Irene Osisioma, associate professor of teacher education at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) has been awarded a Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship.
Funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and managed by the nonprofit Institute of International Education, the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship facilitates engagement between scholars born in Africa who are now based in the United States or Canada and scholars in Africa on mutually beneficial academic activities.
One of only 60 academics to be chosen by the fellowship during its second round of grant awards, Osisioma will work for three months beginning in May with faculty at National Open University of Nigeria School of Education on science education curricula, professional development and mentoring, as well as teach science education-related courses to and supervise research projects of master’s and doctoral students.
“I am grateful to Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship for providing me with this opportunity to give back to my home country,” said Osisioma. “I am also thankful to California State University, Dominguez Hills for making it possible for their faculty and students to engage in such global and international projects.”
The fellowship will allow Osisioma to continue the collaborative work she’s been engaged in for the past several years with institutions in Nigeria, most recently with National Open University during a year-long sabbatical. She also is involved with the country’s Science and Technology Education Research Group (STERG) on projects related to indigenous science and technology in Africa.
Osisioma’s research interests include contextualizing science education through indigenous knowledge acquisition, and the use of web-based scientific simulations to facilitate science instruction.
“Dr. Osisioma has consistently shown a commitment to and passion for international education,” said John Davis, interim dean of the CSUDH College of Education. “Her recent sabbatical and research in Nigeria is yet another example of how she is advancing the mission of the university and the College of Education by promoting best practices in education both here and abroad. The recognition she has received as a Carnegie African Diaspora Fellow is further testimony to her excellent work and commitment to the continent.”
Osisioma has a Ph.D. in science education and bachelor’s degree in applied science from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She taught science courses at Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Nigeria before moving to the United States where she first taught science through the Los Angeles Unified School District. She joined the CSUDH College of Education faculty in 2004.
For more information about the fellowship, visit here.
