Educators recognize that undergraduate research programs flourish on campuses that provide a strong curricular structure to support research. Reinvigorating the undergraduate experience: successful models supported by NSF's AIRE/RAIRE program, the publication of Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) is expressly designed to share successful…

The various issues like do mentors have a responsibility to take a new look at the chemistry curricula in light of the challenges and expectations of the 21st century workplace, and should our graduates possess other valued characteristics are discussed. Every academician has the responsibility to prepare chemists for the 21st century by…

Attempts to link school science education with citizenship are not new. They range from the General Science movement of the first half of the last century to more recent initiatives such as "21st Century Science" in the UK and "ChemCom" in the USA. This article reviews some of these earlier attempts, with particular reference…

The computer systems available for molecular modeling are described, along with a discussion of a molecular modeling program created and supported by computational techniques for the first-semester general chemistry course. Various exercises are listed, which direct the learner from a beginner's course in software practice to more complex…

The PC-based software technology, a computational-modeling course, for undergraduate chemistry students helps them to understand the molecular modeling in a better way. This course would be able to accommodate a wider array of topics and a greater depth of theory as the modeling is increasingly incorporated into the chemistry curriculum.

This paper sets out to identify some key problems, issues and challenges relating to out-of-school experiences of learners in science teaching that emerged during classroom observations in schools in Botswana. Generally, there is evidence suggesting weak incorporation of learners' experiences into teaching. The experiences seemed to have a lower…

This narrative presents the educational route followed by an Intel Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) winner who was not always recognized for his scientific abilities. Factors contributing to the success of this gifted student are presented, as well as his creative insights for solving the problem that gave rise to the winning project.…

"Eureka!" is an interactive museum for children situated in Halifax, West Yorkshire, which opened in 1992. It has over 400 hands-on exhibits in four gallery spaces: (1) "SoundSpace"; (2) "Living and working together"; (3) "Our global garden"; and (4) "Me and my body". It aims to inspire children about themselves and the world around them through…

Since 1990 the science curriculum in Northern Ireland has gone through three major changes. In the beginning, fifteen attainment targets were introduced to an unsuspecting and largely unprepared teaching population: these were eventually reduced to five in 1993 and then to the present two in 1996. Unlike in England, technology has never stood as…

We discuss how relational databases constitute an ideal framework for representing and analyzing large-scale genomic data sets in biology. As a case study, we describe a Drosophila splice-site database that we recently developed at Wesleyan University for use in research and teaching. The database stores data about splice sites computed by a…

Understanding natural and human-induced hazards is an important part of the standards-based science curriculum. Experience, however, indicates that the topic is a difficult one for many students. We have developed an exciting investigative laboratory exercise that uses simulated food-based case studies to promote critical thinking and improve…

A typical undergraduate biology curriculum covers a very large number of concepts and details. We describe the development of a Biology Concept Framework (BCF) as a possible way to organize this material to enhance teaching and learning. Our BCF is hierarchical, places details in context, nests related concepts, and articulates concepts that are…

A multiple baseline across behaviors design was used to evaluate the efficacy of embedded instruction with 3 students with developmental disabilities who were enrolled in general education classes. Two general education teachers and 1 paraprofessional delivered embedded instruction to students during regularly scheduled instructional activities.…

The practice of science has been characterized as the systematic application of common sense. This view, frequently held by scientists themselves, holds that the same qualities that allow pre-industrial societies, pioneers, cast-aways, and common folk everywhere to cope with their environment and prosper also make for good scientists. However,…

In this article, the author examines whether the very reasons that explain why intelligent design is controversial in the science curriculum also apply to social studies. She reports what teachers at a recent democratic education conference said about four different lessons on intelligent design that could fit into social studies courses. She…