Science Education & Policy

As a member of the  "Jaws" generation I have mixed feelings about a story I read this morning detailing the plight of the severely endangered great white shark. Oh I'm not talking about the affect that the extinction of these ancient killers will have on the oceans or the loss of a species. Nor am I talking about the legacy that a generation which is still debating global warming is leaving our children. I'm talking about a generation of kids who are still afraid of the ocean because of that movie. And I just can't reconcile the two. It was the mid-1970s when the Stephen Spielberg movie…

In the somewhat chronic angst over science understanding (more funding, more funding) one thing that gets lost is that it's really only 'fact-based' science, memorization, where American kids are behind those in Asia.  That changes over time and, among adults, new results show science understanding has improved dramatically. We have said since our inception that there is no lack of knowledge among the public, the science audience has obviously grown dramatically, but people are instead framing science through their politics more, so those on the other side see a deficit.   Science…

As the 21st century unfolds, if even one woman does not get a job, there will be claims of discrimination.   And some will believe discrimination occurs institutionally despite the evidence, and insist any action by individuals is proof of sexism.   That's the nature of humans being humans. But it's good to know the issue is still being addressed.   In a new study, "Understanding Current Causes of Women's Underrepresentation in Science" in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (freely available to read - http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2011/02/02/…

The Squids 4 Kids outreach program I helped to start up is going strong! We've been doing a number of local dissections, both in and out of classrooms, and shipping squid around the country. They made the news in Florida: With cameras flashing and video rolling Wednesday, six Canterbury Upper School seniors dissected a 4-foot-long Humboldt squid. and North Carolina: A chorus of "Gross!" came from students in the Honors Marine Sciences class at Ashley High School as 16-year-old Bryce Hensley pulled off the beak of a giant Humboldt squid during a dissection. . . . "I never even knew that squids…

Dr. Paul Offit is the Hillary Clinton of the autism world. Or is he? It seems really unfair that a well-respected pediatrician and infectious disease expert who has devoted his career to saving lives is the recipient of the vitriol that places like Age of Autism and people like its editors and followers heap on him, all because he has the courage to stand up to their intimidating tactics and speak out honestly about vaccines. He's one of the first to admit that vaccines have caused damage; he writes openly and honestly about the live polio vaccine causing polio, about Cutter laboratories.…

In the quarterly lamentation about the need for science outreach in the U.S., what often gets lost is that not everyone will be good at science.   Lack of science knowledge is regarded as some sort of defect, but it is never an issue with the child, instead it is society or schools.   We need more funding for cartoon characters and flashy animation to explain science because that is what today's kids 'need', we are told.   If you are in that camp, the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress will make you happy.    It shows that about a third of…

My son just wrote an article for his 10th grade journalism class about a couple on their way to plan a Disney wedding in Orlando - their long-held dream wedding - who were hit by a truck driver that just had to answer a text in the middle of a highway. She was killed and her family now speaks regularly about the dangers of texting and driving. My neighbor has a smart, pretty, 19 year-old daughter who is glued to her cell phone. It buzzes all through dinner, and although she won't necessarily answer it, she stares at it anxiously each time it starts vibrating. She hit another car while she…

In  , it was noted that happiness spikes when wealth increases but then gradually levels off as a factor.   Money does not buy happiness, it was always said, and it may be that money does not buy a better education either. It's what happens when money is expected to increase basic education; achieving that begins to conflict with notions of diversity, equality and inclusion. Inclusion has become a political buzzword, notes Docent Girma Berhanu from the University of Gothenburg in International Journal of Special Education, but educational reform is leading to less of it.…

Without question, a booming worldwide population and the need to feed them have resulted in greater greenhouse gas emissions.   The goal of any civilized society has always been to make food affordable to everyone regardless of income and we are converging on that rapidly.   If anything, the rising obesity problem is because we are reaching a Utopian ideal of enough food for everyone in richer countries. But the greenhouse gases from food production are a concern and one proposed solution by a group of economists in Sweden is to increase taxes on meat and milk (but not fruit and…

The scientific literacy of the American student has been dropping for quite some time now, and we often hear about this serious problem (here and here and, oh, over here). Our national educational system -- from both the public and private sectors -- are in place to do something about it, and many have great intentions to do so. One institution of higher education, Bard College, launched a new program before classes started in January 2011 with the goal of instilling a new sense of appreciation for scientific understanding and process (read the press…