Project-Based Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krajcik, Joe

2015-01-01

Project-based science is an exciting way to teach science that aligns with the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS"). By focusing on core ideas along with practices and crosscutting concepts, classrooms become learning environments where teachers and students engage in science by designing and carrying out…

Developing an Instrument for Assessing Students' Understanding of the Energy Concept across Science Disciplines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Mihwa

2013-01-01

Energy is a core and unifying concept in all science disciplines and across all grade levels. Although energy is one of the most central and richly connected ideas in all of science disciplines, students often have a great deal of difficulty understanding it. Numerous studies have been conducted on this topic finding that many students held…

Towards a Learning Progression of Energy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neumann, Knut; Viering, Tobias; Boone, William J.; Fischer, Hans E.

2013-01-01

This article presents an empirical study on an initial learning progression of energy, a concept of central importance to the understanding of science. Learning progressions have been suggested as one vehicle to support the systematic and successful teaching of core science concepts. Ideally, a learning progression will provide teachers with a…

The Use of History and Philosophy of Science as a Core for a Socioconstructivist Teaching Approach of the Concept of Energy in Primary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rizaki, Aikaterini; Kokkotas, Panagiotis

2013-01-01

The present study should be thought as a socioconstructivist teaching approach (a teaching model) for the concept of energy in primary education. It contains important and crucial aspects of the History and Philosophy of Natural Sciences, introduces the concept of energy using the macroscopic framework of thermodynamics, takes into consideration…

The Chemistry of Curcumin, the Health Promoting Ingredient in Turmeric

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dewprashad, Brahmadeo

2010-01-01

Case studies pertaining to the health benefits of foods can be particularly effective in engaging students and in teaching core concepts in science (Heidemann and Urquart 2005). This case study focuses on the chemistry of curcumin, the health-promoting ingredient in turmeric. The case was developed to review core concepts in organic chemistry and…

Vague Concepts in the Educational Sciences: Implications for Researchers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blikstad-Balas, Marte

2014-01-01

This article argues that many key theoretical concepts and core areas of study in the educational sciences are couched in paradigmatically vague terms. The shared features of vague terms and two different readings of vagueness are discussed. "Practice", which is widely used both as a theoretical and an empirical term in the field of…

Drivers, Start Your Glue Guns: Using Model Stock Cars to Explore Motion and Force Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Angle, Julie

2011-01-01

The recently released document "A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas" emphasizes the importance of engaging students in practices of science and engineering to help them understand how scientific knowledge about the natural world develops. The document identifies eight essential…

The Second Dimension--Crosscutting Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duschl, Richard A.

2012-01-01

The recently published National Research Council (NRC) report "A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas" (NRC 2011) offers a thoughtful research-based agenda that helps guide teachers in making the shift to a doing-led agenda in K-12 science education. In the December 2011 editions of the NSTA…

Urban Elementary STEM Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Carolyn; Abel, Yolanda; Denisova, Ekaterina

2015-01-01

The new standards for K-12 science education suggest that student learning should be more integrated and should focus on crosscutting concepts and core ideas from the areas of physical science, life science, Earth/space science, and engineering/technology. This paper describes large-scale, urban elementary-focused science, technology, engineering,…

Addressing Pre-Service Teachers' Understandings and Difficulties with Some Core Concepts in the Special Theory of Relativity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Selcuk, Gamze Sezgin

2011-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate pre-service teachers' understanding of and difficulties with some core concepts in the special theory of relativity. The pre-service teachers (n = 185) from the Departments of Physics Education and Elementary Science Education at Dokuz Eylul University (in Turkey) participated. Both quantitative and…

NGSS and the Next Generation of Science Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bybee, Rodger W.

2014-03-01

This article centers on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and their implications for teacher development, particularly at the undergraduate level. After an introduction to NGSS and the influence of standards in the educational system, the article addresses specific educational shifts—interconnecting science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts; recognizing learning progressions; including engineering; addressing the nature of science, coordinating with Common Core State Standards. The article continues with a general discussion of reforming teacher education programs and a concluding discussion of basic competencies and personal qualities of effective science teachers.

Why resilience is unappealing to social science: Theoretical and empirical investigations of the scientific use of resilience

PubMed Central

Olsson, Lennart; Jerneck, Anne; Thoren, Henrik; Persson, Johannes; O’Byrne, David

2015-01-01

Resilience is often promoted as a boundary concept to integrate the social and natural dimensions of sustainability. However, it is a troubled dialogue from which social scientists may feel detached. To explain this, we first scrutinize the meanings, attributes, and uses of resilience in ecology and elsewhere to construct a typology of definitions. Second, we analyze core concepts and principles in resilience theory that cause disciplinary tensions between the social and natural sciences (system ontology, system boundary, equilibria and thresholds, feedback mechanisms, self-organization, and function). Third, we provide empirical evidence of the asymmetry in the use of resilience theory in ecology and environmental sciences compared to five relevant social science disciplines. Fourth, we contrast the unification ambition in resilience theory with methodological pluralism. Throughout, we develop the argument that incommensurability and unification constrain the interdisciplinary dialogue, whereas pluralism drawing on core social scientific concepts would better facilitate integrated sustainability research. PMID:26601176

Visualizing the Chemistry of Climate Change (VC3Chem): Online resources for teaching and learning chemistry through the rich context of climate science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKenzie, L.; Versprille, A.; Towns, M.; Mahaffy, P.; Martin, B.; Kirchhoff, M.

2013-12-01

Global climate change is one of the most pressing environmental challenges facing humanity. Many of the important underlying concepts require mental models that are built on a fundamental understanding of chemistry, yet connections to climate science and global climate change are largely missing from undergraduate chemistry courses for science majors. In Visualizing the Chemistry of Climate Change (VC3Chem), we have developed and piloted a set of online modules that addresses this gap by teaching core chemistry concepts through the rich context of climate science. These interactive web-based digital learning experiences enable students to learn about isotopes and their relevance in determining historical temperature records, IR absorption by greenhouse gases, and acid/base chemistry and the impacts on changing ocean pH. The efficacy of these tools and this approach has been assessed through measuring changes in students' understanding about both climate change and core chemistry concepts.

Astrobiology Learning Progressions: Linking Astrobiology Concepts with the 3D Learning Paradigm of NGSS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scalice, D.; Davis, H. B.; Leach, D.; Chambers, N.

2016-12-01

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) introduce a Framework for teaching and learning with three interconnected "dimensions:" Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI's), Cross-cutting Concepts (CCC's), and Science and Engineering Practices (SEP's). This "3D" Framework outlines progressions of learning from K-12 based on the DCI's, detailing which parts of a concept should be taught at each grade band. We used these discipline-based progressions to synthesize interdisciplinary progressions for core concepts in astrobiology, such as the origins of life, what makes a world habitable, biosignatures, and searching for life on other worlds. The final product is an organizing tool for lesson plans, learning media, and other educational materials in astrobiology, as well as a fundamental resource in astrobiology education that serves both educators and scientists as they plan and carry out their programs for learners.

Social Science Curriculum Guide and Selected Multi-Media, 10-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaydosh, Ronald

GRADES OR AGES: Grades 10-12. SUBJECT MATTER: Social science. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The extensive introductory material includes rationale, definitions of the social science core disciplines, glossary of terms, and descriptions of concepts. The course material includes political science, history, economics, geography, sociology,…

Taking Science Home: Connecting Schools and Families through Science Activity Packs for Young Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reinhart, Meredith; Bloomquist, Debra; Strickler-Eppard, Lacey; Czerniak, Charlene M.; Gilbert, Amanda; Kaderavek, Joan; Molitor, Scott C.

2016-01-01

A Framework for K-12 Science Education indicates that introducing young children to scientific and engineering practices, core disciplinary ideas, and crosscutting concepts during the early years is essential for the development of conceptual understanding in science. Unfortunately, science is infrequently included in preschool and primary…

Teaching the "Geo" in Geography with the Next Generation Science Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wysession, Michael E.

2016-01-01

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS; Achieve 2014, 532; Figure 1A) represent a new approach to K-12 science education that involves the interweaving of three educational dimensions: Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs), Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), and Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs). Unlike most preexisting state science standards for…

Application of Core Science Concepts Using Digital Video: A "Hands-On" Laptop Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jarvinen, Michael Keith; Jarvinen, Lamis Zaher; Sheehan, Danielle N.

2012-01-01

Today's undergraduates are highly engaged in a variety of social media outlets. Given their comfort with technology, we wondered if we could use this phenomenon to teach science-related material. We asked students to use freeware to make a short video with text, images, and music as a way to explain scientific concepts that are traditionally…

Physics Envy: Psychologists' Perceptions of Psychology and Agreement about Core Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howell, Jennifer L.; Collisson, Brian; King, Kelly M.

2014-01-01

This study assessed the nature of psychology and its consensus regarding core content. We hypothesized that psychology possesses little agreement regarding its core content areas and thus may "envy" more canonical sciences, such as physics. Using a global sample, we compared psychologists' and physicists' perceptions regarding…

Pseudo-Science: A Meaningful Context for Assessing Nature of Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Afonso, Ana Sofia; Gilbert, John K.

