David Devraj Kumar

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Professor of Science Education

EdD in Science Education, Vanderbilt University, 1991

Bio and Research Interests

David Devraj Kumar is a Professor of Science Education at Florida Atlantic University. Within the context of science for all students, his research and scholarly activities emphasize digital media supported problem-based learning, gaps in policy rhetoric and classroom practice in STEM, evaluation, climate change, and nanotechnology education. He has directed several funded research and development projects including those supported by US Department of Education, National Science Foundation, and Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Presently, he is a Principal Investigator of a NSF project evaluating STEM teacher recruitment and retention in high-need school districts in the United States. He is the Founding Director of the STEM Education Laboratory in the College of Education at FAU, a former Visiting Faculty at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, a former AERA Evaluation Fellow, and a Director Board Member of the Florida Fund for Minority Teachers created to promote diversity in teaching.

Recent Positions and Honors

Visiting Fellow, Governance Studies, Brown Center on Education Policy, The Brookings Institution, 2018-2019

Fellow of International Academy of Education

Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science

Member of European Academy of Sciences and Arts

Member of International Council on Materials Education

Honorary Fellow of The American Institute of Chemists

Fellow of Kerala Academy of Sciences

Outstanding Theoretical Journal Article Award, Research and Theory Division, Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 2020

Sir Ron Nyholm Education Prize, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2008-2009

STEM Champion Award (College Level), International STEM Education Association, 2013

Selected Publications

Kumar, D. D., & Hansen, M. (2018). Climate confusion: Content and strategies, not controversy, are the biggest challenges for science teachers. Brown Center Chalk Board (October 30, 2018). Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution

Kumar, D. D. & Yurick, K. A. (2018). Web-assisted problem-based learning in nanotechnology and quality of student learning in elementary science. Journal of Materials Science Education, 40(1-2), 29-58.

Perez, K. & Kumar, D. D. (2018). STEM professional development policies in the United States: Trends & Issues. In Shelley, M., & Kiray, A. (eds.), Research highlights in STEM education. ISRES Publishing.

Hill, J. O., & Kumar, D. D. (2015). The development, implementation and quality assurance of a tertiary course on carbon neutral fuels, energy and environmental sustainability. The Chemical Educator, 20, 157-166.

Kumar, D. D. (2010). Approaches to video anchors in problem-based science

learning. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 19(1), 13-19.

Altschuld, J. W., & Kumar, D.D. (2010). Needs assessment: An overview. CA:

Sage Publications.

Kumar. D. D. & Sherwood, R. D. (2007). Effect of a problem based simulation on

the conceptual understanding of undergraduate science education students.

Journal of Science Education and Technology, 16(3), 239-246.