The AAAS Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science is an annual award presented by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Established in 2010, it recognizes early-career scientists and engineers for excellence in public engagement with science. The recipient is recognized at the AAAS Annual Meeting and receives a US$5,000 monetary prize and a commemorative plaque.

Overview

The award was established by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2010 to recognize early-career scientists and engineers for excellence in public engagement with science. It is presented annually at the AAAS Annual Meeting.

The award is open to individual scientists, mathematicians, and engineers conducting research in STEM disciplines, including the social sciences and medicine. Eligible nominees must have completed their terminal degree within seven years of the nomination deadline and be actively engaged in research. Groups and organizations, current students, and AAAS employees are not eligible.

Nominations may be submitted by individuals or organizations, including self-nominations, and previously nominated candidates and finalists may be nominated again in subsequent years. According to AAAS, eligible public engagement activities extend beyond the nominee's formal job responsibilities. Nomination materials include a statement describing the nominee's public engagement activities together with supporting documentation.

Recipients

Year Recipient Affiliation (at time of award) Notable engagement work 2026 Linda Lara-Jacobo San Diego State University, Imperial Valley Community-based participatory science on climate vulnerability, air and water pollution, and occupational health in U.S.–Mexico border communities. 2025 Barrak Alahmad Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Engagement on the health effects of extreme heat on vulnerable populations, including migrant workers in Kuwait; testimony before the United Kingdom Parliament. 2024 Ana Maria Porras University of Florida Multilingual science communication, crochet microbiology, and partnerships with science clubs in Colombia. 2023 Jaye Gardiner Fox Chase Cancer Center Comics-based science communication and outreach through an undergraduate biology club, including work at correctional facilities and middle schools. 2022 Kizzmekia Corbett Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Public engagement on SARS-CoV-2 vaccines with underserved Black communities through churches, town halls, and social media. 2021 Annette S. Lee St. Cloud State University Culturally responsive astronomy education using Indigenous knowledge systems and work with Native communities, educators, and museums. 2020 John Drazan University of Pennsylvania (Human Motion Lab) Sports biomechanics research linked to STEM outreach for underserved youth; co-founded 4th Family Inc. and the Court Science Academy. 2019 Mónica Ramírez-Andreotta University of Arizona (Dept. of Soil, Water and Environmental Science) Community-based participatory research on soil and food quality with communities affected by pollution, poor water quality, and food insecurity. 2018 Johanna Varner Colorado Mesa University Citizen science programs on pika research and climate-change awareness. 2017 No award given — Due to a change in naming convention, no award was presented in 2017. 2016 Suzi Gage University of Bristol Science communication through a blog, the Say Why to Drugs podcast, and public lectures. 2015 Mark Rosin UCLA (Dept. of Mathematics) Public engagement aimed at audiences not already seeking science; trained more than 100 scientists in public engagement. 2014 Shane Bergin Trinity College Dublin DARTofPhysics and other outreach on Dublin's rapid-transit system. 2013 Mary Helen Immordino-Yang University of Southern California Public engagement integrated with neuroscience research, including K–12 lab visits and internships for students. 2012 Daniel Heller Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cancer nanotechnology outreach and science communication. 2011 Albert Lin University of California, San Diego and National Geographic Society Engineers for Exploration Program Crowdsourced citizen science for geographic exploration, including Tomnod and the search for Genghis Khan's tomb. 2010 Lynford L. Goddard University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Engagement with high school students through electrical engineering activities.

Finalists AAAS began publicly naming finalists in select years. The following finalists have been confirmed on the official AAAS recipients page. Finalists are listed in no particular order per AAAS.

2021 Finalist Affiliation Mayank Kejriwal USC Information Sciences Institute, University of Southern California - the first USC faculty member named a finalist in the award's history Dorsa Amir Boston College Elena Maria Blanco-Suarez Salk Institute Bárbara Isabela Escobar Anleu Jaguar Corridor Initiative Katherine Bouman California Institute of Technology Natalie Exner Dean University of Florida Elise S. Gornish University of Arizona

2020 Finalist Affiliation Julie Maldonado Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network (LiKEN)

See also American Association for the Advancement of Science AAAS Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science Public engagement with science Science communication

References

External links Official award page Full list of recipients