2010-01-01

Although an understanding of nature of science is a core element in scientific literacy, there is considerable evidence that school and university students hold naive conceptions about it. It is argued that, whilst the failure to learn about nature of science arises from its neglect in formal science education, a major reason is the adherence to…

Great Explorations in Math and Science[R] (GEMS[R]) Space Science. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2012

2012-01-01

"Great Explorations in Math and Science[R] (GEMS[R]) Space Science" is an instructional sequence for grades 3-5 that covers fundamental concepts, including planetary sizes and distance, the Earth's shape and movement, gravity, and moon phases and eclipses. Part of the "GEMS"[R] core curriculum, "GEMS[R] Space Science"…

Identifying Mathematics Content and Integrating It into Science Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwols, Amitra; Miller, Kirsten Brush

2012-01-01

Science teachers know that the mathematics concepts taught in the Common Core are critical for students' understanding of science. But what can a teacher do when his/her students lack the necessary mathematics skills to master science content? There may be other reasons besides students not paying attention in their math courses. Maybe the…

The Next Generation of Science Standards: Implications for Biology Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bybee, Rodger W.

2012-01-01

The release of A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (NRC, 2012) provides the basis for the next generation of science standards. This article first describes that foundation for the life sciences; it then presents a draft standard for natural selection and evolution. Finally, there is a…

Analysis of chemical concepts as the basic of virtual laboratory development and process science skills in solubility and solubility product subject

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syafrina, R.; Rohman, I.; Yuliani, G.

2018-05-01

This study aims to analyze the concept characteristics of solubility and solubility products that will serve as the basis for the development of virtual laboratory and students' science process skills. Characteristics of the analyzed concepts include concept definitions, concept attributes, and types of concepts. The concept analysis method uses concept analysis according to Herron. The results of the concept analysis show that there are twelve chemical concepts that become the prerequisite concept before studying the solubility and solubility and five core concepts that students must understand in the solubility and Solubility product. As many as 58.3% of the definitions of the concepts contained in high school textbooks support students' science process skills, the rest of the definition of the concept is memorized. Concept attributes that meet three levels of chemical representation and can be poured into a virtual laboratory have a percentage of 66.6%. Type of concept, 83.3% is a concept based on principle; and 16.6% concepts that state the process. Meanwhile, the science process skills that can be developed based on concept analysis are the ability to observe, calculate, measure, predict, interpret, hypothesize, apply, classify, and inference.

Open Science and the Monitoring of Aquatic Ecosystems

EPA Science Inventory

Open science represents both a philosophy and a set of tools that can be leveraged for more effective scientific analysis. At the core of the open science movement is the concept that research should be reproducible and transparent, in addition to having long-term provenance thro...

Exploring the Science Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Philip; Bricker, Leah; Tzou, Carrie; Lee, Tiffany; Van Horne, Katie

2012-01-01

The National Research Council's recent publication "A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas" (NRC 2011), which is the foundation for the Next Generation Science Standards now being developed, places unprecedented focus on the practices involved in doing scientific and engineering work. In an effort…

Three, Two, One ... Blast Off!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawkins, Susan; Rogers, Meredith Park

2014-01-01

This lesson addresses the three dimensions of science learning as laid out in the "Next Generation Science Standards"--science and engineering process skills, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas--in addition to embedding practical exposure to NOS tenets in an inquiry-based activity. In addition to the efficiency component,…

What Does Three-Dimensional Teaching and Learning Look Like?: Examining the Potential for Crosscutting Concepts to Support the Development of Science Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fick, Sarah J.

2018-01-01

Science education reforms focus on the integration of three dimensions: disciplinary core ideas (DCIs), scientific and engineering practices (SEPs), and crosscutting concepts (CCCs). While research has examined the role of DCIs and SEPs in teaching and learning, little research has explored how the CCCs might be integrated. This research proposes…

Assessing Scientific Practices Using Machine-Learning Methods: How Closely Do They Match Clinical Interview Performance?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beggrow, Elizabeth P.; Ha, Minsu; Nehm, Ross H.; Pearl, Dennis; Boone, William J.

2014-01-01

The landscape of science education is being transformed by the new "Framework for Science Education" (National Research Council, "A framework for K-12 science education: practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas." The National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2012), which emphasizes the centrality of scientific…

Social Science Curriculum Guide and Selected Multi-Media, 7-9.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaydosh, Ronald; And Others

GRADES OR AGES: Grades 7-9. SUBJECT MATTER: Social science; history. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The extensive introductory material includes rationale, definitions of the social science core disciplines, glossary of terms, guidelines for teaching, behavioral and long-range objectives, guide format, and descriptions of concepts. The…

Short-Form Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Beth; Hedwall, Melissa; Dirks, Andrew; Stretch, Elizabeth

2017-01-01

Reading provides a unique window into the history and nature of science and the norms of scientific communication and supports students in developing critical-reading skills in engaging ways. Effective use of reading promotes a spirit of inquiry and an understanding of science concepts while also addressing expectations of the Common Core State…

Student Conceptions about Energy in Biological Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Opitz, Sebastian T.; Blankenstein, Andreas; Harms, Ute

2017-01-01

The concept of energy serves biologists as a powerful analytical model to describe phenomena that occurs in the natural world. Due to the concept's relevance, educational standards of different countries identify energy as a core idea for the teaching and learning of biology and other science subjects. However, previous research on students'…

Turkish Version of Students' Ideas about Nature of Science Questionnaire: A Validation Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cansiz, Mustafa; Cansiz, Nurcan; Tas, Yasemin; Yerdelen, Sundus

2017-01-01

Mass assessment of large samples' nature of science views has been one of the core concerns in science education research. Due to impracticality of using open-ended questionnaires or conducting interviews with large groups, another line of research has been required for mass assessment of pupils' nature of science conception meaningfully.…

Supporting Reform-Oriented Secondary Science Teaching through the Use of a Framework to Analyze Construction of Scientific Explanations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richmond, Gail; Parker, Joyce M.; Kaldaras, Leonora

2016-01-01

The Next-Generation Science Standards (NGSS) call for a different approach to learning science. They promote three-dimensional (3D) learning that blends disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts and scientific practices. In this study, we examined explanations constructed by secondary science teacher candidates (TCs) as a scientific practice…

The Use of Probeware to Improve Learning Outcomes in Middle School Science: A Mixed Methods Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, Elizabeth Lamond

2017-01-01

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) call upon K-12 science teachers to provide authentic science and engineering practices which deepen understanding of core ideas and crosscutting concepts (NGSS Lead States, 2013). Probeware technology provides exposure to these scientific practices; however, there is a disconnect between the frequency…

Social Science Curriculum Guide and Selected Multi-Media, K-6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaydosh, Ronald; And Others

GRADES OR AGES: K-6. SUBJECT MATTER: Social science. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The introductory material includes an explanation of the rationale, definitions of the social science core disciplines, glossary of terms, guidelines for teaching, and descriptions of concepts. The main body of the guide is designed in a five-column…

Valuing Little Steps toward Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grueber, David; Whitin, Phyllis

2012-01-01

In a climate of high-stakes testing that emphasizes content, it can be challenging to teach science from an inquiry perspective. In addition there is a widespread call for a new approach to science education that includes science practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas (NRC 2011). However, it is not imperative for teachers to implement…

Professional Development for the Integration of Engineering in High School STEM Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singer, Jonathan E.; Ross, Julia M.; Jackson-Lee, Yvette

2016-01-01

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in the U.S. is in transition. The recently published "A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas" as well as the "Next Generation Science Standards" are responsive to this call and clearly articulate a vision that…

Using Google Earth to Teach Plate Tectonics and Science Explanations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blank, Lisa M.; Plautz, Mike; Almquist, Heather; Crews, Jeff; Estrada, Jen

2012-01-01

"A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas" emphasizes that the practice of science is inherently a model-building activity focused on constructing explanations using evidence and reasoning (NRC 2012). Because building and refining is an iterative process, middle school students may view this practice…

Engaging Students in the Scientific Practices of Explanation and Argumentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reiser, Brian J.; Berland, Leema K.; Kenyon, Lisa

2012-01-01

"A Framework for K-12 Science Education" identifies eight science and engineering practices for K-12 classrooms. These practices, along with core ideas and crosscutting concepts, define the nation's learning goals for science. An important advance from earlier standards (AAAS 1993, NRC 1996), these practices are clearly identified "not" as…

SWEEP: Sciencing with Watersheds, Environmental Education and Partnerships. Instructor's Guide to Implementation and Summer Institute Participant Notebook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bainer, Deb; Barron, Pat; Cantrell, Diane

Sciencing with Watersheds, Environmental Education, and Partnerships (SWEEP) is a professional development program designed to help elementary teachers improve the way they teach science using partnerships among teachers and resource professionals. SWEEP follows a thematic approach using watersheds as the core concept of an integrated elementary…

What Makes Us Tick...Tock?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Talbot, Kristen; Hug, Barbara

2013-01-01

Teachers often ask: How can I engage my students in the study of "real" science? The answer can be found in the National Research Council's "A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas" (NRC 2012). This framework calls for a new approach to science education and is the basis for…

Education for Sustainable Development in German Science Education: Past-Present-Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bögeholz, Susanne; Böhm, Marko; Eggert, Sabina; Barkmann, Jan

2013-01-01

In this paper, we trace selected strands of the German path to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). We start by addressing pre-ESD research, and move to the concept of "Gestaltungskompetenz," the core concept of German ESD. The concept had to be realigned as to become more compatible with international research on learning…

Using a Simulation to Illustrate Crosscutting Concepts through a Disease Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bokor, Julie; Darwiche, Houda; Joseph, Drew

2015-01-01

Using Pompe disease as a context affords the opportunity for students to consider multiple biological concepts and embraces the Next Generation Science Standards Disciplinary Core Ideas Structure and Function (LS1.A) and Inheritance of Traits (LS3.A) as well as Crosscutting Concepts Structure and Function and Cause and Effect. These crosscutting…

Making a Map of Science: General Systems Theory as a Conceptual Framework for Tertiary Science Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gulyaev, Sergei A.; Stonyer, Heather R.

