Lawrence S. Lerner died on January 3, 2026, at the age of 91, according to his wife Narcinda Lerner. His scholarly interests included not only condensed matter physics and the history of science but also K-12 science education, on which he was a recognized expert, serving as a major author of the 1990 California Science Framework and as a reviewer of state science standards for the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation for over 15 years. In recognition of his work on K-12 science education, especially evolution, NCSE presented him with its Friend of Darwin award in 2003.
In Lerner's reviews of state science standards, he was constantly mindful of the importance of presenting evolution accurately, thoroughly, and honestly. In 1998, he evaluated state science standards in 36 states, remarking (PDF, p. 23), "Given the importance of biology, a set of science standards that ignores the spectacular progress of the past century and half in this science cannot be regarded as satisfactory." In 2000, he evaluated the treatment of evolution in state science standards, lamenting (PDF, p. 14), "Evolution, the central organizing principle of all the historical sciences, constitutes a prime target for political pressure groups." He summarized (subscription required) his evaluation in Nature in the same year. In 2005, he collaborated on a report on state science standards, which observed (PDF, p. 7), "The attack on evolution is unabated, and Darwin’s critics have evolved a more-subtle, more dangerous approach." In 2012, he collaborated again on a report on state science standards, which identified (PDF, p. 9) "An Undermining of Evolution" as one of four frequent systemic flaws. In 2013, he collaborated on a report on the Next Generation Science Standards; while the report was lukewarm about the NGSS in general, it acknowledged (PDF, p. 42) that "the standards addressing evolution are better organized and generally stronger than in many of the state standards that we have reviewed."
Lerner was born in New York City on March 19, 1934. He earned his A.B., S.M., and Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago in 1953, 1955, and 1962, respectively. After a stint working in industry, he joined the Department of Physics and Astronomy at California State University, Long Beach, in 1969, becoming emeritus in 1999. His books included a translation of Giordano Bruno's La cena de le ceneri (with Edward A. Gosselin, 1977), Physics: Foundations and Applications (with Robert M. Eisberg, 1981), and Physics for Scientists and Engineers (1996).
