Dr. Alan Zollman honored with prestigious education award

24th September 2019

By Steven Krolak

(NEW ALBANY, Ind.)–Dr. Alan Zollman, professor of education, will receive the George Mallinson Distinguished Service Award from the School Science and Mathematics Association (SSMA).

This is the highest honor of the 108-year-old international education research group, and recognizes those who have been a member of SSMA for at least ten years and who have shown substantial participation and leadership in SSMA activities, such as paper presentations at meetings, committee work, membership work, and reviewing for the journal.

The award will be presented to Dr. Zollman at the 2019 SSMA convention in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The SSMA brings together researchers and teachers to promote research, scholarship and practice to improve school science and mathematics, and to advance their integration.

In his nominating letter, Dr. William R. Speer, director of the Mathematics Learning Center and former dean of the College of Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, praised Zollman’s record of leadership of organizations and professional groups, including as president of the SSMA.

“He has consistently demonstrated a commitment to outstanding fiscal responsibility and effective management that has led to the growth in membership and stature,” Speer said.

He also recognized Zollman’s commitment to continuous professional development, decision-making and effective instruction, as well as his involvement in shaping policies at both the grassroots and national levels.

“His interest in educational policy coupled with his knowledge of mathematics and mathematics education have led to programs and practices that will be used for years as a resource for others,” Speer said.

At a time when the teaching profession struggles to address demands for increased expertise and diversity in the classroom, Zollman’s work has particular relevance, according to Speer.

“Dr. Zollman’s interests hold promise for reducing the attrition of teachers, an area that has emerged as one of our greatest national challenges,” Speer said.

Among other accomplishments as president, Zollman led the effort to digitize over 4,000 research articles from the archives of the SSM Journal into searchable web-based resources, and today the SSM Journal is the most-referenced research publication for STEM education.

The relationship between Zollman and the SSMA has had a global impact. His article on defining STEM literacy, which appeared in the SSM Journal, and has been cited more than 170 times in other research publications worldwide.

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