Blake Touchet, left, and Jeff Grant.
NCSE is pleased to announce the establishment of two new Friend of Darwin and Friend of the Planet awards, specifically recognizing exceptional K-12 public school teachers whose work exemplifies accurate, honest, and thorough science education with regard to evolution and climate change. Generously endowed by a longtime friend of NCSE, these awards are intended to celebrate teachers who have advanced NCSE's goals of defending and strengthening the teaching of evolution and climate change in the public school system.
The inaugural recipient of the Friend of Darwin Excellence in Evolution Education award is Blake Touchet. A master science teacher whose Ed.D. dissertation studied Louisiana administrators' perceptions of and influence on evolution education, Touchet is now a high school curriculum facilitator for the Vermilion Parish School District in Louisiana. One of NCSE’s most active Teacher Ambassadors from 2018 to 2022, Touchet was employed by NCSE from 2022 to 2025, where he helped to expand the Supporting Teachers program, worked extensively with the science teacher community, and aided the Catalyzing Action program with evaluating proposed changes to state science standards across the country.
The inaugural recipient of the Friend of the Planet Excellence in Climate Education award is Jeff Grant. A biology and anatomy and physiology teacher at Downers Grove North High School in Downers Grove, Illinois, Grant is a former NCSE Teacher Ambassador. He received the Golden Apple for Excellence in Teaching and Leadership award in 2016, the Outstanding Biology Teacher of Illinois award from the National Association of Biology Teachers in 2020-2021, and the DuPage County Teacher of the Year award in 2026. He and his colleagues have organized Climate of HOPE, a massive climate change professional development conference for K-12 educators in Illinois, twice, and they hope to do so again in the future.
These awards are designed to serve as distinguished national recognitions for science educators. To ensure that outstanding teachers receive broad consideration, K–12 award recipients from organizations including the National Association of Biology Teachers, the North American Association for Environmental Education, the National Marine Educators Association, and the National Association of Geoscience Teachers will be automatically nominated. In addition, NCSE members will have the opportunity each year to nominate exceptional educators whose work reflects NCSE's commitment to scientific accuracy, excellence in education, and public engagement.
Both the Excellence in Evolution Education and the Excellence in Climate Education award include an honorarium as well as travel, lodging, and registration support to attend the National Association of Biology Teachers Professional Development Conference the next year. The recipients will be invited to discuss their work at the conference, sharing effective practices and inspiring colleagues from across the country.
Touchet and Grant join an illustrious group of 2026 Friend of Darwin and Friend of the Planet awardees: Constance Bertka, Stephen Brusatte, Lauri Lebo, Climate.us, Miranda Massie, and Benjamin Santer.
