Sylven Beck, an associate professor of curriculum and pedagogy in the George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development, was named the 2026 Outstanding STEM Educator by the Maryland Science Center. The award recognizes educators and organizations that support the Center’s mission to inspire, empower and engage students through informal STEM learning.
For more than 30 years, graduate students in Beck’s STEM Teaching Methods course have participated in Maryland Science Center workshops that highlight informal science education and strengthen future classroom teaching. More than 300 future educators have benefited from these experiences, many of whom now teach in school systems across the region.
The Maryland Science Center’s president and CEO, Mark J. Potter, said that Beck exemplifies the center’s mission by creating meaningful learning opportunities for students, educators and young professionals, helping bring the joy and process of science into broader educational practice.