Peter Fensham

Peter Fensham was emeritus professor of Science Education at Monash University, after 25 years as the first such appointee to that position in Australia. Previously, he was reader in Physical Chemistry at the University of Melbourne. In addition to chairing WUSA, he convened a series of lectures to recognise the 25th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, published as a book titled Rights and Inequalities in Education, that became foundational for the Commonwealth Schools Commission in the 1970s. Involved with science teachers in every state, he became the first nationally appointed president of the Australian Science Teachers Association in 1971. He has been a leader in research into science education, best known for his seminal paper ‘Science for All’ in 1985. In the early 1970s he was the Australian participant in the UNESCO/ UNEP meetings that established Environmental Education internationally and was, with others, instrumental in establishing the Australian Association for Environmental Education in 1981. He has also worked in many countries overseas, both developed and developing. Sadly, he died in August 2021.