2002-01-01

Develops an integrated approach based on the use of general systems theory (GST) and the concept of 'mapping' scientific knowledge to provide students with tools for a more holistic understanding of science. Uses GST as the core methodology for understanding science and its complexity. Discusses the role of scientific community in producing…

Scientific and Engineering Practices in K-12 Classrooms: Understanding "A Framework for K-12 Science Education"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bybee, Rodger W.

2011-01-01

In this article, the author presents the science and engineering practices from the recently released "A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas" (NRC 2011). The author recognizes the changes implied by the new framework, and eventually a new generation of science education standards will present new…

Exploring the value and role of integrated supportive science courses in the reformed medical curriculum iMED: a mixed methods study.

PubMed

Eisenbarth, Sophie; Tilling, Thomas; Lueerss, Eva; Meyer, Jelka; Sehner, Susanne; Guse, Andreas H; Guse Nee Kurré, Jennifer

2016-04-29

Heterogeneous basic science knowledge of medical students is an important challenge for medical education. In this study, the authors aimed at exploring the value and role of integrated supportive science (ISS) courses as a novel approach to address this challenge and to promote learning basic science concepts in medical education. ISS courses were embedded in a reformed medical curriculum. The authors used a mixed methods approach including four focus groups involving ISS course lecturers and students (two each), and five surveys of one student cohort covering the results of regular student evaluations including the ISS courses across one study year. They conducted their study at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf between December 2013 and July 2014. Fourteen first-year medical students and thirteen ISS course lecturers participated in the focus groups. The authors identified several themes focused on the temporal integration of ISS courses into the medical curriculum, the integration of ISS course contents into core curriculum contents, the value and role of ISS courses, and the courses' setting and atmosphere. The integrated course concept was positively accepted by both groups, with participants suggesting that it promotes retention of basic science knowledge. Values and roles identified by focus group participants included promotion of basic understanding of science concepts, integration of foundational and applied learning, and maximization of students' engagement and motivation. Building close links between ISS course contents and the core curriculum appeared to be crucial. Survey results confirmed qualitative findings regarding students' satisfaction, with some courses still requiring optimization. Integration of supportive basic science courses, traditionally rather part of premedical education, into the medical curriculum appears to be a feasible strategy to improve medical students' understanding of basic science concepts and to increase their motivation and engagement.

Identifying STEM Concepts Associated with Junior Livestock Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wooten, Kate; Rayfield, John; Moore, Lori L.

2013-01-01

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is intended to provide students with a cross-subject, contextual learning experience. To more fully prepare our nation's students to enter the globally competitive workforce, STEM integration allows students to make connections between the abstract concepts learned in core subject…

An overview of conceptual understanding in science education curriculum in Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widiyatmoko, A.; Shimizu, K.

2018-03-01

The purpose of this article is to discuss the term of “conceptual understanding” in science education curriculum in Indonesia. The implementation of 2013 Curriculum focuses on the acquisition of contextual knowledge in respective areas and environments. The curriculum seeks to develop students' evaluation skills in three areas: attitude, technical skills, and scientific knowledge. It is based on two layers of competencies: core and basic competencies. The core competencies in the curriculum 2013 represent the ability level to achieve the gradute competency standards of a students at each grade level. There are four mandatory core competencies for all educational levels and all subjects including science, which are spiritual, social, knowledge and skills competencies. In terms of knowledge competencies, conceptual understanding is an inseparable part of science concept since conceptual understanding is one of the basic competencies in science learning. This competency is a part of science graduation standard indicated in MoEC article number 20 in 2016. Therefore, conceptual understanding is needed by students for learning science successfully.

Review of the National Research Council's Framework for K-12 Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gross, Paul R.

2011-01-01

The new "Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas" is a big, comprehensive volume, carefully organized and heavily documented. It is the long-awaited product of the Committee on a Conceptual Framework for New K-12 Science Education Standards. As noted, it is a weighty document (more than 300…

Surveying Geology Concepts in Education Standards for a Rapidly Changing Global Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guffey, Sarah K.; Slater, Stephanie J.; Schleigh, Sharon P.; Slater, Timothy F.; Heyer, Inge

2016-01-01

Internationally much attention is being paid to which of a seemingly endless list of scientific concepts should be taught to schoolchildren to enable them to best participate in the global economy of the 21st Century. In regards to science education, the concepts framing the subject of geology holds exalted status as core scientific principles in…

Calculating Biodiversity in the Real World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schen, Melissa; Berger, Leslie

2014-01-01

One of the standards for life science addressed in the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States 2013) is "Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics" (HS-LS2). A critical concept included in this core idea is biodiversity. To show competency, students are expected to design investigations, collect data, and…

Developing + Using Models in Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Todd; Neilson, Drew; Oh, Phil Seok

2013-01-01

Of the eight practices of science identified in "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" (NRC 2012), helping students develop and use models has been identified by many as an anchor (Schwarz and Passmore 2012; Windschitl 2012). In instruction, disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and scientific practices can be meaningfully…

Facilitating Innovation in Science Education through Assessment Reform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanauer, David I.; Bauerle, Cynthia

2012-01-01

The direction of innovation and reform in science education is moving toward a student-centered learning paradigm that is organized around core concepts and competencies, and engaged through empirically supported instructional practices. What forms of assessment would support these educational aims? Several characteristics of a compatible…

Cool Science Explains a Warming World: Using Ice Core Science to Bridge the Gap Between Researchers and the K-12 Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huffman, L. T.

2017-12-01

Changing ice has urgent implications for people around the world. The Ice Drilling Program Office (IDPO) provides scientific leadership and oversight of ice coring and drilling activities funded by the US National Science Foundation and also has goals to enhance education and communication of current research information. In a time when misinformation is rampant and climate change science is suspect, it is essential that students receive accurate scientific information and engage in learning activities that model complex ideas through engaging and age appropriate ways, while also learning to validate and recognize reliable sources. The IDPO Education and Outreach (EO) office works to create resources, activities and professional development that bridge the gap between ice core science research and educators and their students. Ice core science is on the cutting edge of new discoveries about climate change and understanding better the past to predict the future. Hands-on inquiry activities based on ice core data allow teachers to lead their students to new discoveries about climate secrets hidden deep in the ice. Capitalizing on the inherent interest in the extremes of the Polar Regions, IDPO materials engage students in activities aligned with NGSS standards. Ice drilling technologies make an ideal platform for intertwining engineering concepts and practices with science research to meet the SEP (Science and Engineering Practices) in the NGSS. This session will highlight how the IDPO EO office has built a community of ice core scientists willing to take part in education and outreach projects and events and share some of the resources available to K-12 educators. We will highlight some of the successes and lessons learned as we continually evolve our work toward more effective science education and communication highlighting ice core and climate change science.

DCIs, SEPs, and CCs, Oh My! Understanding the Three Dimensions of the NGSS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duncan, Ravit Golan; Cavera, Veronica L.

2015-01-01

The "Next Generation Science Standards'" three dimensions--disciplinary core ideas (DCIs), science and engineering practices (SEPs), and crosscutting concepts (CCs)--were headliners at NSTA's national conference in Chicago and featured in many of the organization's other professional-development efforts this year (NGSS Lead States 2013).…

Science Education for Students with Special Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villanueva, Mary Grace; Taylor, Jonte; Therrien, William; Hand, Brian

2012-01-01

Students with special needs tend to show significantly lower achievement in science than their peers. Reasons for this include severe difficulties with academic skills (i.e. reading, math and writing), behaviour problems and limited prior understanding of core concepts background knowledge. Despite this bleak picture, much is known on how to…

Students' Development and Use of Models to Explain Electrostatic Interactions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayer, Kristin Elizabeth

2017-01-01

The National Research Council (2012) recently published A Framework for K-12 Science Education that describes a vision for science classrooms where students engage in three dimensions--scientific and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas--to explain phenomena or observations they can make about the universe…

A Person-in-Context Approach to Student Engagement in Science: Examining Learning Activities and Choice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt, Jennifer A.; Rosenberg, Joshua M.; Beymer, Patrick N.

