Sandra (Sandi) K. Abell, in whose memory the institute is named, was a University of Missouri professor of science education and was instrumental in conceptualizing, planning, and hosting the first Summer Research Institute. Sandi passed away in 2010. Sandi was an internationally recognized scholar, who spearheaded the University of Missouri’s effort to build one of the nation’s leading K-12 science teaching and research centers. Sandi served as President of NARST and won numerous awards for mentoring graduate students, teaching and scholarship.

The Sandra K. Abell Institute for Doctoral Students was established to support the professional development and education of doctoral students involved in the study of science education. Over the years, the Abell Institute has provided a space for doctoral students to establish a community within and to build long-lasting relationships with peers and mentors.

Goals for the Institute

• Form a network of emerging and experienced science education researchers 
• Make the hidden curriculum of the PhD process explicit to the graduate students and help them understand the place of their research in the broader research community
• Improve science education research through dialogue with a community of researchers

The 2025 Abell Institute will be held July 21-25 in Evanston, IL, hosted by Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy. Organizers are Jason Buell, Christa Haverly, Brian Reiser and Yang Zhang. We will host 30 doctoral students and 10 faculty mentors.

The organizers would like to thank the NARST research committee for selecting our group and Julianne Wenner, Brooke Whitworth, Christina Schwarz and Amelia Gotwals for their help and allowing us to build off their wonderful work from 2023. Description of the Institute on this page comes from the NARST website.