The College of Education and the STEM Research Center invite you for a lecture by Dr. Derek Fish, a current Fulbright scholar at OSU from South Africa, who will be discussing the unique educational challenges he experienced in his 30 years running a science center in South Africa, reflecting on lessons learned from his Fulbright year in the US. Dr. Fish will discuss the challenges of STEM education in a country that experienced major political changes after Apartheid, massive continuing inequality and racial tensions, and enormous linguistic and cultural diversity. The conversation will focus on mutual learning based on his experiences as a Fulbright Scholar in the US.

About Dr Derek Fish:

University of Zululand. Fulbright Scholar to OSU and Institute for Learning Innovation: 2023
 
After training as a Science and Mathematics Teacher, Derek has been running Unizulu Science Centre (similar to OMSI) in Richards Bay, South Africa, for over 30 years. He has presented science shows all over the world and has represented Africa on the International Science Center body. He is a Council member, founder and former President of the Southern African Association of Science and Technology Centres (SAASTEC). He is active in the South African Institute of Physics (SAIP) and has guided their outreach programme to schools for the past few years. In 2016 he completed his doctorate in Physics Education with a study based in his science center. Derek was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 2021 to work with the Institute of Learning Innovation and Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR, in 2023. He is married to Karen, who accompanied him on his Fulbright Exchange, and they have two grown-up daughters.