Massachusetts Hall of Fame for Science Educators

Frank L. Sullivan (1992)

Frank Sullivan graduated from Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont with an A.B. in Biology and Chemistry in 1953. He was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Coast Guard before he began teaching. His teaching career commenced in 1957 at the University of California at Berkeley as part of a special program to increase the number of teachers in the area of Science. He taught seventh and eighth grade Science at the Carquinez School in Crockett, CA for two years before moving to San Ramon Valley High School, where he taught Biology for 4 years.

After completing a Masters degree in Zoology at UC Berkeley, Frank moved to Weston, Massachusetts in 1963 to take a position teaching Biology at Weston High School. He became President of the Weston Teachers Association and negotiated Weston's first teachers’ contracts.

In 1967 Frank accepted an appointment to teach Biology as an Associate Professor at Salem State College. While there, he created the Credential Program for students preparing to be Biology teachers. He earned two Outstanding Teaching Awards while at Salem State, where he directed many NSF Teacher Enhancement programs, including the well-known Marine Science Institute.

He was chosen Chairman of the NSTA International Committee and co-chaired two joint International conferences with the United Kingdom in London and Boston. In 1974 Frank earned his Doctorate in Science Education and Psychometrics from Boston University. He was chosen Massachusetts Outstanding Science Educator by M.A.S.S. in 1991. He was inducted into the Massachusetts Hall of Fame for Science Educators in 1992, and was named Science Educator of the Year by MAST in the same year.

After retiring in 1992, Frank worked for the Massachusetts Department of Education to help lay the groundwork for the PALMS Project. From 1994 to 1998 he has been a PALMS Regional Resource Provider Director for the Northeast.

Special Honors:

• Science Educator of the Year, 1992
• Inducted into the Massachusetts Hall of Fame for Science Educators, 1992
• Massachusetts Outstanding Science Educator, 1991
• CO-Chaired two joint International conferences of the NSTA International Committee with the United Kingdom in London and Boston.
• Chairman of the NSTA International Committee
• Two Outstanding Teaching Awards from Salem State College
• Distinguished Service Awards from Salem State College for teaching, administration, and community service, 1979 and 1986
• Received over $500,000 in grants from NSF for teacher education programs, 1971 to 1980
• Received a $28,000 grant from General Electric Company, Raytheon, and GTE-Sylvania for the Collaborative Project for Science Education to improve the teaching of Science and Math in grades 6 through 12, 1990 to 1991

Last Modified: October 7, 2004