University of Delaware alumna Kristin Gagnier has received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers, according to an announcement by the White House on Jan. 14.

Gagnier received her doctorate in cognitive psychology in 2010. She is a senior research scientist at AnLar in Arlington, Virginia, where she oversees planning and execution of large-scale, educational program development and evaluation. The innovative and far-reaching work is focused on connecting educational research to practice, particularly STEM education.

Gagnier currently directs two projects which aim to support teaching and learning in elementary science through the development of research-informed curriculum and professional training and coaching. She leads the development and evaluation of SPACE-IT, a novel professional development program that utilizes workshops and coaching to facilitate 5th-grade teachers’ effective science instruction and students’ spatial thinking skills, interest, and science achievement. She also directs the development and evaluation of a curriculum that employs five research-informed practices to develop students’ scientific interest and competencies.

Established by President Clinton in 1996, PECASE recognizes scientists and engineers who show exceptional potential for leadership early in their research careers. The award recognizes innovative and far-reaching developments in science and technology, expands awareness of careers in science and engineering, recognizes the scientific missions of participating agencies, enhances connections between research and impacts on society, and highlights the importance of science and technology for our nation’s future.

This year’s nearly 400 awardees are employed or funded by 14 participating agencies within the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Interior, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs and the Environmental Protection Agency, the intelligence community, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, and the Smithsonian Institution. Gagnier’s work falls under the auspices of the Department of Education.