Department of Education Nomination of F. James Rutherford To Be an Assistant Secretary.

The President today announced his intention to nominate F. James Rutherford, of Washington, D.C. to be Assistant Secretary of Education for Research and Improvement, a new position.

Rutherford has been Assistant Director for Science Education at the National Science Foundation since 1977, on leave from New York University, where he was chairman of the department of science education.

He was born July 11, 1924, in Stockton, Calif. He received an A.B. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1947, an M.A. from Stanford University in 1949, and an Ed. D. from Harvard University in 1962. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1946.

From 1949 to 1951, Rutherford was a science teacher at South San Francisco High School. From 1951 to 1954 and 1956 to 1959, he was a science teacher and head of the science department at Capuchino High School, San Bruno, Calif. From 1961 to 1964, he was a science consultant on science curriculum development and director of the Science-Humanities Project for the San Mateo Union High School District.

From 1964 to 1971, Rutherford was an assistant, then associate professor of education at Harvard Graduate School of Education. He was also codirector and executive director of Harvard Project Physics, a national curriculum project.

From 1971 to 1977, Rutherford was professor of science education and chairman of the department of science education at New York University. He served as head of the division of education for a short time before going to the National Science Foundation.

Rutherford is the author of numerous publications on science education.