2018-01-01

Science education reform efforts in the Unites States call for a dramatic shift in the way students are expected to engage with scientific concepts, core ideas, and practices in the classroom. This new vision of science learning demands a more complex conceptual understanding of student engagement and research models that capture both the…

Key-Aspects of Scientific Modeling Exemplified by School Science Models: Some Units for Teaching Contextualized Scientific Methodology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Develaki, Maria

2016-01-01

Models and modeling are core elements of scientific methods and consequently also are of key importance for the conception and teaching of scientific methodology. The epistemology of models and its transfer and adaption to nature of science education are not, however, simple themes. We present some conceptual units in which school science models…

The RITES Way for NGSS Success

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murray, D. P.; De Oliveira, G.; Caulkins, J. L.; Veeger, A. I.; McLaren, P. J.

2012-12-01

The NRC's Framework for Science Education describes a new vision for science education: practical experience, thought process, and connecting ideas are not lost in a sea of endless information. That is because the Framework does not emphasize broad coverage of all subfields of science. Instead, they identify ideas in three dimensions that lend themselves to the creation of opportunities for a deeper understanding of science, namely, Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts. Developed with fidelity to the Framework the K-12 Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) will provide a rich, cohesive set of standards in all disciplines designed to engage all students in the practices and apply crosscutting concepts to deepen their understanding of the core ideas within these discipline. In Rhode Island, for the last four years, the Rhode Island Technology Enhanced Science Project (RITES) has aimed to transform the quality of science teaching and learning at all secondary schools, with a similar vision to the Framework and NGSS. RITES was initially developed to closely align with existing state standards (Grade Span Expectations). As the work of developing new standards progresses, Rhode Island, as a NGSS Lead State Partner, established the RI-NGSS State Leadership Team, which was charged with providing feedback to the NGSS Writing Team. The inclusion of nine RITES personnel in this state team ensures that this project will quickly adjust to the new standards, even as they are being developed and refined. A main component of RITES is a professional development program for teachers, framed around summer workshops and projects during the school year. At the heart of the PD are Investigations, modules developed by scientist/teacher teams designed to engage students through science practices while presenting core ideas and crosscutting concepts. Around fifty investigations, drawn from the life, physical, and earth & space sciences (ESS), employ a web-based platform to explore models and analyze data collected by students. Formative and summative assessment tools are built into the investigations. Investigation topics include: rock cycle; measurements in astronomy; plate tectonics; seasons; nuclear decay; and phases of the moon. We will showcase at least two ESS investigations that exemplify the three dimensional components envisioned by the Framework.

Science in action: An interdisciplinary science education program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horton, Linda L.

1992-01-01

Science in Action is an education outreach program for pre-collegiate students. It is based on the concept that, in order to interest students in science, they must see science and scientists at work. The program encompasses the full range of scientific disciplines - the core sciences, engineering, and mathematics. A unique aspect of the program is the involvement and support of scientists and engineers representing local professional societies, industries, business, and academic institutions. An outline of the program is given.

Conceptual Elements: A Detailed Framework to Support and Assess Student Learning of Biology Core Concepts.

PubMed

Cary, Tawnya; Branchaw, Janet

2017-01-01

The Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: Call to Action report has inspired and supported a nationwide movement to restructure undergraduate biology curricula to address overarching disciplinary concepts and competencies. The report outlines the concepts and competencies generally but does not provide a detailed framework to guide the development of the learning outcomes, instructional materials, and assessment instruments needed to create a reformed biology curriculum. In this essay, we present a detailed Vision and Change core concept framework that articulates key components that transcend subdisciplines and scales for each overarching biological concept, the Conceptual Elements (CE) Framework. The CE Framework was developed using a grassroots approach of iterative revision and incorporates feedback from more than 60 biologists and undergraduate biology educators from across the United States. The final validation step resulted in strong national consensus, with greater than 92% of responders agreeing that each core concept list was ready for use by the biological sciences community, as determined by scientific accuracy and completeness. In addition, we describe in detail how educators and departments can use the CE Framework to guide and document reformation of individual courses as well as entire curricula. © 2017 T. Cary and J. Branchaw. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2017 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Circumcising the Void: (de)contextualising in Complex Lacanian Psychoanalysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Grave, Dieter

In contemporary psychoanalysis, the true origin of the science seems to be put aside to get it in vogue with the rest of the scientific framework and psychoanalytical thinking. Although this is a defendable position from which to approach psychoanalysis, it robs it of its core. In this paper, we take the hard-core themes of psychoanalysis such as death and sex, to heart and show how they can be linked to the other sciences, such as the theory of complexity, without censoring or rephrasing the concepts or the language itself.

Environmental and Conservation Volunteering as Workplace Integrated Learning for University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Rowena H.; van Etten, Eddie

2013-01-01

This research paper introduces the concept and practice of tertiary sciences students doing environmental volunteering, also known as conservation volunteering, as a core part of their course. First year Natural Sciences students at Edith Cowan University do five days environmental volunteer work with community groups as a practicum, currently…

How Do Students Understand Energy in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics? Development and Validation of an Assessment Instrument

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Opitz, Sebastian Tobias; Neumann, Knut; Bernholt, Sascha; Harms, Ute

2017-01-01

Science standards of different countries introduced disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts--such as energy--to help students develop a more interconnected science understanding. As previous research has mostly addressed energy learning in specific disciplinary contexts, this study targets students' cross-disciplinary understanding of…

Teaching Basic Probability in Undergraduate Statistics or Management Science Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naidu, Jaideep T.; Sanford, John F.

2017-01-01

Standard textbooks in core Statistics and Management Science classes present various examples to introduce basic probability concepts to undergraduate business students. These include tossing of a coin, throwing a die, and examples of that nature. While these are good examples to introduce basic probability, we use improvised versions of Russian…

Making the Transition to Three-Dimensional Teaching: An NGSS@NSTA Curator and Elementary Science Specialist Shares How to Evaluate Teaching Materials Using the EQuIP Rubric

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Day, Betsy

2016-01-01

Curriculum and lesson planning require the consideration of many things. With a shift to the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS"), integrating the dimensions of science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts becomes a focus of that planning. The author, Betsy O'Day, an elementary…

Nanoparticle functionalised small-core suspended-core fibre - a novel platform for efficient sensing.

PubMed

Doherty, Brenda; Csáki, Andrea; Thiele, Matthias; Zeisberger, Matthias; Schwuchow, Anka; Kobelke, Jens; Fritzsche, Wolfgang; Schmidt, Markus A

2017-02-01

Detecting small quantities of specific target molecules is of major importance within bioanalytics for efficient disease diagnostics. One promising sensing approach relies on combining plasmonically-active waveguides with microfluidics yielding an easy-to-use sensing platform. Here we introduce suspended-core fibres containing immobilised plasmonic nanoparticles surrounding the guiding core as a concept for an entirely integrated optofluidic platform for efficient refractive index sensing. Due to the extremely small optical core and the large adjacent microfluidic channels, over two orders of magnitude of nanoparticle coverage densities have been accessed with millimetre-long sample lengths showing refractive index sensitivities of 170 nm/RIU for aqueous analytes where the fibre interior is functionalised by gold nanospheres. Our concept represents a fully integrated optofluidic sensing system demanding small sample volumes and allowing for real-time analyte monitoring, both of which are highly relevant within invasive bioanalytics, particularly within molecular disease diagnostics and environmental science.

University Students' Knowledge Structures and Informal Reasoning on the Use of Genetically Modified Foods: Multidimensional Analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Ying-Tien

2013-10-01

This study aims to provide insights into the role of learners' knowledge structures about a socio-scientific issue (SSI) in their informal reasoning on the issue. A total of 42 non-science major university students' knowledge structures and informal reasoning were assessed with multidimensional analyses. With both qualitative and quantitative analyses, this study revealed that those students with more extended and better-organized knowledge structures, as well as those who more frequently used higher-order information processing modes, were more oriented towards achieving a higher-level informal reasoning quality. The regression analyses further showed that the "richness" of the students' knowledge structures explained 25 % of the variation in their rebuttal construction, an important indicator of reasoning quality, indicating the significance of the role of students' sophisticated knowledge structure in SSI reasoning. Besides, this study also provides some initial evidence for the significant role of the "core" concept within one's knowledge structure in one's SSI reasoning. The findings in this study suggest that, in SSI-based instruction, science instructors should try to identify students' core concepts within their prior knowledge regarding the SSI, and then they should try to guide students to construct and structure relevant concepts or ideas regarding the SSI based on their core concepts. Thus, students could obtain extended and well-organized knowledge structures, which would then help them achieve better learning transfer in dealing with SSIs.

