Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor of Science Education Soonhye Park Receives 2025 University of Georgia’s Mary Frances Early College of Education Alumni Mid-Career Researcher Award

Soonhye Park, an Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor of Science Education in NC State’s College of Education, has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 University of Georgia Mary Frances Early College of Education Alumni Mid-Career Researcher Award.

The award recognizes a graduate of the Mary Frances Early College of Education who has made outstanding contributions in research. Park earned her Ph.D. in science education from the University of Georgia. 

“Receiving the UGA Mary Frances Early College of Education Alumni Mid-Career Researcher Award is an incredible honor that reflects both the personal and professional milestones I’ve reached in my career,” Park said. “The strong academic foundation I built during my doctoral studies at UGA played a pivotal role in shaping my path as the independent researcher I am today, and I am incredibly grateful for that.”

Park’s research focuses on teacher pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), teacher change and teacher professional development. Over the course of her 20-year career so far, Park said she is most proud of the fact that she has been able to develop an impactful research agenda that helps educators across the country develop the professional knowledge for teaching science necessary to foster meaningful learning for their students. 

One highlight of her career cited in her nomination for the award was a study that stemmed from her dissertation work and introduced the “Pentagon Model of PCK for Teaching Science.”

This conceptual framework has been widely adopted by researchers around the world and has been cited more than 2,400 times through Google Scholar. The work has special significance for Park because of the guidance she received from her doctoral advisor, Professor Emeritus J. Steve Oliver, ’77, ’83MED, who is also an NC State alum. 

“His guidance not only helped me navigate the complexities of academic research but also taught me the importance of research integrity, rigor and ethical practices, all of which continue to shape my work today,” she said. “This shared academic lineage ties my work at NC State to the legacy of UGA, making this award even more meaningful to me.”