Professor Donald Gray

Biography

Donald Gray is Emeritus Professor in the School of Education at Aberdeen University. He has a particular interest in science and sustainability issues , Goethean science, STEAM, outdoor learning, nature connectedness, 4E cognition and how these are addressed in educational contexts. He is currently actively involved in developing ideas in Garden-based Learning and STEAM Gardens with OSF Garden Schools: https://osfgardenschools.co.uk/ 

Funding and Grants

PI ’International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) ODA Project Grants. Internal funding 1st April 2024-31st March 2025.. Sowing the Seeds in Teacher Education through School Gardens in Togo. £18,124

PI SFC ODA Internal funding.19 Dec. 2023-31st March 2024. Cultural Translation and Indigenous Voices in Food Growing School Gardens. £9,220

PI 2021 Internal Pump Priming Award, 1st August – 31st December, Community regeneration and biodiversity within a food activism and sustainability framework. £8794

2020 Submitted November. British Academy/ Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowship. Goethean science: perspectives, prospect and pedagogy for science education in the Anthropocene. £59,470 (Unfunded)

2020 Submitted July. British Academy Tackling Global Challenges: From the Ground up: Education for Food Sovereignty and Urban Renewal through the Insights of M.K Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore and Patrick Geddes . Value £49,854 (Unfunded)

2019 Submitted: Bundles of Technologies & Tools for Livelihood Enhancement in rural Africa - Natural, Economic, Cultural and Knowledge exchange impacts. BBSRC. PI Professor J.U. Smith, Inst. Of Biol and Env Sciences. £1,489, 044. (Unfunded)

2018. Career paths and Education Provision for Forestry: A Focused Study. 1st Jan. 2018- 31st Sept.2018. Forestry Commission Scotland and Scottish Forestry Trust. Value £21,000

PI A review of the Natural Partners Initial Teacher Education Programme 2012-2017. Forestry Commission Scotland. Oct.2017-March 2018. Value £7895

48376. Education, health and climate action through school gardens and biogas in Uganda. British Academy Knowledge Frontiers 2017 application. (Not funded). £48376.

Co-applicant and grant holder Aberdeen City Community Growing Spaces funding with Bob Donald, One Seed Forward, and Laura Colucci-Gray. School Gardens Project. 1st October 2017 – 31st July 2018. Value £14,841.

Erasmus Consortium. e-InFo-TED - Electronic International Forum for Teacher Educator Development Total Budget – seven European partners €406,741 Aberdeen : €37,605. Lead. Prof. Kari Smith, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.

Grant Holder and PI British Academy International Mobility Scheme in collaboration with University of San Andres, Buenos Aires. Creativity in Science Education and Science Teacher Education. Value.

£26,145. 2013-2016

Grant Holder and PI. Kick Start Award with Creative Star learning Company. To develop and pilot a student internship scheme for outdoor learning focusing on WordPlay Ground project. £5,000

Grant Holder. University of Aberdeen, CPD Pump Priming Fund. Aberdeen/Argentina ATLAC developments.  Nov 2011-April 2012                                                                                              £3,000.

Grant Holder and PI. Using extreme sports as an approach to Curriculum for Excellence. Research and development pilot with Transition Extreme. Sporting Chance Star Award.

Nov.2011-Mar. 2012                                                                                                     £5,000

Grant Holder and PI. Arts as a Tool for Learning Across the Curriculum (ATLAC). Scottish Arts Council. May 2008-October 2009,                                                                                              £28,500

Grant Holder and PI. College of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Aberdeen, seed funding 2007: Science, Society and Sustainability. Changing Paradigms, Changing Pedagogies: New Challenges for Science Education.                                                                                               £1,000

Grant Holder and PI. University of Strathclyde Research and Development grant: A Comparative Collaborative Study on Pedagogical Approaches to Controversial Issues in Science Education, January- November 2003                                                                                               £2,892

Grant Holder and Principal Investigator (PI). Biotechnology Summer School Evaluation June 2001- June 2003, SAPS/Wellcome Trust                                                                                             £20,000

Grant Holder and PI. Evidence-based Practice in the Secondary Science Department, March- September 2001, Scottish Executive                                                                                                £1950