Capturing and portraying science student teachers' pedagogical content knowledge through CoRe construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thongnoppakun, Warangkana; Yuenyong, Chokchai

2018-01-01

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is an essential kind of knowledge that teacher have for teaching particular content to particular students for enhance students' understanding, therefore, teachers with adequate PCK can give content to their students in an understandable way rather than transfer subject matter knowledge to learner. This study explored science student teachers' PCK for teaching science using Content representation base methodology. Research participants were 68 4th year science student teachers from department of General Science, faculty of Education, Phuket Rajabhat University. PCK conceptualization for teaching science by Magnusson et al. (1999) was applied as a theoretical framework in this study. In this study, Content representation (CoRe) by Loughran et al. (2004) was employed as research methodology in the lesson preparation process. In addition, CoRe consisted of eight questions (CoRe prompts) that designed to elicit and portray teacher's PCK for teaching science. Data were collected from science student teachers' CoRes design for teaching a given topic and student grade. Science student teachers asked to create CoRes design for teaching in topic `Motion in one direction' for 7th grade student and further class discussion. Science student teachers mostly created a same group of science concepts according to subunits of school science textbook rather than planned and arranged content to support students' understanding. Furthermore, they described about the effect of student's prior knowledge and learning difficulties such as students' knowledge of Scalar and Vector quantity; and calculating skill. These responses portrayed science student teacher's knowledge of students' understanding of science and their content knowledge. However, they still have inadequate knowledge of instructional strategies and activities for enhance student learning. In summary, CoRes design can represented holistic overviews of science student teachers' PCK related to the teaching of a particular topic and also support them to gain more understanding about how to teach for understanding. Research implications are given for teacher education and educational research to offer a potential way to enhance science student teachers' PCK for teaching science and support their professional learning.

Tangible Models and Haptic Representations Aid Learning of Molecular Biology Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johannes, Kristen; Powers, Jacklyn; Couper, Lisa; Silberglitt, Matt; Davenport, Jodi

2016-01-01

Can novel 3D models help students develop a deeper understanding of core concepts in molecular biology? We adapted 3D molecular models, developed by scientists, for use in high school science classrooms. The models accurately represent the structural and functional properties of complex DNA and Virus molecules, and provide visual and haptic…

Foundational Concepts and Underlying Theories for Majors in "Biochemistry and Molecular Biology"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tansey, John T.; Baird, Teaster, Jr.; Cox, Michael M.; Fox, Kristin M.; Knight, Jennifer; Sears, Duane; Bell, Ellis

2013-01-01

Over the past two years, through an NSF RCN UBE grant, the ASBMB has held regional workshops for faculty members and science educators from around the country that focused on identifying: 1) core principles of biochemistry and molecular biology, 2) essential concepts and underlying theories from physics, chemistry, and mathematics, and 3)…

On the Use of Analogy to Connect Core Physical and Chemical Concepts to Those at the Nanoscale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muniz, Marc N.; Oliver-Hoyo, Maria T.

2014-01-01

Nanoscale science remains at the forefront of modern scientific endeavors. As such, students in chemistry need to be prepared to navigate the physical and chemical concepts that describe the unique phenomena observed at this scale. Current approaches to integrating nanoscale topics into undergraduate chemistry curricula range from the design of…

Planning Instruction to Meet the Intent of the Next Generation Science Standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krajcik, Joseph; Codere, Susan; Dahsah, Chanyah; Bayer, Renee; Mun, Kongju

2014-03-01

The National Research Council's Framework for K- 12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States in Next Generation Science Standards: For states, by states. The National Academies Press, Washington, 2013) move teaching away from covering many isolated facts to a focus on a smaller number of disciplinary core ideas (DCIs) and crosscutting concepts that can be used to explain phenomena and solve problems by engaging in science and engineering practices. The NGSS present standards as knowledge-in-use by expressing them as performance expectations (PEs) that integrate all three dimensions from the Framework for K- 12 Science Education. This integration of core ideas, practices, and crosscutting concepts is referred to as three-dimensional learning (NRC in Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. The National Academies Press, Washington, 2014). PEs state what students can be assessed on at the end of grade level for K-5 and at the end of grade band for 6-8 and 9-12. PEs do not specify how instruction should be developed nor do they serve as objectives for individual lessons. To support students in developing proficiency in the PEs, the elements of the DCIs will need to be blended with various practices and crosscutting concepts. In this paper, we examine how to design instruction to support students in meeting a cluster or "bundle" of PEs and how to blend the three dimensions to develop lesson level PEs that can be used for guiding instruction. We provide a ten-step process and an example of that process that teachers and curriculum designers can use to design lessons that meet the intent of the Next Generation of Science Standards.

Conceptual Elements: A Detailed Framework to Support and Assess Student Learning of Biology Core Concepts

PubMed Central

Cary, Tawnya; Branchaw, Janet

2017-01-01

The Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: Call to Action report has inspired and supported a nationwide movement to restructure undergraduate biology curricula to address overarching disciplinary concepts and competencies. The report outlines the concepts and competencies generally but does not provide a detailed framework to guide the development of the learning outcomes, instructional materials, and assessment instruments needed to create a reformed biology curriculum. In this essay, we present a detailed Vision and Change core concept framework that articulates key components that transcend subdisciplines and scales for each overarching biological concept, the Conceptual Elements (CE) Framework. The CE Framework was developed using a grassroots approach of iterative revision and incorporates feedback from more than 60 biologists and undergraduate biology educators from across the United States. The final validation step resulted in strong national consensus, with greater than 92% of responders agreeing that each core concept list was ready for use by the biological sciences community, as determined by scientific accuracy and completeness. In addition, we describe in detail how educators and departments can use the CE Framework to guide and document reformation of individual courses as well as entire curricula. PMID:28450444

The Effectiveness of an Integrated Conceptual Approach to Teaching Middle School Science: A Mixed Methods Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frampton, Susan K.

2009-01-01

This study was designed to compare the effectiveness of using traditional and integrated instructional strategies to increase student understanding of the core concepts of energy. There are mixed messages in the literature as to the success of using an integrated approach to teach science content, despite suggestions its use improves student…

Program for Educational Mobility for Health Manpower (The Basic Sciences), June 12-August 25, 1970. Preliminary Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coordinating Council for Education in the Health Sciences for San Diego and Imperial Counties, CA.

Community college administrators and faculty in the areas of anatomy, physiology, chemistry, physics, and microbiology attended an 11-day workshop to redefine, modify, and develop science concepts for a core curriculum in the allied health field. To achieve workshop objectives, the committee heard presentations by consultants, visited clinical…

Methodology issues in implementation science.

PubMed

Newhouse, Robin; Bobay, Kathleen; Dykes, Patricia C; Stevens, Kathleen R; Titler, Marita

2013-04-01

Putting evidence into practice at the point of care delivery requires an understanding of implementation strategies that work, in what context and how. To identify methodological issues in implementation science using 4 studies as cases and make recommendations for further methods development. Four cases are presented and methodological issues identified. For each issue raised, evidence on the state of the science is described. Issues in implementation science identified include diverse conceptual frameworks, potential weaknesses in pragmatic study designs, and the paucity of standard concepts and measurement. Recommendations to advance methods in implementation include developing a core set of implementation concepts and metrics, generating standards for implementation methods including pragmatic trials, mixed methods designs, complex interventions and measurement, and endorsing reporting standards for implementation studies.

Concepts and Benefits of Lunar Core Drilling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McNamara, K. M.; Bogard, D. D.; Derkowski, B. J.; George, J. A.; Askew, R. S.; Lindsay, J. F.

2007-01-01

Understanding lunar material at depth is critical to nearly every aspect of NASA s Vision and Strategic Plan. As we consider sending human s back to the Moon for brief and extended periods, we will need to utilize lunar materials in construction, for resource extraction, and for radiation shielding and protection. In each case, we will be working with materials at some depth beneath the surface. Understanding the properties of that material is critical, thus the need for Lunar core drilling capability. Of course, the science benefit from returning core samples and operating down-hole autonomous experiments is a key element of Lunar missions as defined by NASA s Exploration Systems Architecture Study. Lunar missions will be targeted to answer specific questions concerning lunar science and re-sources.

Unravelling the concept of integrated public health policy: Concept mapping with Dutch experts from science, policy, and practice.

PubMed

Tubbing, Luuk; Harting, Janneke; Stronks, Karien

2015-06-01

While expectations of integrated public health policy (IPHP) promoting public health are high, assessment is hampered by the concept's ambiguity. This paper aims to contribute to conceptual clarification of IPHP as first step in further measurement development. In an online concept mapping procedure, we invited 237 Dutch experts, 62 of whom generated statements on characteristics of IPHP. Next, 100 experts were invited, 24 of whom sorted the statements into piles according to their perceived similarity and rated the statements on relevance and measurability. Data was analyzed using concept mapping software. The concept map consisted of 97 statements, grouped into 11 clusters and five themes. Core themes were 'integration', concerning 'policy coherence' and 'organizing connections', and 'health', concerning 'positioning health' and 'addressing determinants'. Peripheral themes were 'generic aspects', 'capacities', and 'goals and setting', which respectively addressed general notions of integrated policy making, conditions for IPHP, and the variety in manifestations of IPHP. Measurability ratings were low compared to relevance. The concept map gives an overview of interrelated themes, distinguishes core from peripheral dimensions, and provides pointers for theories of the policy process. While low measurability ratings indicate measurement difficulties, the core themes provide pointers for systematic insight into IPHP through measurement. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reasons and resources for being explicit about the practices of science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Egger, A. E.

