TIMSS measures trends in mathematics and science achievement at the fourth and eighth grades in participating countries around the world, while also monitoring curricular implementation and identifying promising instructional practices. Conducted on a regular 4-year cycle, TIMSS has assessed mathematics and science in 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, and…

To determine the carbonation degree of materials used in mineral carbonation experiments, a fast, simple, and sufficiently accurate method is required. For this purpose, a method based on the reaction between carbonates and hydrochloric acid was developed. It was noted that this method could also be used to teach undergraduate students some basic…

Advances in technology have yielded computer numerical control (CNC) machines and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software that saves time and increases productivity in today's industrial world. Training students to understand and use these technologies has become a key ingredient in preparing them for work in industry. Teachers of machining…

Electrospinning has been used to create nanofibers for filtration devices, tissue engineering, and protective clothing. Although electrospinning is now widely studied, because of the expensive equipment required and the advanced nature of this topic, it is not commonly found in high school science labs. Through grants from the Ohio State…

President Barack Obama recently issued a call for increased hands-on learning in U.S. schools in an address at the National Academy of Sciences. Obama concluded that the future of the United States depends on one's ability to encourage young people to "create, and build, and invent." In this article, the author discusses National Lab Day (NLD)…

At the University of Pittsburgh, the author and his colleagues have been exploring a range of approaches to design challenges for implementation in high school science classrooms. In general, their approach has always involved students working during class time over the course of many weeks. So, their understanding of what works must be…

In France, project activities figure predominantly in technology education. The general idea behind learning based on project activity is to allow the pupil to get involved in the activity in question, with the pupil tackling real situations rather than ones of an abstract nature. But too often, we notice that the pedagogical strategies used by…

Educationally successful electronic network activities involving microcomputers and long-distance networks include a student newswire, joint social science projects, and joint science projects. A newswire activity, such as "The Computer Chronicles," can provide a wide range of audiences for writing, a functional environment for reading, and a…

Described are the Undergraduate Research Participation and Student-Originated Studies programs supported by the National Science Foundation. These summer programs offer undergraduate students firsthand research experiences in science and engineering. Students gain a better appreciation of the way science works and experiences in research…

K-12 students and teachers can use the Internet for planning science fair activities--for project ideas, resources, and interactive Web sites. Lists 26 science Web sites specializing in question answering, activities, experiments, optics, math, dissection, inventions, physics, space, genetics, cockroaches and worms, and Twinkies (sponge cakes).…

Introduces the 1988 IBM/Classroom Computer Learning teacher of the year. Explores some of his teaching methods and ideas. Discusses his winning project of having students do research projects using a modem hookup to CompuServe. (MVL)

Reports on the use of an interactive interface in school-based research to explore the learning of kinematics through body movement. Responses from, as well as the successes of, middle and secondary school students are indicated as significant for learning behaviors both in a school setting and at interactive science exhibits. (22 references)…

A summer academy is held for grade 9-12 high school students at the University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, every year. The academy, dubbed the Da Vinci Engineering Enrichment Program (DEEP), is a diverse program that aims to attract domestic and international high school students to engineering and sciences (and possibly recruit them). DEEP…

This paper describes the use of a student conference as a novel experience aimed at motivating students enrolled in various computer architecture courses, such as Microprocessor Systems. The goal was to increase student engagement, to decrease failure rates, and to introduce students to the world of research. This multidisciplinary experience…

As the United States strives to achieve energy independence, students need to be literate about energy and environmental issues. In this article, the authors present a lesson about the nation's electricity resources that is part 1 of a free, comprehensive unit on coal and energy that is available online (http://tinyurl.com/coalenergyunit). The…