Train and Goldner Receive AGI's Roy Award for Excellence in K-8 Earth Science Teaching

Marcia Train and Mark Goldner have been named the 2023 recipients of the American Geosciences Institute’s (AGI) Edward C. Roy Jr. Award for Excellence in K-8 Earth Science Teaching.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) has named Marcia Train and Mark Goldner as the 2023 recipients of the Edward C. Roy Jr. Award for Excellence in K-8 Earth Science Teaching. To celebrate AGI’s 75th anniversary, the Institute is giving two awards this year — one at the elementary-school level and one at the middle-school level rather than the traditional single award.

Marcia Train, a teacher at Long Island Elementary School in Long Island, Maine, earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Maine and her master’s degree from the University of Southern Maine. Train believes that the best way to teach science involves place-based lessons, which she applies to her teaching in her multi-grade classroom on the small island where she lives. Through such lessons, students come to understand that opportunities for learning do not stop when the school day or year is over.

Mark Goldner, a middle-school science teacher at Heath School in Brookline, Massachusetts, earned a bachelor’s degree in physics and history as well as a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Tufts University. He has earned Massachusetts professional teaching licenses in general science and physics. In his 31 years teaching, Goldner has designed novel inquiry projects for his students in which they practice Earth science through the lens of time and systems.

“Marcia Train and Mark Goldner demonstrate how innovative Earth science education can connect the learning process to students’ lives and communities,” said AGI Executive Director Jonathan Arthur. “To help illuminate and celebrate the importance of high-quality Earth science education across the elementary- and middle-school grade levels, AGI is pleased to honor these two deserving teachers with this year’s Roy Award.”

As part of the award, each winner will receive a $2,500 cash prize and up to $1,500 for professional travel. Both winners and their schools will receive plaques recognizing the accomplishment. The winners will be recognized in a ceremony during the National Earth Science Teachers Association’s Friends of Earth Science Reception at the National Science Teaching Association’s Annual Conference in Atlanta on March 9, 2023.

The Edward C. Roy Jr. Award traditionally recognizes one classroom teacher from kindergarten to eighth grade for leadership and innovation in Earth science education. The award is named in honor of Dr. Edward C. Roy Jr., who was a strong and dedicated supporter of Earth science education.