Fletcher G. Watson, an astronomer and professor emeritus at the Graduate School of Education (GSE), died May 7 of heart failure. He was 85 and lived in Belmont and North Eastham, Mass.

"Dr. Watson had a passion for bringing science to populations who had traditionally been ignored," said GSE Dean Jerome T. Murphy. "As a scientist, he was not content to contribute merely to his discipline. Instead, he devoted his considerable energies to upgrading standards for teaching science and for preparing science teachers. His work enriched science education in the U.S. and across the world."

Watson was born in Baltimore in 1912 and graduated from Pomona College in 1933. After earning his doctorate in astronomy from Harvard University in 1938, he joined the Harvard College Observatory staff, and published Between the Planets in 1941. Written for a general audience, the book summarized the current knowledge of comets, meteors, asteroids, and metoerites and was translated into several languages.

During World War II, Watson served in the Navy, where he expedited the development of the Long Range Navigation (LORAN) system and achieved the rank of lieutenant commander. After completing his military service in 1946, Watson was appointed professor of science education at the GSE, where he served for 31 years. He was named Harvard's first Henry Lee Shattuck Professor of Education in 1966.

An expert in science education, Watson was a founder and co-director of Harvard Project Physics, a nationwide course development effort funded by the Office of Education, the National Science Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Carnegie Foundation, and Harvard. The project, which began in 1964, created a new physics course with a humanitarian emphasis to attract high school seniors, particularly girls, to the field. First published in 1968, the course integrated texts, tests, films, and new laboratory equipment and raised the standards for physics instruction nationwide. He consulted on science teaching in Thailand, Australia, Turkey, France, England, Japan, and Korea.

"Fletcher Watson was brought from the astronomy department to the school of education by the very persuasive President Conant," said Gerald Holton, Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and Professor of the History of Science Emeritus, who also serves on the GSE faculty. "We all profited from that decision. One of Dr. Watson's proudest accomplishments was to organize the lengthy and exemplary method of testing the national program, Project Physics. He tested the materials in schools throughout the U.S. in order to have the final edition fit the needs of the various students the course tried to reach, including women students who were avoiding science."

After his retirement from Harvard in 1977, Watson served as director of Project City Sciences at New York University. This project focused on training pre-service teachers and clinical professors for work in inner-city schools. He was also the founding chairman and a long time member of the Planetarium Advisory Committee of the Boston Museum of Science.

Watson was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the national Science Teachers Association, and the American Association of Physics Teachers. His numerous awards include the National Science Teachers Association distinguished service citation in 1972, the Outstanding Science Teacher Award from the Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers in 1977, and the Robert J. Carlson award for his "outstanding national leadership in science education" from the National Science Foundation in 1985.

Watson is survived by his wife, Alice Hodson Watson, and four sons, Alexander of Washington, D.C.; Jonathan of Ridgefield, Conn.; Stephen of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; and Christopher of Pascoag, R.I.; eight grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

A memorial service is planned for Monday, May 19, at 2 p.m. at the Memorial Church. Contributions in lieu of flowers may be sent to the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, South Wellfleet, MA 02663.