Moore is among the 102 recipients announced by the White House last month.

A member of the Purdue faculty since last fall, Moore was nominated by the National Science Foundation for work done at the University of Minnesota. She had been at Minnesota since earning the first doctorate degree conferred by the Purdue School of Engineering Education in 2006. She also has bachelor's degrees in mathematics education and interdisciplinary engineering and a master's in mathematics education from Purdue.

Her research and teaching work, which also earned her a Faculty Early Career Development award, is centered on integrating the STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — in K-12 classrooms. She has examined different mechanisms of bringing engineering content and standards into the classrooms that led to a framework for quality K-12 engineering education. She also is developing PictureSTEM, an instructional module at each level from kindergarten through fifth grade that employs engineering and literacy contexts to integrate STEM content in meaningful and significant ways. The modules use picture books and an engineering design challenge to engage students.

"I am humbled and grateful for this honor," Moore said. "My hope is that my research on integrated STEM education will contribute to the development of rich and engaging learning environments that foster deep STEM content understanding for K-12 students."

Leah Jamieson, the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering, said, "We are delighted to have Tamara back as a member of the engineering education faculty. Her research on integrating STEM education into K-12 classrooms is a perfect fit for Purdue."

Moore will be honored at the White House sometime this year.