2015-12-01

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) promote a fundamental shift in the way science is taught. The new focus is on three-dimensional learning, which brings science and engineering practices together with disciplinary core ideas and cross-cutting concepts. A key component is performance expectations rather than bullet lists of content that students should know. One of the stated goals is that "all students should have sufficient knowledge of science and engineering to engage in public discussions on related issues." While the NGSS were developed for K-12, college instructors benefit from familiarity with them in two critical ways: first, they provide a research-based and clearly articulated approach to three-dimensional learning that applies across the grade spectrum, and second, future K-12 teachers are sitting in their college-level science courses, and awareness of the skills those future teachers need can help direct course design. More specifically, while most college-level science courses make use of the science and engineering practices described in the NGSS, few offer explicit instruction in them or how they intertwine with disciplinary core ideas and cross-cutting concepts. Yet this explicit instruction is critical to building scientific literacy in future teachers—and all students. Many textbooks and laboratory courses limit a discussion of the process of science to one chapter or exercise, and expect students to be able to apply those concepts. In contrast, new resources from Visionlearning (http://www.visionlearning.com), InTeGrate (http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate), and other projects hosted at the Science Education Resource Center (http://serc.carleton.edu) were developed with explicit and pervasive integration of the nature and practices of science in mind. These freely available, classroom-tested and reviewed resources support instructors in introductory/general education courses as well as teacher preparation and more advanced courses.

Concept of Science Data Management for the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Joo Hyeon

2016-10-01

South Korea has a plan to explore the Moon in 2018 or 2019. For the plan, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute which is a government funded research institute kicked off the Korea Lunar Exploration Development Program in January, 2016 in support of Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, South Korea.As the 1st stage mission of the program, named as the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter(KPLO), will perform acquisition of high resolution images and science data for investigation of lunar environment as well as the core technology demonstration and validation for space explorations. The scientific instruments consists of three Korean domestic developed science instruments except an imaging instrument and several foreign provided instruments. We are developing a science data management plan to encourage scientific activities using science data acquired by the science instruments.I introduce the Korean domestic developed science instruments and present concept of the science data management plan for data delivery, processing, and distribution for the science instruments.

Freedom: A Promise of Possibility.

PubMed

Bunkers, Sandra Schmidt

2015-10-01

The idea of freedom as a promise of possibility is explored in this column. The core concepts from a research study on considering tomorrow (Bunkers, 1998) coupled with humanbecoming community change processes (Parse, 2003) are used to illuminate this notion. The importance of intentionality in human freedom is discussed from both a human science and a natural science perspective. © The Author(s) 2015.

A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Academies Press, 2012

2012-01-01

Science, engineering, and technology permeate nearly every facet of modern life and hold the key to solving many of humanity's most pressing current and future challenges. The United States' position in the global economy is declining, in part because U.S. workers lack fundamental knowledge in these fields. To address the critical issues of U.S.…

Biological Principles and Threshold Concepts for Understanding Natural Selection: Implications for Developing Visualizations as a Pedagogic Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tibell, Lena A. E.; Harms, Ute

2017-01-01

Modern evolutionary theory is both a central theory and an integrative framework of the life sciences. This is reflected in the common references to evolution in modern science education curricula and contexts. In fact, evolution is a core idea that is supposed to support biology learning by facilitating the organization of relevant knowledge. In…

Framing the ecosystem concept through a longitudinal study of developments in science and policy.

PubMed

Aggestam, Filip

2015-08-01

This paper examines how scientific literature and policy documents frame the ecosystem concept and how these frames have shaped scientific dialogue and policy making over time. This was achieved by developing a frame typology, as a basis for organizing relevant value expressions, to assess how different frames have altered perspectives of the ecosystem concept. The frame typology and analysis is based on a semi-grounded and longitudinal document analysis of scientific literature and policy documents using the ecosystem concept. Despite changing discourses and public priorities (e.g., cultural constructs of biodiversity) both science and policy documents are characterized by stable value systems that have not changed substantially since the 1930s. These value systems were defined based on ethical principles that delineate 6 core frames: humans first, dual systems, eco-science, eco-holism, animals first, and multicentrism. Specific crises (e.g., climate change) and cross-disciplinary uptake and re-uptake of, for example, the ecosystem services concept, have brought new perspectives to the forefront of public discourse. These developments triggered changes in the core frames that, rather than being value based, are based on how the ecosystem is conceptualized under fixed value systems and over time. Fourteen subframes were developed to reflect these longitudinal changes. There are as such clear framing effects in both scientific literature and in policy. Ecosystem research is for instance often characterized by unstated value judgments even though the scientific community does not make these explicit. In contrast, policy documents are characterized by clear value expressions but are principally management driven and human centered. © 2015 Society for Conservation Biology.

Linked In

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayer, Kristen; Damelin, Daniel; Krajcik, Joseph

2013-01-01

The "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") emphasizes content and scientific practices, but what does this actually look like in a classroom? The "NGSS" integrates scientific and engineering practices with core ideas and crosscutting concepts, merging the three dimensions from "A Framework for K-12 Science…

The concept lens diagram: a new mechanism for presenting biochemistry content in terms of "big ideas".

PubMed

Rowland, Susan L; Smith, Christopher A; Gillam, Elizabeth M A; Wright, Tony

2011-07-01

A strong, recent movement in tertiary education is the development of conceptual, or "big idea" teaching. The emphasis in course design is now on promoting key understandings, core competencies, and an understanding of connections between different fields. In biochemistry teaching, this radical shift from the content-based tradition is being driven by the "omics" information explosion; we can no longer teach all the information we have available. Biochemistry is a core, enabling discipline for much of modern scientific research, and biochemistry teaching is in urgent need of a method for delivery of conceptual frameworks. In this project, we aimed to define the key concepts in biochemistry. We find that the key concepts we defined map well onto the core science concepts recommended by the Vision and Change project. We developed a new method to present biochemistry through the lenses of these concepts. This new method challenged the way we thought about biochemistry as teachers. It also stimulated the majority of the students to think more deeply about biochemistry and to make links between biochemistry and material in other courses. This method is applicable to the full spectrum of content usually taught in biochemistry. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Promoting Prospective Elementary Teachers' Learning to Use Formative Assessment for Life Science Instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabel, Jaime L.; Forbes, Cory T.; Zangori, Laura

2015-06-01

To support elementary students' learning of core, standards-based life science concepts highlighted in the Next Generation Science Standards, prospective elementary teachers should develop an understanding of life science concepts and learn to apply their content knowledge in instructional practice to craft elementary science learning environments grounded in students' thinking. To do so, teachers must learn to use high-leverage instructional practices, such as formative assessment, to engage students in scientific practices and connect instruction to students' ideas. However, teachers may not understand formative assessment or possess sufficient science content knowledge to effectively engage in related instructional practices. To address these needs, we developed and conducted research within an innovative course for preservice elementary teachers built upon two pillars—life science concepts and formative assessment. An embedded mixed methods study was used to evaluate the effect of the intervention on preservice teachers' (n = 49) content knowledge and ability to engage in formative assessment practices for science. Findings showed that increased life content knowledge over the semester helped preservice teachers engage more productively in anticipating and evaluating students' ideas, but not in identifying effective instructional strategies to respond to those ideas.

Implications of the Integration of Computing Methodologies into Conventional Marketing Research upon the Quality of Students' Understanding of the Concept

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ayman, Umut; Serim, Mehmet Cenk

2004-01-01

It has been an ongoing concern among academicians teaching social sciences to develop a better methodology to ease understanding of students. Since verbal emphasis is at the core of the concepts within such disciplines it has been observed that the adequate or desired level of conceptual understanding of the students to transforms the theories…

Capturing Student Interest in Astrobiology through Dilemmas and Paradoxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slater, T. F.

2005-12-01

Traditionally, many non-science majoring undergraduates readily reveal fairly negative opinions about their introductory science survey courses that serve as general education distribution requirements. Often seen as unimportant and unrelated to helping them acquire knowledge and skills for the workplace, such general education courses carry nicknames such as "Physics for Poets" (PHYSICS101), "Bugs for Thugs" (BIOLOGY101), "Rocks for Jocks" (GEOLOGY101), and "Moons for Goons" or "Scopes for Dopes" (ASTRONOMY101). In response, many faculty are experimenting with more modern science course offerings as general education courses in an effort to improve students' attitudes, values, and interests. One might think that ASTROBIOLOGY has natural curb appeal for students. However, despite the seemingly innate appeal of a course on extraterrestrial life, when it comes right down to it, an astrobiology course is still a natural science course at its core. As such, it can suffer from the same student apathy that afflicts traditional science courses if students can not find some personal relevance or interest in the topics. One approach to more fully engaging students is to couch core course concepts in terms of what Grant Wiggin and Jay McTighe (2004, 2000) call "essential questions." Essential questions are intended create enduring understanding in students and help students find deeply meaningful personal relevance to concepts. In response, we have created a series of probing essential questions that tie central concepts in astrobiology to dilemmas, paradoxes, and moral questions with the goal of intellectually engaging our students in the human-side of the astrobiology enterprise.

Data-Intensive Science Meets Inquiry-Driven Pedagogy: Interactive Big Data Exploration, Threshold Concepts, and Liminality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramachandran, R.; Nair, U. S.; Word, A.

