Massachusetts Hall of Fame for Science Educators

Mary E. Corcoran (1992)

Mary Corcoran graduated from Emmanuel College with a major in Chemistry. She served as an instructor in the Chemistry Department at Emmanuel while completing a Masters program at Boston College. She has taught Chemistry, Physical Science, Oceanography, and Earth Science at Winthrop High School in Winthrop, Massachusetts since 1955. Mary served as the Science Department Head from 1960 to 1973. She was appointed to the K-12 Science Supervisor position for the Winthrop School System in 1973.

Mary has had the opportunity to participate in eleven National Service Foundation Institutes at various sites from Boston to Berkeley. She has developed a popular Oceanography/Marine Science program with an emphasis on the Boston Harbor/ Massachusetts Bay environment. She was a founding member of the North Shore Science Supervisors Association, which became an affiliate of the Massachusetts Association of Science Supervisors in 1967. Mary served as a member of the Board of Directors and the Board of CPIMSE, a Chairperson, and a participant in Project WISE for the organization. She was finally elected President of the M.A.S.S. in 1983.

In 1983, Mary involved herself in the Project for the Improvement of Math and Science Education, a project that provided professional development opportunities to teachers on the North Shore. This project currently involves 34 school systems and over 650 participating teachers.

Mary is an active member of the National Science Teachers Association. She served as the Director of Supervision from 1985 to 1987, as the National Convention Co-Chairperson in 1984, and as the Chair in 1992. She will act as Chairperson in the convention scheduled for 1999.

Special Honors:

• Named Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers Outstanding Educator of Suffolk County in 1995
• Inducted into the Massachusetts Hall of Fame of Science Educators in 1992
• Received Winthrop School Committee Tributes in 1992 & 1995
• Invited Participant of NSTA/Chevron Off-Shore Platform Briefing and Tour in Santa Barbara in 1986
• Named Massachusetts Outstanding Science Educator in 1985
• Invited Participant of NASA Science Educators, Launch of Discovery in 1984
• Elected President of the Massachusetts Association of Science Supervisors in 1983
• Served as a member of the Board of Directors, a Chairperson, a member of the Board of CPIMSE, and a participant in Project WISE
• Appointed to K-12 Science Supervisor for the Winthrop School System in 1973

Last Modified: October 7, 2004