Godwin's dissertation, “Understanding Female Engineering Enrollment: Explaining Choice with Critical Engineering Agency,” was judged by colleagues in the Selection Committee to have the greatest significance in the field of science education from among all dissertations nominated for the award. She completed her dissertation at Clemson University under the direction of Dr. Geoffrey Potvin.

"I am honored NARST found my dissertation to be important to the community of science educators," Godwin says. "I look forward to continuing my research at Purdue with an eye on improving enrollment of underrepresented groups in engineering and creating opportunities to develop students' STEM identities in the transition from high school to college."

An assistant professor in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue since Fall 2014, Godwin teaches Ideas to Innovation I as part of the First-Year Engineering Program and a graduate-level course, Special Problems In Engineering Education. Her research focuses on increasing female enrollment in engineering, how students’ attitudes and beliefs affect their choices and their learning, and how to improve engineering education for all students – especially those from underrepresented groups.

Formal presentation of the award will take place April 13, 2015, at the NARST Annual International Conference.

The ultimate goal of NARST is to help all learners achieve science literacy by:

1. encouraging and supporting the application of diverse research methods and theoretical perspectives from multiple disciplines to the investigation of teaching and learning in science;
2. communicating science education research findings to researchers, practitioners, and policy makers; and
3. cooperating with other educational and scientific societies to influence educational policies.