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Alumnus named Outstanding Science Teacher of the Year

02/24/2007

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Nate Carnes '80 PhD '96

Combining his expertise in teaching with a scholarly interest in elementary and middle school science issues, particularly the obstacles faced by inner city students, has resulted in national recognition for a Miami University alumnus.

G. Nathan Carnes, associate professor of instruction and teacher education at the University of South Carolina (USC), was recently named the Outstanding Science Teacher Educator of the Year (Level 1) by the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE).

Carnes earned two degrees from Miami, a doctorate in curriculum and instruction in 1996 and an undergraduate degree in elementary education in 1980. A native of Troy, he taught science at the elementary/middle school level in his hometown for more than a decade.
The ASTE award recognizes the achievements and contributions of persons in the first 10 years of their career as an educator of science teachers. Recipients receive a plaque and $1,000 honorarium.

Elementary and middle school classrooms, says Carnes, should not be a place where science instruction means meaningless terms. Rather, he believes teachers need to tap students' natural curiosity and get them actively and meaningfully involved in the learning process.

Jane Butler Kahle, Carnes' doctoral adviser at Miami, explains that in the 1990s she was hiring outstanding teachers to help guide professional development efforts aimed at reforming how science and math are taught in Ohio.

She recruited Carnes, then at Troy Junior School, to join the staff of Ohio's Statewide Systemic Initiative (SSI), with the hope that he would go on for a doctorate and combine his practical experience and scholarly interests to improve student understanding and achievement in science.

"His dissertation and publications during and since have made major contributions to understanding systemic reform, particularly the obstacles faced by urban, inner city schools and their students and teachers," she said.

Although still new in his career as a faculty member, Carnes is becoming a leader in science education nationally, Kahle said, explaining that he has developed new science teacher education programs at USC, been the recipient of several large grants and been involved in leadership positions on national and university-level committees and programs.

For his part, Carnes says he's grateful to the Miami faculty members who mentored him at both the undergraduate and graduate level. "My experiences at Miami complimented the philosophy my parents' (both now deceased) instilled in me - hard work and a pleasant demeanor gets results and rewards," he says.