Meet Dr. Cindy Smith
Dr. Cindy Smith is an award-winning educator, environmental scientist, author, and engaging public speaker. She has dedicated her 25+ year career to making knotty ecological problems easy for everyone to understand and fun to study.
Dr. Smith has trained hundreds of teachers, parents and students in stress-free ways of engaging youth in environmental science, sustainability, ecology, biology and more. Rather than memorizing science and math facts, Dr. Smith helps educators, especially those with little to no science background, to easily connect learners of all ages to their natural world. Children learn how to ask questions, just like scientists do, and how to measure and monitor their authentic outdoor discoveries all while ‘playing’ in their backyards. This sought-after speaker meshes her nature photography, wit, and wisdom to consistently bring smiles to live and online audiences while connecting people of all ages to their natural world.
Her Nature Everyday card sets engage youth, parents and educators in authentic outdoor discoveries that promote critical thinking. Rather than memorizing science and math facts, youth learn how to ask questions, just like scientists do, and critically analyze their observations.
Her awesome recent book, The Cicada Olympics, is available on Amazon.
Noteworthy collaborations:
Featured on front page of the Virginia Academy of Science spring 2022 newsletter Virginia Scientist
She was featured on ABC7 News raving about cicadas!
She was featured in Prince William News, Where are the Cicadas?
She was featured in InsideNoVa “Cicada Olympics’ engages curiosity and competition
She was featured in Seed Strategy ‘Business by Nature’
Teaching Awards
2021 George Mason University Teaching Excellence Award - High Impact
2019 Prince William Conservation Alliance Wildlife Champion - for creating outdoor education programs and talented visual storytelling which inspires people to take a closer look at nature.
2018 Prince William County VA Green Community Award - Directorship of enviro-stewardship activities.
2018 Seeds of Change Outstanding Community Partnership – In Collaboration with NoVA Outside for ongoing delivery of the SEAS event
2017 Prince William Chamber of Commerce Innovative Partnership of the Year – with PWC Solid Waste Division
2016 Jack Wood Town Gown Relations - Watershed Education Program partnership initiative with Fairfax County Schools & Park Authority
2012 The Virginia Mathematics & Science Coalition recognized Prince William County’s From the Mountains to the Estuary: From the Schoolyards to the Bay award as a “Program That Works“, an award that recognizes effective student and teacher educational programs.
In 2011 The Chesapeake Bay Education Partners (which includes PEREC) won Prince William County’s Business Partnership Award.