This column shares reflections or thoughtful opinions on issues of broad interest to the community. This month's issue discusses tools of formative assessment.

The idea of establishing Science High Schools in Turkey was discussed in a multilateral project at the beginning of 1963. The Ministry of National Education (MoNE), Ford Foundation, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara University, and International Development Agency (AID) participated in this project to establish these schools. In…

In March and April 2014, the author travelled overseas on a 2013 Churchill Fellowship to study education programs that successfully engage and enthuse primary and middle school students in maths, engineering and science (MES) or science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) learning in schools, universities and institutions in the United…

The Undergraduate Ambassadors Scheme provides an opportunity for students in their final year of the chemistry degree course at the University of Reading to choose an educational project as an alternative to practical research. The undergraduates work in schools where they can be regarded as role models and offer one way of inspiring pupils to…

In section two of a 2002 amendment on the Undergraduate Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Education Improvement Act, congress stated "A workforce that is highly trained in science...is crucial to generating the innovation that drives economic growth..." (Committee on Science, 2002). Given the growth in science,…

Late in the winter of 2010, teachers across Massachusetts received invitations to apply for six- to eight-week Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in which middle or high school teachers in STEM subjects would work alongside scientists and their graduate students as they sought to solve real-world problems. This country-wide effort was funded…

This paper discusses the "Teaching Math and Science: Reaching for Excellence" video which was developed to challenge the claims that math and science are difficult, tedious, and boring and asks students to consider math and science as career options. The video offers an honest approach to the state of teaching mathematics and science through the…

Conducts an investigation derived from the logico-structural theory of worldview for the purpose of examining the relationship between science interest and variations in the causal universal within college students' worldviews. Concludes that the investigation lends corroboration to the logico-structural theory of worldview and provides a further…

Since the mid-1990s, increasingly fewer French students have been enrolling for science subjects at university. Speaking of a "loss of interest in science among young people" is nevertheless premature. The phenomenon is primarily due to socio-demographic changes. As a result of their position in French higher education, universities,…

Described is an alternative to the science fair for promoting student interest in science. High school students are invited to participate in a science olympiad, promoting high school college interaction. Suggestions for organizing events and activities of the olympiad are included. (DS)

The case of Germany is taken as an example of cyclical variation in higher education enrolment in the sciences. The article argues that the mechanism underpinning these fluctuations is the cobweb model. This model establishes a recursive loop between trends in enrolments in a discipline and trends in the labour market associated with this…

University research magazines provide a vehicle for the understanding and appreciation of university research. Readership includes media representatives, government officials, potential donors, alumni, faculty, high school and junior college science teachers, industry managers, etc. (MLW)

Describes a run test of automobiles for applying Newton's second law of motion and the concept of power. Explains some automobile thought-experiments and provides the method and data of an actual coast-down test. (YP)

Describes the Multidisciplinary Studies program at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth that provides advanced coursework in the sciences without requiring that a student major in a specific science. Focuses on the fields of environmental science, cognitive science, gerontology, and environmental psychology. (JRH)

One of the goals of developing a new chemistry courses is to foster positive student attitudes toward chemistry and to capitalize on both positive and negative experience in helping students to see how teachers can influence students' interests in science with inquiry-based and discovery learning. Additionally the courses are conclusively helpful…