NSF Award
2325869
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has named Dr. Natalie S. King one of the three recipients of the 2023 Alan T. Waterman Award. This award is NSF's highest honor that annually recognizes outstanding researchers who are 40 years or younger or not more than 10 years beyond receipt of the Ph.D. degree, by December 31 of the year of the nomination. The award funds the recipient's research in any field of science or engineering. Each 2023 awardee receives a $1 million grant over a five-year period for advanced study in his or her field.<br/><br/>Dr. King is an associate professor of science education at Georgia State University. Her research focuses on K-12 science education, specifically science experiences in middle grades; advancing Black girls in STEM education; community-based informal science education; and the role of curriculum in fostering equity in science teaching and learning. Dr. King has received recognition for her work, with grants from NSF’s Faculty Early Career Development and Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship programs and as a recipient of numerous awards, including the 2023 NARST Early Career Research Award, the Ernest D. Morrell African Diaspora Emerging Scholar Award, the University of Florida 40 Under 40, the Community of Scholars’ 1,000 Inspiring Black Scientists in America, the Out-of-School Time Scholar Award for Commitment to the Field from the American Educational Research Association, and the Deborah Tippins Mentor Award from the Southeastern Association of Science Teacher Education. In addition to her research, Dr. King founded I AM STEM camps to mentor and equip students of color for success in STEM. She partners with community organizations, schools, and institutions of higher education to offer the summer camps, which have taken place in 4 states and 10 locations, as well as online.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
