Museum of Science, Boston Senior Vice President Elected to Prestigious National Academy of Education

Dr. Christine M. Cunningham, Senior Vice President of STEM Learning at the Museum of Science, Boston, was elected to membership in the National Academy of Education (NAEd) for her significant contributions to educational research and policy. Dr. Cunningham is one of 14 members elected to the Academy in 2024. 

Founded in 1965, the NAEd is a nonprofit dedicated to improving educational policy and practice. Its 300-plus members were elected from around the world on the basis of outstanding educational scholarship or leadership.

Dr. Cunningham has dedicated the past thirty years to making engineering, science, and computer science education more equitable and accessible, particularly for underrepresented and underserved populations in STEM. She is the Founding Director of Youth Engineering Solutions (YES) and its predecessor, Engineering is Elementary (EiE)—both created by the Museum of Science’s award-winning PreK-12 education division. 

Dr. Cunningham’s contributions to the educational field extend beyond the Museum, where she serves on the National Assessment Governing Board, the National Academy of Science Committee on PreK-12 STEM Education Innovations, and as a fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education. She is the 2017 recipient of the Harold W. McGraw Jr. Prize in Education and holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in biology from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in education from Cornell University.

YES, the Museum’s newest equity-oriented, socially engaged PreK-8 engineering curricula, has been generously supported by MathWorks, Pennsylvania State University and the National Science Foundation. To learn more, please visit the Museum Press Room and the YES website. 

To read more about the National Academy of Education’s announcement, please visit their website here.