Dr. González-Howard has made significant contributions to science education through her research which is situated at the intersection of scientific sensemaking, multilingualism and teacher education. Her scholarship has helped to reimagine and transform k-12 science learning environments, making them more equitable spaces where all students’ ideas, experiences and ways of doing and communicating science are truly valued and used to advance classroom communities’ understandings of natural phenomena. This work includes novel methodological work, rich theoretical grounding, and is directly applicable to classroom practice and policy. For example, in terms of methodology, her innovative use of social network analysis (SNA) to analyze classroom argumentation highlights the role of interactional patterns in student sensemaking. Furthermore, her strong theoretical background combined with her deep understanding of k-12 settings enables her to push the field to work toward a more critical and just perspective of equity in science education, particularly for multilingual students, and asset-oriented framing. Dr. González-Howard’s research is original, ground breaking and transformational both in the academy and in the classroom.

As a 2022 recipient of the Early Career Research Award of NARST: A Global Organization for Improving Science Education through Research, Dr. González-Howard joins her predecessors in setting high standards for future recipients.