Iram received the Ordnance Survey Award for excellence in geography education at secondary level. She is currently undertaking her PhD in the Department of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment at IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society. Her PhD focuses on pedagogical understanding of anti-racist and decolonial geography education through investigating how race and racism is taught in English schools’ geography lessons.
The recognition is part of a series of annual awards that celebrate extraordinary achievement in geographical research, fieldwork, teaching, policy, and public engagement. This year the Society’s medals and awards recognised 23 different people or organisations for their outstanding contributions to geography.
Iram said: “Geography is for every one of us, as it helps us learn about people and places throughout time and space. With anti-racist approaches to teaching geography in schools through a decolonial lens, we can transform or enable plurality in the learners’ view of the world they share with billions of other humans. Geographia, or geography is a subject that can really bring people and communities together through embracing diversity, equality and equity.”
The Society’s Two Royal Medals, approved by Her Majesty the Queen, were awarded to the scientific expedition leader, Sir David Hempleman-Adams, and the Director of British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Professor Dame Jane Francis. The Royal Medals are among the highest honours of their kind in the world.
The medals and awards will be presented by the Society’s President, Nigel Clifford, at a celebration at the Society on 6 June.
Links
- Read the RGS story
- View the full list of medallists
- View Iram Sammar’s research profile
- Department of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment
Image: Juliana Kozoski via Unsplash