Science Education & Policy

In the last couple of years STEM organizations from across the nation have come together in an effort to engage the next generation in potential science and engineering careers. Gaining in popularity rapidly, local and national science firms have created some very cool exhibits to showcase the work they do. So if you're a scientist or engineer and you want to show your kids what you do - these are the events to do it at. You're likely to find everything from a toddler structuring a DNA model with toothpicks and marshmallows, to an exhibit where kids can climb into the cockpit of a virtual…

In the last couple of years STEM organizations from across the nation have come together in an effort to engage the next generation in potential science careers. Gaining in popularity rapidly, local and national science organizations have created some very cool exhibits to showcase the work they do. You're likely to find everything from a toddler structuring a DNA model with toothpicks and marshmellows, to an exhibit where kids can climb into the cockpit of a virtual reality space shuttle and fly it. Look for celebrities doing presentations with neuroscientists, the science of Harry Potter,…

Science and our legal system intersect frequently and everywhere - climate, health care, intellectual property, you name it. It wouldn't make much sense to hire an environmental lawyer for a case on medical malpractice, but what about the judge overseeing the case? Should judges be experts in these particular scientific fields? No, says the Federal Judicial Center and National Research Council, but they should at least be informed and hire experts where needed. The groups recently published the third edition of the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence, created to assist "judges in managing…

After writing, then discarding, a particularly snarky bit because it was too snarky for even me, I realized I am still due this week's entry.  Fortunately, to my rescue comes Blackboards in Porn! "Celebrating pornographers who go the extra mile when set dressing classroom porn and actually write something on the blackboard. What do they write, and is it correct? (Humour site - Safe for work)". Seriously.  And it's safe for work (which some might see as a deficit).  There are only 8 entries so far, each a serious evaluation of the accuracy of the equations and/or concepts…

It makes environmental activists crazy, in that 'believe scientists when science agrees with us but scientists are out to kill us when science doesn't agree' kind of way, but a large study of U.S. adults found that the more science they knew and the more independent they were, the less they were worried about climate change. Science likes to deal in facts and natural laws, not superstition or hysteria, so the study also found that the more scientifically literate the person, the more likely they were to be dismissive of opposing beliefs; so smarter people worry about climate change less and…

Being in media, it's easy to get inundated with convincing opposing data and so it's easy to understand why it can be confusing for the public who don't have hours each day to sift through it all. Over a decade ago, for example, people were concerned that American students tested poorly against students in Asia.  No Child Left Behind, which established education performance standards for states, therefore had terrific bipartisan support when it was instituted - it passed 384–45 in the House and 91-8 in the Senate.  Educators were that convincing in their concerns that students were…

To PhD or not to PhD? It seem this is a question many students face. Perhaps the results of the first Eurodoc Survey can help some of them with their decision. Eurodoc, or the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers, is an international federation of 34 national organizations of doctoral candidates, founded in Girona (Spain), and, since 2005, it has its seat in Brussels (Belgium). From December 2008 until April 2009, Eurodoc concucted a survey among doctoral candidates in 12 European countries. The final report summarizes the answers of over 7500 respondents from…

The least convincing argument for government-run schooling is that it provides a 'social' experience for children.  Anyone who attended school has horror stories about the behavior kids learn from the social environment at schools and, if you are a parent with a school age child, you might even worry about it more than be relieved. Single-sex schools would seem to relieve some of that pressure, just like some women or some men feel better at a single-sex exercise facility. Advocates of single-sex schools contend that there may be brain differences between girls and boys that benefit from…

If a school system overburdened by costs cuts drama programs, celebrities get on television and lament the loss.  Athletics gets support from boosters if their programs are in danger but if a gifted program goes on the chopping block, the presumption is 'they are smart, they will do well anyway'. Obviously, athletics has one advantage; no unions.  Schools are allowed to go out and hire the best coaches to cultivate, train and coach student athletes but the educational unions will not allow better teachers to be paid more money. But not only can schools not hire the best teachers and…

Xiao-Gang Wen, a condensed matter theoretical physicist, has joined the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics as the new BMO Financial Group Isaac Newton Chair.   Yes, their Isaac Newton Chair has a corporate sponsor.  Xiao-Gang Wen is moving from MIT to Perimeter Institute as the inaugural holder of the BMO Financial Group Isaac Newton Chair in Theoretical Physics. At MIT, he held the Cecil and Ida Green Professorship in Physics.  The position was funded by a CDN$4 million gift from the BMO Financial Group, matched by another CDN$4 million from Perimeter's existing…