F. James Rutherford

F. James Rutherford (Stockton, California, July 11, 1924) is a science professor. He is the founder of AAAS's Project 2061, a long-term effort to reform Science education in the United States.

He has been involved in Harvard Project Physics and Project City Science, and he also was Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation with President Jimmy Carter, Assistant Director of the United States Department of Education and Educational Director of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Formative years

His first contact with Science education was as Radar Teacher during the Second World War in 1945. After the war, he returned to the University of California, Berkeley where he completed his bachelor's degree in Biochemistry. His war experience led him to obtain an MA in Science Education at Stanford, with a master's thesis on the status of teaching about atomic energy in California.

In 1945 he married Barbara Webster, mother of his four children. With her assistance, James Rutherford produced his own materials for teaching Science courses in high schools of South San Francisco and Capuchino, CA. History and Philosophy of Science were both included, as he placed them at the core of understanding the nature of scientific achievement. Rutherford's reputation as a teacher grew and more students enrolled in his classes.

University career

Rutherford completed his doctorate at Harvard in 1961. His dissertation was entitled “An Analysis and Evaluation of Polices and Practices in the Selection, Training and Employment of Science Teachers”. He was, with Fletcher Watson and Gerald Holton, author of "Harvard Project Physics" (“Experimental Physics: A Laboratory Manual for the Introductory Physics Course”, 1956) which provided teachers a variety of products they could utilize according to their personal styles. Rutherford's advice to teachers was: «Keep the things you like, tear out and throw out the things you do not, try some others and gradually over five years, you will have your own notebook».

In 1970 Jim Rutherford accepted a position at New York University (NYU), as Chair of Science and Mathematics Department in Graduate School of Nursing and Education. He taught Science education seminars, History of Science, Sociology of Science, Public understanding of Science and Science and Technology. At that time Rutherford put his energy into a systemic effort for improving Science Education of New York City School District: an NYU program known as "Project City Science".

Government and scientific society

In 1977, Rutherford was appointed Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) by President Jimmy Carter. He was responsible for all Science, Mathematics and Engineering education programs. He also served in this administration as Assistant Secretary for Research and Improvement in the United States Department of Education.

In 1981, Rutherford became the Executive Director of the Education Division of the AAAS, and in 1985, he began work on Project 2061, which coincided with the arrival of Comet Halley to help the schools to foster science literacy among all Americans. Named after the next year of the comet Halley's return, Project 2061's title embodies the symbolism of the long term nature of this reforming effort, ingraining in the populace the patience and persistence that would be necessary to sustain the project over the long haul.

Rutherford stepped down as Education Director of the AAAS and Project 2061 in 1998 and retired from the AAAS in 2001. His “retirement” project is a grant-funded Environmental Science curriculum program, entitled “Resources for Environmental Literacy”. Additionally, he is an advisor to many countries revising their standards in Science education. He was also an important advisor in the creation of three science museums in Spain: House of Sciences, Domus and Aquarium Finisterrae [http://www.casaciencias.org/mc2/ (=mc2)] .

F. James Rutherford has received many honors like the first University of California Lawrence Hall of Science Award for a Lifelong Commitment to Science Education.

References

* Lange, Catherine. [http://www.ihpst2005.leeds.ac.uk/papers/Lange.pdf Mission 2061: The Story of Science Reformer, F. James Rutherford] (PDF) "International History, Philosophy, Sociology & Science Teaching Conference", 2005

* cite book
last = National Academy of Engineering
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Technically Speaking: Why All Americans Need to Know More About Technology
publisher = The National Academies Press
date = 2002
location =
pages = pp. 143-144
url = http://fermat.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10250&page=143
doi =
id = 0309082625

External links

* [http://www.project2061.org/ Project 2061 official site - AAAS]