Craig Strang

Craig Strang is Associate Director of Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley and leads the Center for Leadership in Science Teaching. Craig is the founding Director since 1985 of MARE: Marine Activities, Resources & Education, an award-winning K–8 professional learning and curriculum development program focused on implementing schoolwide marine science that increases learning and language development, especially for English Learners, in California, Nevada, Texas, New Jersey, Oregon and Japan. Craig is the Director and lead Principle Investigator of the multi-institution, NSF-funded Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence – California which led the development of the Communicating Ocean Sciences college courses and professional learning network for informal educators. He also led the NSF-funded Youth & the Ocean (¡YO!) Project for Latino and African American secondary students. Craig was for two years founding Chair of the National COSEE Council that governed the National COSEE Network. In 2005, he received the National Marine Educators Association Marine Education Award. In 2012 he received the NMEA President’s Award for his leadership of the Ocean Literacy Campaign that resulted in the development of Ocean Literacy: The Essential Principles of Ocean Sciences Grades K–12 and The Ocean Literacy Scope & Sequence for Grades K–12. He is co-author of three multi-volume sets of science & environmental education curriculum materials for grades K–8: Proyecto SOL: Science Oriented Learning, Project OCEAN and MARE. He is co-author of three LHS Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) teacher guides: On Sandy Shores, Ocean Currents and Only One Ocean. He was PI of the NOAA-funded Ocean Sciences Sequences for Grades 3–5 and Grades 6–8 that are aligned with the Ocean Literacy Scope & Sequence and the Next Generation Science Standards. He is the PI of BaySci: The Bay Area Partnership for Science Education that improves school districts capacity to improve and support science teaching in the new NGSS/Common Core era. He is lead PI on the NSF DRK-12 professional learning partnership with Stanford University, Researching the Efficacy of the Science and Literacy Academy Model. He is PI of BEETLES. (Better Environmental Education Teaching, Learning & Expertise Sharing), which designs professional learning tools and exemplary trail activities for residential outdoor science programs.

Craig served on the Advisory Committee for the National Science Foundation Geosciences Directorate, and on the National Academy of Sciences Panel Reviewing NOAA Education Programs. He is past-president of National Marine Educators Association and sat on the board of directors of NMEA from 1988–1993, and on the Board Executive Committee from 2006–2014. Craig testified in Congress on February 4, 2010 before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science on the value of inquiry-based science education, and the important role that NSF, NOAA and NASA play in improving science education. Craig has conducted field research on elephant seals and humpback whales, and until 2002, led natural history eco-tours to East Africa, Baja California and Galapagos.

510-642-9809 | cstrang@berkeley.edu