As the director of education and public outreach at the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) for 21 years, John oversaw the creation of an innovative suite of award-winning and nationally recognized educational products and programs. These supported a diverse spectrum of educators and learners across a range of levels, the public and informal educators, grade 5-12 students and teachers, undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and other professionals, as well as the broader geoeducation and scientific communities.

Within the seismology community John championed the concerns and practices of educators and demonstrated how they aligned with the interests of seismologists. John successfully grew the seismology community’s investments in education, which in turn led to enhanced educator access to seismic data and a research-informed curriculum to advance undergraduate geophysics education. John also used his leadership to raise awareness of and take action to promote greater use of education research in the geosciences. This effort has positively contributed to the growing discipline of geoscience education researchers who investigate learner conceptions of seismological constructs, related spatial skills and strategies for effective teaching of seismology.

John has demonstrated a sustained commitment to broadening the participation of historically underrepresented populations in the geosciences. He ensured high-profile plenary talks and sessions were regularly integrated into seismology community events, raising awareness and fostering capacity for change. John oversaw the restructuring of the IRIS Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) internship program, resulting in steady increases in underrepresented minority participation. John also proposed and oversaw the development of multiweek undergraduate learning modules that leverage research-informed recruitment strategies to increase access to and interest in seismology career paths.

Within the education community, John worked tirelessly to bring seismology to secondary educators, a field few K-12 teachers have academic training in. He led more than 100 one-hour or longer professional development trainings as well as the development of an extensive collection of seismology educational activities, animations and tools to access and use seismic data. Included with this access to seismic data were opportunities for teachers and students to have seismic instrumentation in their classrooms. Finally, John co-led the development of the Earth Science Literacy Principles. This work brought participants from the Earth science research, education and policy communities together to generate the “big ideas” and supporting concepts in Earth science. The Earth Science Literacy Principles served as the foundation for the Next Generation Science Standards, which strongly influence the scope and sequence of today’s Earth science instruction.

— Michael Hubenthal
EarthScope Consortium
Washington, D.C.

— Donna Charlevoix
EarthScope Consortium
Washington, D.C.

I’m deeply honored to have been selected by my colleagues to receive the Excellence in Earth and Space Science Education Award, and I thank my nominators and AGU for this recognition. I consider the award a tribute to the efforts of the many individuals and groups with whom I’ve been fortunate to collaborate during my career. This is especially true regarding the IRIS Education and Public Outreach (EPO) team, who tirelessly created educational resources for a broad range of audiences, and it gives me great satisfaction to accept the award on behalf of that team, which is now part of the EarthScope Consortium. Participating in a “teaching seismologists to teach the teachers” workshop in 1997 led by Larry Braile and others to initiate IRIS’s new Education and Outreach Program was a major turning point for me. It demonstrated the excitement and importance of seismology education, along with a vision for the program and a set of tools/activities to use. I knew then I was ready to transition from seismology research to education and outreach, and I’ve never looked back. The EPO Program brought together talented and passionate individuals within the geoscience education and seismology research communities, including many as EPO Standing Committee members. These individuals provided critical guidance and ideas, including ways to integrate current seismological research with best educational practices and convey why seismology is relevant to society. Data access tools provided by IRIS Data Services, along with the National Science Foundation’s sustained support of the IRIS facility, fostered building and maintaining resources for educators. Individuals representing many other organizations and institutions, including UNAVCO, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, the National Earth Science Teachers Association, the Science Education Resource Center, the American Geosciences Institute, the Southern California Earthquake Center, and Fort Valley State University, helped broaden my horizons beyond seismology and expand my understanding of the needs of a more diverse geoscience community. I’ve benefitted from the expertise and generosity of so many individuals that I can’t name them all, though I want to especially thank Donna Charlevoix, Cathy Manduca and Michael Wysession, who have been some of my closest collaborators on broad-scale projects. In addition, David Simpson’s unfailing mentoring and Michael Hubenthal’s insight and educational expertise have taught me so much and helped shape my career, as well as the path of the EPO Program. Finally, I thank my wife, Kathy, for her never-ending encouragement when I needed it most. It has been a joy to work with and learn from so many creative and committed scientists and educators, and I thank you all.— J. John Taber, IRIS and EarthScope Consortium