Marvin N. Tolman, a Brigham Young University professor of teacher education, was recently honored with the Utah Science Teachers Association’s lifetime achievement award.
As an additional honor, the association will now annually recognize one individual with the Dr. Marvin N. Tolman Lifetime Achievement Award in Science Education. The recipients will be required to demonstrate a lifetime of service based on Tolman’s example.
Tolman, who is known to many in Utah as the father of elementary science education, taught in elementary schools for nine years before coming to BYU. During his 32 years at the university, he developed in-service courses that served thousands of teachers and directed a statewide in-service program that became the Utah Core Academy, in addition to his regular teaching duties.
He has published articles in national and international journals and authored a college textbook about science methods. He also has written a series of hands-on activity books for elementary and junior high school students.
Writer: Elizabeth Kasper