Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Director of Education Marijke Hecht has been named as the recipient of the 2015 Carnegie Science Center Award in the Leadership in STEM Education.

The awards honor those whose contributions in the fields of science, technology and education have impact Western Pennsylvania’s industrial, academic and environmental vitality.

“The attention this award brings to our amazing students and educators and to the Park Conservancy’s use of public parks as classrooms, is wonderful,” said Hecht.  “Outdoor environmental education is a valuable tool for engaging children in science and math, and I’m grateful for the focus that the Carnegie Science Center Awards brings to this work.”

With the Parks Conservancy since 2009, Hecht directs pre-K through high school education programs that immerse a diverse group of participants in the natural world.  Hecht has fostered the Parks Conservancy’s education programs as they have been developed and evaluated in collaboration with teachers and curriculum experts and mapped with state academic standards across a range of STEM-related disciplines, skills and practices.

Hecht is project director of the new Frick Environmental Center currently under construction in Frick Park.

The 2015 Carnegie Science Center Awards ceremony will be held on May 8 at the Carnegie Music Hall in Pittsburgh.

2/9/2015