Project Learning Tree, the environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation, has named Dr. Usha Rajdev, associate professor of education at Marymount University, a 2012 National PLT Outstanding Educator.

Rajdev, a Falls Church resident, was previously honored as the 2012 Virginia PLT Outstanding Educator and has now been selected as one of five educators from across the U.S. to receive the national honor.

Rajdev was honored for her commitment to environmental education, exceptional teaching skills, and the integration of the PLT’s teaching philosophy into Marymount’s Education programs. She has incorporated innovative, environmentally-based science and math teaching methodologies into the curriculum, adapting them to different environments and cultures.

In addition to preparing students to teach in U.S. schools, Rajdev has led two groups of graduate and undergraduate education students to Porbandar, India, where they shared hands-on learning methods with Bachelor of Education candidates at Dr. Virambhai R. Godhaniya College and with children at two nearby schools.