2014-12-01

Threshold concepts in any discipline are the core concepts an individual must understand in order to master a discipline. By their very nature, these concepts are troublesome, irreversible, integrative, bounded, discursive, and reconstitutive. Although grasping threshold concepts can be extremely challenging for each learner as s/he moves through stages of cognitive development relative to a given discipline, the learner's grasp of these concepts determines the extent to which s/he is prepared to work competently and creatively within the field itself. The movement of individuals from a state of ignorance of these core concepts to one of mastery occurs not along a linear path but in iterative cycles of knowledge creation and adjustment in liminal spaces - conceptual spaces through which learners move from the vaguest awareness of concepts to mastery, accompanied by understanding of their relevance, connectivity, and usefulness relative to questions and constructs in a given discipline. With the explosive growth of data available in atmospheric science, driven largely by satellite Earth observations and high-resolution numerical simulations, paradigms such as that of data-intensive science have emerged. These paradigm shifts are based on the growing realization that current infrastructure, tools and processes will not allow us to analyze and fully utilize the complex and voluminous data that is being gathered. In this emerging paradigm, the scientific discovery process is driven by knowledge extracted from large volumes of data. In this presentation, we contend that this paradigm naturally lends to inquiry-driven pedagogy where knowledge is discovered through inductive engagement with large volumes of data rather than reached through traditional, deductive, hypothesis-driven analyses. In particular, data-intensive techniques married with an inductive methodology allow for exploration on a scale that is not possible in the traditional classroom with its typical problem sets and static, limited data samples. In addition, we identify existing gaps and possible solutions for addressing the infrastructure and tools as well as a pedagogical framework through which to implement this inductive approach.

Knowing Inquiry as Practice and Theory: Developing a Pedagogical Framework with Elementary School Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poon, Chew-Leng; Lee, Yew-Jin; Tan, Aik-Ling; Lim, Shirley S. L.

2012-04-01

In this paper, we characterize the inquiry practices of four elementary school teachers by means of a pedagogical framework. Our study revealed core components of inquiry found in theoretically-driven models as well as practices that were regarded as integral to the success of day-to-day science teaching in Singapore. This approach towards describing actual science inquiry practices—a surprisingly neglected area—uncovered nuances in teacher instructions that can impact inquiry-based lessons as well as contribute to a practice-oriented perspective of science teaching. In particular, we found that these teachers attached importance to (a) preparing students for investigations, both cognitively and procedurally; (b) iterating pedagogical components where helping students understand and construct concepts did not follow a planned linear path but involved continuous monitoring of learning; and (c) synthesizing concepts in a consolidation phase. Our findings underscore the dialectical relationship between practice-oriented knowledge and theoretical conceptions of teaching/learning thereby helping educators better appreciate how teachers adapt inquiry science for different contexts.

Data-Intensive Science meets Inquiry-Driven Pedagogy: Interactive Big Data Exploration, Threshold Concepts, and Liminality

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramachandran, Rahul; Word, Andrea; Nair, Udasysankar

2014-01-01

Threshold concepts in any discipline are the core concepts an individual must understand in order to master a discipline. By their very nature, these concepts are troublesome, irreversible, integrative, bounded, discursive, and reconstitutive. Although grasping threshold concepts can be extremely challenging for each learner as s/he moves through stages of cognitive development relative to a given discipline, the learner's grasp of these concepts determines the extent to which s/he is prepared to work competently and creatively within the field itself. The movement of individuals from a state of ignorance of these core concepts to one of mastery occurs not along a linear path but in iterative cycles of knowledge creation and adjustment in liminal spaces - conceptual spaces through which learners move from the vaguest awareness of concepts to mastery, accompanied by understanding of their relevance, connectivity, and usefulness relative to questions and constructs in a given discipline. For example, challenges in the teaching and learning of atmospheric science can be traced to threshold concepts in fluid dynamics. In particular, Dynamic Meteorology is one of the most challenging courses for graduate students and undergraduates majoring in Atmospheric Science. Dynamic Meteorology introduces threshold concepts - those that prove troublesome for the majority of students but that are essential, associated with fundamental relationships between forces and motion in the atmosphere and requiring the application of basic classical statics, dynamics, and thermodynamic principles to the three dimensionally varying atmospheric structure. With the explosive growth of data available in atmospheric science, driven largely by satellite Earth observations and high-resolution numerical simulations, paradigms such as that of dataintensive science have emerged. These paradigm shifts are based on the growing realization that current infrastructure, tools and processes will not allow us to analyze and fully utilize the complex and voluminous data that is being gathered. In this emerging paradigm, the scientific discovery process is driven by knowledge extracted from large volumes of data. In this presentation, we contend that this paradigm naturally lends to inquiry-driven pedagogy where knowledge is discovered through inductive engagement with large volumes of data rather than reached through traditional, deductive, hypothesis-driven analyses. In particular, data-intensive techniques married with an inductive methodology allow for exploration on a scale that is not possible in the traditional classroom with its typical problem sets and static, limited data samples. In addition, we identify existing gaps and possible solutions for addressing the infrastructure and tools as well as a pedagogical framework through which to implement this inductive approach.

Other Worlds, Other Earths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sunbury, Susan; Gould, R. R.

2011-05-01

The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics is developing a two-to-three week NSF-funded program for middle and high school students using telescope-based investigations of real world cutting edge scientific questions. The goal is to reveal and enhance students' understanding of core concepts in the physical sciences as well as to develop their proficiency in the practice of scientific inquiry. Specifically, students and teachers are joining scientists in the search for habitable worlds by exploring transiting exoplanets. Using robotic telescopes, image processing software and simulations, students take images and then measure the brightness of their target star to create a portrait of a transiting planet including how large it is; the tilt of its orbit; how far it is from its star and what its environment might be like. Once classes collect and analyze their own data, they can begin to compare, combine, and communicate their findings with others in the community. Interactive models help students predict what they might expect to find and interpret what they do find. During the past two years, the Center for Astrophysics has tested the concept in fifty middle-and high-school classrooms, enrichment classes and after school science clubs in 13 states across the United States. To date, astronomy, earth science, and physics students have successfully detected Jupiter-sized planets transiting stars such as TRES-3, HATP-10, and HATP-12. Preliminary results indicate that learning of core concept did occur. Gains in content were most significant in middle school students as this project delivered new information to them while it served primarily as a review of concepts and application of skills for advanced placement classes. A significant change also occurred in students’ self reported knowledge of exoplanets. There was also an increase in students’ awareness of exoplanets and attitudes about science after participating in this project.

Seven propositions of the science of improvement: exploring foundations.

PubMed

Perla, Rocco J; Provost, Lloyd P; Parry, Gareth J

2013-01-01

The phrase "Science of Improvement" or "Improvement Science" is commonly used today by a range of people and professions to mean different things, creating confusion to those trying to learn about improvement. In this article, we briefly define the concepts of improvement and science, and review the history of the consideration of "improvement" as a science. We trace key concepts and ideas in improvement to their philosophical and theoretical foundation with a focus on Deming's System of Profound Knowledge. We suggest that Deming's system has a firm association with many contemporary and historic philosophic and scientific debates and concepts. With reference to these debates and concepts, we identify 7 propositions that provide the scientific and philosophical foundation for the science of improvement. A standard view of the science of improvement does not presently exist that is grounded in the philosophical and theoretical basis of the field. The 7 propositions outlined here demonstrate the value of examining the underpinnings of improvement. This is needed to both advance the field and minimize confusion about what the phrase "science of improvement" represents. We argue that advanced scientists of improvement are those who like Deming and Shewhart can integrate ideas, concepts, and models between scientific disciplines for the purpose of developing more robust improvement models, tools, and techniques with a focus on application and problem solving in real world contexts. The epistemological foundations and theoretical basis of the science of improvement and its reasoning methods need to be critically examined to ensure its continued development and relevance. If improvement efforts and projects in health care are to be characterized under the canon of science, then health care professionals engaged in quality improvement work would benefit from a standard set of core principles, a standard lexicon, and an understanding of the evolution of the science of improvement.

New graduate students' baseline knowledge of the responsible conduct of research.

PubMed

Heitman, Elizabeth; Olsen, Cara H; Anestidou, Lida; Bulger, Ruth Ellen

2007-09-01

To assess (1) new biomedical science graduate students' baseline knowledge of core concepts and standards in responsible conduct of research (RCR), (2) differences in graduate students' baseline knowledge overall and across the Office of Research Integrity's nine core areas, and (3) demographic and educational factors in these differences. A 30-question, computer-scored multiple-choice test on core concepts and standards of RCR was developed following content analysis of 20 United States-published RCR texts, and combined with demographic questions on undergraduate experience with RCR developed from graduate student focus groups. Four hundred two new graduate students at three health science universities were recruited for Scantron and online testing before beginning RCR instruction. Two hundred fifty-one of 402 eligible trainees (62%) at three universities completed the test; scores ranged from 26.7% to 83.3%, with a mean of 59.5%. Only seven (3%) participants scored 80% or above. Students who received their undergraduate education outside the United States scored significantly lower (mean 52.0%) than those with U.S. bachelor's degrees (mean 60.5%, P < .001). Participants with prior graduate biomedical or health professions education scored marginally higher than new students, but both groups' mean scores were well below 80%. The mean score of 16 participants who reported previous graduate-level RCR instruction was 67.7%. Participants' specific knowledge varied, but overall scores were universally low. New graduate biomedical sciences students have inadequate and inconsistent knowledge of RCR, irrespective of their prior education or experience. Incoming trainees with previous graduate RCR education may also have gaps in core knowledge.

