Position/Organization:

Senior Vice President for Strategic Programs, Pacific Science Center; Program Director, National Science Foundation Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings

Dennis Schatz is Senior Vice President for Strategic Programs at Pacific Science Center in Seattle, Washington, and currently on temporary assignment as a Program Director at the National Science Foundation. At the Science Center, he provided leadership to several of the Science Center's major initiatives. He co-directed Washington State LASER (Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform), a program to implement a quality K-12 science program in all 295 school districts in Washington State.

He was Principal Investigator for Portal to the Public, an initiative to develop programs – both onsite and off – that engage scientist in working with public audiences to enhance the public's understanding of the current science research being conducted across the state. He is the author of 21 science books for children that have sold almost 2 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 23 languages. He is also co-author/editor of several curriculum resources for teachers. He has received numerous honors – most recently being presented with the 2009 Faraday Science Communicator Award, given annually by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). This award recognizes and honors an individual or organization that has inspired the public's interest in and appreciation of science. He joins an elite group of highly prestigious honorees. In 2008 the winner was the PBS series NOVA, and in 2007 the award was presented to NPR Science Correspondent Ira Flatow.