New science ed faculty member awarded NCSE fellowship to tackle science misconceptions
The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) named Isaiah Kent-Schneider, a clinical assistant professor of science education in the College of Education Department of Curriculum and Instruction, as a 2025 Sound Science Fellow.
The Sound Science Fellowship is designed to address the ongoing challenges faced by teachers as they navigate issues such as scientific misinformation, evolving educational standards, and societal resistance to critical scientific topics. This prestigious fellowship aims to advance the teaching of evolution, climate change, and accurate scientific education, and will provide six scholars with unique opportunities to engage in deep exploration and collaboration, building upon NCSE’s mission to ensure accurate and evidence-based science education in K-12 schools nationwide.
“I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to be a part of the 2026 cohort of Sound Science Fellows!” Kent-Schneider said. “As a new faculty member this experience will provide me with a further network of peers who are interested in and working on the same things that I am excited about: effective science education in our modern landscape. I am certain that impactful research and educational products will come from being a part of this program.”
He will serve a term of two years and will work on individual and collaborative projects, attend seminars with scientists and education leaders, and contribute to NCSE’s broader mission to promote and defend high-quality science education across the nation.
The six 2025 Sound Science Fellows were selected based on their dedication to science education and science teacher education, their proven ability to engage critically in research and teaching spaces, and their commitment to upholding the highest standards of scientific accuracy. As part of the fellowship, each fellow will work closely with experts in the fields of evolutionary biology or climate science as well as pedagogy to develop our understanding of best practices in education and emerging challenges while contributing to ongoing efforts to improve science education nationwide.
“We are so excited to welcome this exceptional group of scholars into the second cohort of the Sound Science Fellowship,” said NCSE Executive Director Amanda L. Townley. “These fellows are passionate about inspiring the next generation of scientifically literate citizens, and through this fellowship, they will have opportunities to inform, support, and expand our understanding and approaches to address challenges to the teaching and learning of topics such as evolution and climate science.”
Source: Paul Oh, NCSE Director of Communications