CQU's Dr Alan Harrison has gained the Early Career Research Award, presented by America's National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST).

The award was presented this month (April) at NARST's annual meeting in New Orleans, which attracted 850 delegates from around the world.

According to the award citation: "Dr Harrison's record of research and publications make him well known and respected as an emerging scholar in science education. Colleagues have described his work as very significant , especially in the areas of conceptual change and explanations. His strong research agenda offers important insights into students' science learning with direct implications for classroom teaching." Dr Harrison has now won major international awards in 2000, 2001 and 2002 and is believed to be the first person to win all three. His previous awards include: 2001 National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) - NARST Award for the best paper presented at the annual conference in New Orleans: Harrison, A.G. (2000, April). How do teachers and textbook writers model scientific ideas for students? 2000 - Outstanding paper for 1999 in JRST (the world's highest-ranked science education journal), A. G., Grayson, D. J., & Treagust, D. F. (1999). Investigating a grade 11 students' evolving conceptions of heat and temperature. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 36(1), 55-87. Dr Harrison said CQU was developing a strong team of science education specialists and was hoping to take a leading role in future developments expected throughout Queensland over the next few years.

ENDS