International education award given to a pair of Georgia Southern professors

October 7, 2022

Georgia Southern University Center for STEM Education program coordinator Kania Greer, Ed.D., and elementary and special education Associate Professor Karin Fisher, Ph.D., were recently awarded a Global Partner Award from Narayan Seva Sansthan School in Udaipur, India.

Fisher said she was honored and pleasantly surprised that she and her partners were recognized for “innovation and special STEM education efforts for differently abled.”

Greer echoed the gratitude they hold for receiving the award. Both Greer and Fisher spoke to the importance of the work their international colleagues are doing.

“The work Narayan Seva does is so vital to the lives of the people they help that it is impossible to put into words how I felt being told we were to be given this award,” said Greer. “It is a reminder that a single point in time, no matter how small, can have a huge impact on the lives of people. We look forward to continuing our relationship with them in the future.”

Narayan Seva’s mission is to heal, enrich and empower people with disabilities and underprivileged people from across India. The school’s partnership with the Georgia Southern College of Education ensures that their students and teachers will have access to teaching methods that inspire and empower the next generations of people.

In January 2020, Greer and Fisher traveled to the school to work with the students and teachers and provide professional development. The trip was sponsored by the STEM Center of Excellence. During the visit, the two met students and teachers with a variety of both physical and mental challenges who were educated free of charge at the school. In addition, they attended a corrective surgery in-person and were allowed to interact with the doctors who performed the surgery.