Nancy Butler Songer

Nancy Butler Songer is the Dean of the School of Education at Drexel University. Prior to this, Songer was a Professor of Science Education and Learning Technologies at the University of Michigan, and the Director of the Center for Essential Science. Her work focuses on the design of education innovations for promoting critical thinking in science, environmental awareness,increased interactivity and participation in science careers.

Education

Songer is a Distinguished University Professor and Dean of the School of Education at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. Songer was a Professor at The University of Michigan for 18 years (1996-2014). Songer earned a BS in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Davis, a MS in Developmental Biology From Tufts University and a PhD in Science Education and Learning Technologies from the University of California, Berkeley, working with Marcia Linn.

Research interests

Her work is focused in these areas: (1) Urban Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. While at the University of Michigan, Songer and her research team conducted eighteen years of research studies focused on fostering engaged critical thinking in STEM disciplines with a primary focus on students and teachers in the Detroit Public Schools. As Dean of the School of Education at Drexel University, Songer is leading urban STEM initiatives investigating new definitions of public school-university partnerships in association with several west Philadelphia public schools within the Drexel University School of Education's neighborhood. (2) Strategic simplification. Recognized by software designers and others, strategic simplification codifies the necessary thought process to simplify complex ideas into high-integrity, usable knowledge for non-scientific and younger audiences. Using these techniques, Songer and her team have developed eight learning technology tools and eight curricular units for 4-10th grade students that promote accessible complex thinking about focal ideas.

(3) Sound educational research to provide strong empirical evidence of growth spurts and plateaus, as well as documentation of how and when complex inquiry reasoning occurs among students.

Selected Honors and Awards

Fulbright Specialists Award, Women and Reform in STEM Disciplines. Turkmenistan 2014.

The University of Michigan Faculty Recognition Award 2008. This award is presented to faculty who demonstrate substantive contributions in research, teaching, and service.

Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2006. AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society.

U.S. Department of Education. Promising Educational Technology Award 2000. This award was presented by the U.S. Secretary of Education, Richard Riley.

Computerworld Smithsonian Laureate and Exhibitor 2000 and inclusion in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History Permanent Research Collection.

National Science Foundation Presidential Faculty Fellow 1995 (Now called PECASE). This award was presented at the White House by President William Clinton. This is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. Government on early career scientists and engineers.

Early Career Research Award, NARST 1995. NARST is the largest professional society focusing on science education research.

University of California Regents Graduate Fellow 1987–1988.

Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award, University of California 1985. University of California Berkeley Academic Senate Committee on Teaching.