Library professionals have always engaged with associations and communities to share experiences and information. Going back through the earliest times of the profession, librarians have interacted through conference meetings, professional publications, and a variety of other venues. These in-person and print-based interactions continue as…

The conceptions of the nature of science (NOS), particularly scientific knowledge, scientific method, scientists' work, and scientific enterprise, of 113 Thai pre-service science teachers were was captured by the Myths of Science Questionnaire (MOSQ) in the first semester of the 2008 academic year. The data was quantitatively and qualitatively…

This tricentennial tribute commemorates Euler's major contributions to mathematical and physical sciences. A brief biographical sketch is presented with his major contributions to certain selected areas of number theory, differential and integral calculus, differential equations, solid and fluid mechanics, topology and graph theory, infinite…

Students connect to science in multiple ways. For some students, learning how real people have developed and defended their scientific ideas makes science relevant and interesting. Tracking the changes in scientific thought over time can be fascinating for students as they see how scientists based their growing understanding on empirical data that…

The author discusses the importance of incorporating research into undergraduate curricula. Pedagogical approaches include faculty-directed research projects, off-campus internships, and research-oriented courses (R-courses). Examples of R-courses are reviewed, and an introductory microbiology course that teaches first year students "how to do…

Interviews with key scientists who had conducted research on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), together with analysis of media reports, documentaries and other literature published during and after the SARS epidemic, revealed many interesting aspects of the nature of science (NOS) and scientific inquiry in contemporary scientific research…

This paper discusses an initiative called "Scientists in Schools" which was implemented with a group of seventy (n=70) Year 4 and Year 7 students studying in a local school in regional South Australia with the primary objective of raising awareness and interest in the study of sciences. Mezirow's critical reflection was used by the…

This paper discusses the findings of a search for the intellectual tools used by Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) in his chemistry, education, and theology documents. Priestley's enquiring democratic view of knowledge was applicable in all three areas and constitutes a significant part of his lifework. Current epistemological issues in science…

Calvin Lunsford Beale was born in Washington, DC, on June 6, 1923, and passed away at age 85 on September 2, 2008. He was a city boy born and bred, and while he "never wanted to live in a rural area" he became one of the most astute observers of rural America in the latter half of the twentieth century. Calvin spent the majority of his…

Advances in neuroscience have brought new insights to the development of cognitive functions. These data are of considerable interest to educators concerned with how students learn. This review documents some of the recent findings in neuroscience, which is richer in describing cognitive functions than affective aspects of learning. A brief…

This article reports findings from 39 interviews from two Hong Kong universities and offers a critique of the RAE system. Respondents stated that the main emphasis in counting research productivity was on articles in prestigious international journals. There were many negative comments about this as the main quality indicator. Some respondents…

In an effort to get children back outdoors and exploring the natural environment, a Modular Serious Educational Game (mSEG), Red Wolf Caper, was created as part of a design-based research study. Red Wolf Caper uses a combination of an augmented reality (AR) game and a serious educational game (SEG) to capture the students' interest in the natural…

Science is exciting because it is so accessible to the enthusiastic beginner. However, there is still a separation between professional scientists and novices, even in relatively open fields such as natural history. To help overcome this, the Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) network is supporting projects that bring scientists, amateur experts and…

This paper describes research that compares preservice early childhood teachers' cultural values and the values they believe are held by scientists. Using the Schwartz Values Inventory (SVI) (Schwartz (1992) "Adv Exp Soc Psychol" 25:331-351) preservice early childhood teachers cultural values were assessed, followed by an assessment of…

In addition to meeting National Science Education Standards (NSES) related to the history and nature of science (NOS), reading or hearing about real scientists helps students connect with science emotionally. The authors have even noticed increased student interest in science concepts during history of science discussions. Toward these efforts,…