It is with great sadness that we share the news with the science education community that John Curtin Distinguished Professor Barry Fraser passed away peacefully in the company of his family on Thursday, October 17, 2024.
Professor Fraser’s contributions to the field of education, in particular to science education, are immeasurable, and he leaves behind an extraordinary legacy. His pioneering research in learning environments has had a profound impact both in Australia and globally. Throughout his career, Barry was known for his dedication to improving educational practices and outcomes. His work on classroom environments and educational measurement has shaped countless studies and influenced educators worldwide.
Professor Fraser began his academic career at Macquarie University in New South Wales after completing his doctoral thesis at Monash University in Victoria. In 1982, he moved to Curtin University, in Western Australia. Barry became one of its first professors, and made an indelible mark as a leader, mentor, and scholar. The quality, quantity and importance of his publications spanned hundreds of articles and books. Over 52,000 citations, from 500-plus publications, is remarkable. Barry won a great deal of grant funding to support his work—his track record as an academic is truly impressive.
Barry was President of NARST (1995-1997), the initiator of the Special Interest Group, Learning Environments, at the American Educational Research Association, and the initiator of Learning Environments Research: An International Journal for which, with Jill Aldridge, he was co-editor. In 2003, Barry received the Distinguished Contributions to Research Award from the National Association of Science Teaching (NARST), only the second Australian to do so.
Barry was the leader in the success of SMEC (Science and Mathematics Centre) that delivered opportunities for academics, graduate students and school teachers to discover, explore and share valuable innovations in teaching and learning. Barry’s dedication to fostering the next generation of scholars was evident in his mentoring of students and colleagues alike. His hard and diligent work took SMEC and Curtin University to the international scene of science education, both by attracting notable international scholars to spend study leave at SMEC and encouraging and supporting SMEC staff and students to travel to international forums, thus making a huge contribution to the development of their academic careers.
As we remember Barry and celebrate his life and the impact of his contributions, we recognise these significant contributions to our School and the broader educational community. Barry was always enthusiastic, supportive and incredibly generous in giving his time to the well-being of his many colleagues, both international and at Curtin. He was always willing to contribute and took a great interest in early career academics. Barry leaves behind a remarkable legacy to the academic community. His passing is indeed a great loss, not only to his family and colleagues, but also for science education.
David Treagust, Léonie Rennie and Jill Aldridge
Curtin University, Western Australia