The Smithsonian recently announced the endowment of the Smithsonian Science Education Center’s director position. GSEHD alumna Dr. Carol O'Donnell (Ed.D., Curriculum and Instruction) will hold the inaugural position, named The Douglas M. Lapp and Anne B. Keiser Director of the Smithsonian Science Education Center.
The naming pays homage to Lapp’s incredible achievements as the center’s founding director (1985–2001), as well as to the deep and meaningful relationships that Lapp and Keiser have fostered throughout various areas of the Institution over the years.
The gift to endow the center’s director position allows it to reach more science teachers and students with the Smithsonian’s resources and programming. “Education has always been at the heart of the Smithsonian’s mission, and for almost 40 years, the Smithsonian Science Education Center has played a crucial role in bringing this vision to life,” said Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III. “This endowment highlights the center’s vital role in reaching students in classrooms and at home and will empower Dr. O’Donnell and her team to continue transforming K–12 education through science until every student has the tools and inspiration to build a better future for all.”
“Both Anne and Doug know what it means to devote your life’s work to the pursuit of great achievement,” said Carol O’Donnell, the Lapp-Keiser Director of the Smithsonian Science Education Center. “With their impactful and generous gift, the Smithsonian Science Education Center will continue to meet students where they are—in classrooms across the globe—thereby guiding the next generation of budding scientists and engineers to save endangered species, challenge the frontiers of space, design a better tomorrow and reach their highest summit.”