An ASU professor was recently elected to the board of directors for one of the nation’s largest organizations promoting science education.

Julie Luft, a professor of curriculum and instruction in the Mary Lou Fulton College of Education, began her three-year term serving on the board of the National Science Teachers Association last month.

The association, located in Washington D.C., is the country’s largest group that provides oversight of policy and research for science teachers at all academic levels.

Luft said the organization is fairly influential in directing national policy and deals with just about everything related to science education.

One of Luft’s many goals for the position is to create more dialogue between different areas of science and education.

"It's almost like homeland security," Luft said. "There are lots of organizations that do related work, but nothing comes of it because there is little communication."

Luft said her expertise in education research is what made her an attractive candidate for the position.

She wants to make educational research more accessible to instructors, she said.

"The challenge is to put our research into a usable format that instructors can understand," she said. "Teachers don't always have time to read a 30-page research paper."

One of Luft’s other major goals is to attract and retain more science teachers.

“We need to increase funding for programs designed to attract more teachers,” she said. “There is a shortage of science teachers right now, and we need to try to fix that.”

According to the organization’s Web site, nearly 50 percent of all new teachers leave their job within the first five years. To combat this, the group developed the New Science Teacher Academy.

The academy is a mentor program designed to help increase retention rates for new science teachers.

Luft said her obligations to ASU are still very important to her, and her commitment to the National Science Teachers Association will be carried out by monthly conference calls and trips to Washington D.C. throughout the year.

George Hynd, senior vice provost for education and innovation and dean of the Mary Lou Fulton College of Education, said in a press release that Luft's academic accomplishments at ASU and her enthusiasm for science are what earned her a position with the national association.

"Dr. Luft is a dynamic faculty member who now will help guide the association in defining and articulating the world of science education as it pertains to research," Hynd said.

Reach the reporter at jaking5@asu.edu.