TC alumna Melina Furman (Ph.D. ’07, Ed.M. ’05, Science Education) died at age 49 on Sept. 6 after a long battle with colon cancer. Lauded as one of the most significant Argentinian science educators in recent decades, Furman gained prominence for her extensive scholarship and public service related to teacher preparation and cultivating critical thinking in STEM teaching.
An associate professor at the University of San Andrés, Furman collaborated with ministries of education across Spanish-speaking countries to advance teacher preparation and implement innovative science education programs for 20 years. She was the author of numerous publications and books, including Extreme Curiosity: Experiments to Train your Brain's Superpowers, published earlier this year and co-written with her young sons.
After hosting an educational television program for children in 2010, Furman returned to notoriety among the general public following her popular TEDx Talks. In her most notable, which has garnered nearly 1.5 million views on YouTube, Furman delivered an impassioned call for educators to go beyond surface-level learning.
“[Students] learn that learning is repeating, even not full understanding. That learning is to recite. And they learn that learning is a dispassionate activity, something we do for others, not for ourselves,” Furman said in Spanish in 2015. “One of the things we learned in these years, of working a lot with schools, is that one of the keys is to focus on the questions. To transform these factual questions, these dead questions, into questions for thought. In case studies, in challenges, in problems that present intriguing matters that make you want to answer.”*
In addition to her position at the University of San Andrés, Furman served as a director at the Ibero-American publisher Siglo XXI Editores. She was the co-founder of the nonprofits the World of Ideas (El Mundo de las Ideas) and Science Expedition (Expedición Ciencia), the latter of which was established in 2002 and provides science education programming in Argentina. Furman also led teacher development for UNICEF’s New Secondary School for Adolescents between 2018 and 2021.
“Kindness, passion, and love of teaching and learning are a few words that describe Melina Furman when she was a doctoral student in the science education program,” said TC’s Felicia Mensah, Professor of Science and Education, who served on Furman’s dissertation committee. “She had a strong desire to make a difference in the lives of others and to connect this to curiosity and learning from the youngest of learners to adults. We are fortunate to have been part of her journey. We are extremely proud of Melina's accomplishments and the worldwide impact of her research and presence in education.”
Melina is survived by her husband, Fabio Tarasow, her two sons, and a community of dear friends and colleagues.
[*Editor’s Note: This article quotes a video from YouTube, which leverages automated translation technology, and may not fully reflect the nuances and details of its original language.]