Michigan Technological University Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Jacqueline Huntoon has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from a statewide science educators association.
The Michigan Science Teachers Association (MSTA) named Huntoon the recipient of the 2019 George G. Mallinson Award. The highest honor bestowed by the MSTA, the award recognizes Huntoon’s contributions to science education in general and to MSTA in particular.
In announcing the award, MSTA noted “Over the course of her career, Dr. Huntoon has made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of science education through her work at the local, state and national level.”
A new pedagogy of science education
In a letter supporting Huntoon for the recognition, MSTA Board Member Yonee Bryant- Kuiphoff, wrote that as a science teacher, a professional developing and writing curriculum and one working statewide with other teachers, she feels “much more confident” as a result of Huntoon’s mentorship.
Bryant-Kuiphoff wrote that through Huntoon's vision for science education and her belief in participants in the Michigan Science Teaching and Assessment Reform (Mi-STAR) program, Huntoon is able to develop and lead others into a new pedagogy of science education. “I believe that Dr. Jacqueline Huntoon is the epitome of the Mallinson Award criteria, with her long lasting and far reaching contributions to the field of science education,” Bryant-Kuiphoff said.
Honored and thankful
Huntoon says she is honored by the award. “I am very thankful to receive this recognition from MSTA. The work teachers do is very important for the future of society. We owe a lot to teachers. It is a great honor to receive this recognition from this group.”
Prior to her current position at Michigan Tech, Huntoon served as associate provost and dean of the University’s Graduate School. She has been recognized nationally for her leadership in higher education and geology. She currently serves as a member of the federal STEM Education Advisory Panel. She is a former chair of the Graduate Record Exam Board, which oversees exams most commonly used to evaluate the qualifications of students applying for graduate school. She has previously served as the program director for diversity and education at the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Geosciences.
Huntoon will be honored at MSTA’s Annual Meeting Friday and Saturday (March 1/2) in Grand Rapids. MSTA provides awards to Michigan science teachers, administrators and education professionals in eight categories in addition to the prestigious Mallinson Award.
On receiving the honor; Huntoon said, “I feel very fortunate to have worked with so many teachers in Michigan throughout my career. We’ve accomplished amazing things together and I look forward to continuing to collaborate in the future.”
Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
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