Carlo Parravano, since 1992, has served as Executive Director of the Merck Institute for Science Education where he is responsible for the planning, development and implementation of numerous initiatives to improve science education. Before assuming his current position, Dr. Parravano was Professor of Chemistry and Chair of the Division of Natural Sciences at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Purchase. In addition, he served as Director of the Center for Mathematics and Science Education of the SUNY/Purchase-Westchester School Partnership. Dr. Parravano is a recipient of the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 1999, he was elected to the rank of AAAS Fellow and in 2004 he was designated a National Associate of the National Academies. He is a recipient of the National Science Teachers Association's Distinguished Service to Science Education Award; the Keystone Center's Leadership in Education Award; Rutgers University's Distinguished Leader Award; and Education 500 Leadership Award of the Institute for Education Excellence and Entrepreneurship. Dr. Parravano is an active member in a number of professional organizations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Chemical Society, and the National Science Teachers Association. He served on the Steering Committee for the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress in Science; founding Vice Chair and member of the New Jersey Professional Teaching Standards Board (1999-2007); Co-Chair of the New Jersey Science Core Curriculum Content Standards Group; and chair and member of the Board of Directors of the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (1997-2006). He serves as a member of the National Research Council’s Board on Science Education (Executive Committee) and is Principal Investigator for a National Science Foundation-funded Mathematics/Science Partnership award. Dr. Parravano earned a B.A. in chemistry at Oberlin College and was awarded a Ph.D. in physical chemistry by the University of California at Santa Cruz. His research experience has been in the area of molecular beam studies of excited atoms and molecules, and the application of physical chemical techniques to the solution of biochemical and environmental problems.