Dale Baker, professor in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University, has been selected to receive the 2013 Distinguished Contributions to Science Education Through Research Award from the National Association for Research in Science Teaching. She is being honored for her work to eliminate barriers for girls and women in science education. Professor Baker will receive the award at the organization’s convention in Puerto Rico in April.
Professor Baker’s goal to improve the educational prospects of women sprung from her own experiences in higher education. “I had a geology lab in college where I was one of two women, and the other one dropped the class,” Baker said. “None of the males would let me join their lab group, so I had to do the lab alone. Even the instructor told me maybe I should quit coming to class and get married instead.”
Dr. Baker is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. She holds a master’s degree from Trenton State University and an educational doctorate from Rutgers University in New Jersey. She is co-editor of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching.