., Southerland was recognized as the association’s winner of the 2025 Distinguished Contributions to Science Education through Research Award.

A professor in the Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (Anne’s College), Southerland’s research focuses on the identification of factors that influence development of science proficiency for all students. She has made significant contributions to advancing the understanding of unintended consequences of educational policies for the way science is taught and learned in schools.

Southerland’s work sheds light on how to make science learning experiences more accessible for all learners. She studies the development of students’ sense-making and affect related to science, as well as the examination of ambitious science teaching practices and teacher moves that best support this development for learners.

Part of her research agenda includes the examination of factors that influence teacher learning as it relates to their assumptions about the capabilities of their students and how those capabilities shape the effectiveness of ambitious science teaching practices.

Southerland has served as a valuable mentor for a variety of groups, including schools, school districts, doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows and more. She is a two-term co-editor-in-chief of Science Education, and her research has been widely published in several science journals.

NARST is a global organization for improving science teaching and learning through research. Since its inception in 1928, NARST has promoted research in science education and the communication of knowledge generated by the research. The ultimate goal of NARST is to help all learners achieve science literacy.

For more information on Anne’s College, visit annescollege.fsu.edu.

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