Gale M. Sinatra, PhD, is presented with this Presidential Citation for her exceptional leadership, influential advocacy, and extensive contributions to educational psychology, climate science education, and increasing public understanding of science.
Sinatra is the Rossier Stephen H. Crocker Chair of Education & Psychology in the School of Education and Director of the Motivated Change Research Lab at the University of Southern California. She chaired the APA Climate Change Task Force, which was authorized by the APA Council of Representatives in 2020 as part of the Council of Representatives Policy Resolution, APA’s Response to the Global Climate Crisis. The task force issued its report in February of 2022, calling on the discipline, the profession, and the association to strengthen the role and impact of psychology in addressing the global climate change crisis and made recommendations regarding APA's own practices as an organization related to energy use and sustainability
Sinatra is a Fellow of the APA, the American Educational Research Association, and the Society for Text and Discourse, and is a member of the National Academy of Education. Her areas of expertise include climate science education, evolution education, STEM learning, conceptual change learning, and the public understanding of science.
As Director of the Motivated Change Research Lab, she is dedicated to identifying motivational factors and conditions that contribute to the likelihood that individuals will change their attitudes and thinking. An educational psychologist, her work reaches across disciplines. In collaboration with partners at USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies and the Natural History Museum, the project team is building an augmented reality exhibit at the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum to support visitors’ engagement with science.
Her innovative efforts to educate the public also include a co-authored book with Barbara Hofer, Science Denial: Why it Happens and What to Do About It. In a time of increased misinformation and disinformation, Sinatra’s research to understand how to reduce misconceptions about a range of policies—from education to evolution and climate change—are needed now more than ever to support evidence-based policies and empower individuals to improve their digital literacy. In recognition of these contributions, it is my honor to present her with this Presidential Citation.