The AAAS Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science is an annual award presented by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to recognize early-career scientists and engineers who demonstrate excellence in their contribution to public engagement with science activities.
Overview
The award was established in 2010 and is presented annually at the AAAS Annual Meeting. It is open to scientists, mathematicians, and engineers who have completed their terminal degree within seven years of the nomination deadline and are actively conducting research in any STEM discipline. The recipient receives a monetary prize of $5,000 and a commemorative plaque.[1]
Recipients
| Year |
Recipient |
Affiliation (at time of award) |
Notable engagement work
|
| 2026 |
Linda Lara-Jacobo |
San Diego State University, Imperial Valley |
Community-based participatory science on climate vulnerability, air and water pollution, and occupational health in U.S.–Mexico border communities; co-founder of the U.S.–Mexico Binational Border Research Laboratory[2]
|
| 2025 |
Barrak Alahmad |
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health |
Engagement on negative health effects of extreme heat on vulnerable populations including migrant workers in Kuwait; testified before the United Kingdom Parliament[3]
|
| 2024 |
Ana Maria Porras |
University of Florida |
Multilingual science communication via social media (#MicrobeMondays, #MicroMartes), crochet microbiology, and partnerships with science clubs in Colombia; engagement in Spanish to support non-English-speaking audiences[4]
|
| 2023 |
Jaye Gardiner |
Fox Chase Cancer Center |
Use of comics to communicate science and challenge stereotypes about who can be a scientist; co-founded an undergraduate biology club that conducted outreach at correctional facilities and middle schools[5]
|
| 2022 |
Kizzmekia Corbett |
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health |
Public engagement on SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, with focus on underserved Black communities; outreach through churches, town halls, social media, and national figures[6]
|
| 2021 |
Annette S. Lee |
St. Cloud State University |
Culturally responsive astronomy education using Indigenous knowledge systems; collaborative work with Native communities, educators, and museums[7]
|
| 2020 |
John Drazan |
University of Pennsylvania (Human Motion Lab) |
Connected sports biomechanics research with STEM engagement for underserved youth; co-founded 4th Family Inc. and created the Court Science Academy in partnership with the NBA Summer League[8]
|
| 2019 |
Mónica Ramírez-Andreotta |
University of Arizona (Dept. of Soil, Water and Environmental Science) |
Community-based participatory research on soil and food quality with communities affected by pollution, poor water quality, and food insecurity[9]
|
| 2018 |
Johanna Varner |
Colorado Mesa University |
Citizen science programs engaging volunteers in pika research and climate change awareness; multi-directional dialogue approach to science engagement[10]
|
| 2017 |
No award given |
— |
Due to a change in naming convention, no award was presented in 2017.
|
| 2016 |
Suzi Gage |
University of Bristol |
Science blog for The Guardian; podcast Say Why to Drugs (with Scroobius Pip) on the evidence base around recreational drugs; public lectures[11]
|
| 2015 |
Mark Rosin |
UCLA (Dept. of Mathematics) |
Broad public engagement strategies targeting audiences not actively seeking science; trained over 100 scientists in public engagement; plasma physics research[12]
|
| 2014 |
Shane Bergin |
Trinity College Dublin |
DARTofPhysics campaign on Dublin's rapid-transit system; Trinity College Pitch Drop video (2M+ views); engaging the Irish public with physics[13]
|
| 2013 |
Mary Helen Immordino-Yang |
University of Southern California |
Integration of public engagement with neuroscience research; K–12 lab visits and internships for students from low-performing schools; using research participation to engage diverse youth[14]
|
| 2012 |
Daniel Heller |
Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Robert Langer Group) |
Cancer nanotechnology research communication; public science engagement through innovative outreach activities[15]
|
| 2011 |
Albert Lin |
University of California, San Diego & National Geographic Society Engineers for Exploration Program |
Crowdsourced citizen science for geographic exploration (including the search for Genghis Khan's tomb); co-founded Tomnod; outreach combining adventure and technology[16]
|
| 2010 |
Lynford L. Goddard |
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
First-ever recipient; excellence in engaging high school students with activities in electrical engineering while pursuing active research career[17]
|
Finalists
AAAS began publicly naming finalists in select years. The following finalists have been confirmed on the official AAAS recipients page.[18] Finalists are listed in no particular order per AAAS.
2021
2020
| Finalist |
Affiliation
|
| Julie Maldonado |
Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network (LiKEN)
|
See also
References
External links