A Virtuous Cycle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furtak, Erin Marie; Heredia, Sara C.

2016-01-01

The "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States 2013) lay out an ambitious agenda for students to simultaneously engage with disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and scientific practices. This does not just mean new expectations for teaching; it also requires new formative assessments. In contrast to summative…

Policy versus Practice: The Role of the Home Language in Learning Mathematics and Science in English-Medium Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wildsmith-Cromarty, Rosemary; Gordon, Mary

2009-01-01

The focus of this paper is on the effects of the use of the home language (i.e. isiZulu) on teachers' and learners' understanding and use of core concepts in mathematics and science at the senior phase, in contexts where the language of instruction is English. It reports on a national, collaborative, multilingual research project which attempts to…

Proficiency in science: assessment challenges and opportunities.

PubMed

Pellegrino, James W

2013-04-19

Proficiency in science is being defined through performance expectations that intertwine science practices, cross-cutting concepts, and core content knowledge. These descriptions of what it means to know and do science pose challenges for assessment design and use, whether at the classroom instructional level or the system level for monitoring the progress of science education. There are systematic ways to approach assessment development that can address design challenges, as well as examples of the application of such principles in science assessment. This Review considers challenges and opportunities that exist for design and use of assessments that can support science teaching and learning consistent with a contemporary view of what it means to be proficient in science.

Multiscale spectroscopy using a monolithic liquid core waveguide with laterally attached fiber ports.

PubMed

Kröckel, Lars; Frosch, Torsten; Schmidt, Markus A

2015-05-22

In conventional absorption spectrometers, the range of accessible concentrations of analytes in aqueous solution is significantly limited by the dynamic range of the measurement system. Here we introduce the concept of multiscale spectroscopy allowing extending that range by orders of magnitude within one single device. The concept relies on using multiple light-sample interaction lengths, boosting the accessible concentration range by a particular extension factor. We experimentally implement our concept by a liquid core waveguide having multiple fiber ports side-wise attached to the waveguide, thus probing the light propagating inside the core at predefined distances from the input. This configuration provides three orders of magnitude of interaction length in one device. To verify the concept we exemplarily determine the concentrations of nitrate and of Rhodamine 6G in water, showing one hundred times improved measurement capabilities. The multiscale spectrometer uses the entire sample volume and allows the simultaneous measurement of fluorescence and attenuance. Due to its integrated design and the extended measurements capabilities, we anticipate application of our device in many application-relevant areas such as water quality analysis or environmental science. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Constellation Architecture Team-Lunar: Lunar Habitat Concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toups, Larry; Kennedy, Kriss J.

2008-01-01

This paper will describe lunar habitat concepts that were defined as part of the Constellation Architecture Team-Lunar (CxAT-Lunar) in support of the Vision for Space Exploration. There are many challenges to designing lunar habitats such as mission objectives, launch packaging, lander capability, and risks. Surface habitats are required in support of sustaining human life to meet the mission objectives of lunar exploration, operations, and sustainability. Lunar surface operations consist of crew operations, mission operations, EVA operations, science operations, and logistics operations. Habitats are crewed pressurized vessels that include surface mission operations, science laboratories, living support capabilities, EVA support, logistics, and maintenance facilities. The challenge is to deliver, unload, and deploy self-contained habitats and laboratories to the lunar surface. The CxAT-Lunar surface campaign analysis focused on three primary trade sets of analysis. Trade set one (TS1) investigated sustaining a crew of four for six months with full outpost capability and the ability to perform long surface mission excursions using large mobility systems. Two basic habitat concepts of a hard metallic horizontal cylinder and a larger inflatable torus concept were investigated as options in response to the surface exploration architecture campaign analysis. Figure 1 and 2 depicts the notional outpost configurations for this trade set. Trade set two (TS2) investigated a mobile architecture approach with the campaign focused on early exploration using two small pressurized rovers and a mobile logistics support capability. This exploration concept will not be described in this paper. Trade set three (TS3) investigated delivery of a "core' habitation capability in support of an early outpost that would mature into the TS1 full outpost capability. Three core habitat concepts were defined for this campaign analysis. One with a four port core habitat, another with a 2 port core habitat, and the third investigated leveraging commonality of the lander ascent module and airlock pressure vessel hard shell. The paper will describe an overview of the various habitat concepts and their functionality. The Crew Operations area includes basic crew accommodations such as sleeping, eating, hygiene and stowage. The EVA Operations area includes additional EVA capability beyond the suit-port airlock function such as redundant airlock(s), suit maintenance, spares stowage, and suit stowage. The Logistics Operations area includes the enhanced accommodations for 180 days such as closed loop life support systems hardware, consumable stowage, spares stowage, interconnection to the other Hab units, and a common interface mechanism for future growth and mating to a pressurized rover. The Mission & Science Operations area includes enhanced outpost autonomy such as an IVA glove box, life support, and medical operations.

Application of simplified Complexity Theory concepts for healthcare social systems to explain the implementation of evidence into practice.

PubMed

Chandler, Jacqueline; Rycroft-Malone, Jo; Hawkes, Claire; Noyes, Jane

2016-02-01

To examine the application of core concepts from Complexity Theory to explain the findings from a process evaluation undertaken in a trial evaluating implementation strategies for recommendations about reducing surgical fasting times. The proliferation of evidence-based guidance requires a greater focus on its implementation. Theory is required to explain the complex processes across the multiple healthcare organizational levels. This social healthcare context involves the interaction between professionals, patients and the organizational systems in care delivery. Complexity Theory may provide an explanatory framework to explain the complexities inherent in implementation in social healthcare contexts. A secondary thematic analysis of qualitative process evaluation data informed by Complexity Theory. Seminal texts applying Complexity Theory to the social context were annotated, key concepts extracted and core Complexity Theory concepts identified. These core concepts were applied as a theoretical lens to provide an explanation of themes from a process evaluation of a trial evaluating the implementation of strategies to reduce surgical fasting times. Sampled substantive texts provided a representative spread of theoretical development and application of Complexity Theory from late 1990's-2013 in social science, healthcare, management and philosophy. Five Complexity Theory core concepts extracted were 'self-organization', 'interaction', 'emergence', 'system history' and 'temporality'. Application of these concepts suggests routine surgical fasting practice is habituated in the social healthcare system and therefore it cannot easily be reversed. A reduction to fasting times requires an incentivised new approach to emerge in the surgical system's priority of completing the operating list. The application of Complexity Theory provides a useful explanation for resistance to change fasting practice. Its utility in implementation research warrants further attention and evaluation. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Core to Atmosphere Exploration of Ice Giants: A Uranus Mission Concept Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jensema, R. J.; Arias-Young, T. M.; Wilkins, A. N.; Ermakov, A.; Bennett, C.; Dietrich, A.; Hemingway, D.; Klein, V.; Mane, P.; Marr, K. D.; Masterson, J.; Siegel, V.; Stober, K. J.; Talpe, M.; Vines, S. K.; Wetteland, C. J.

2014-12-01

Ice giants remain largely unexplored, as their large distance from the Sun limits both Earth-based observations and spacecraft visits. The significant occurrence of ice giant-sized planets among detected exoplanets presents an impetus to study Uranus to understand planetary formation, dynamics, and evolution. In addition, Uranus is also uniquely interesting, given the large inclination of its rotation axis and magnetospheric configuration. In this work, we design a mission concept that aims to maximize scientific return by measuring Uranus' chemical composition, internal structure, and magnetosphere, the first two being primary indicators of ice giant formation mechanisms. For this study, we analyze the trade space for a Uranus mission constrained by a cost cap of $1B. We discuss the decision making processes behind our choices of the science priorities, instrument suite and orbital configuration. Trade space decisions include a strong onboard instrument suite in lieu of a descent probe, an orbiter instead of a flyby mission, and design constraints on the power and propulsion systems. The mission, CAELUS (Core and Atmospheric Evolution Laboratory for Uranus Science), is designed for an August 2023 launch. Following a 14-year cruise with multiple planetary gravity assists, the spacecraft would begin its science mission, which consists of a series of ten 30-day near-polar orbits around Uranus. The instrument suite would consist of a microwave radiometer, Doppler seismometer, magnetometer, and UV spectrometer. These four instruments, along with a high-gain antenna capable of gravity science, would provide a comprehensive science return that meets the bulk of the scientific objectives of the 2013 NRC Planetary Science Decadal Survey for ice giants, most notably those regarding the chemical composition, interior structure, and dynamo of Uranus. This mission concept was created as part of an educational exercise for the 2014 Planetary Science Summer School at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Hurricane Katrina: A Teachable Moment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bertrand, Peggy

2009-01-01

This article presents suggestions for integrating the phenomenon of hurricanes into the teaching of high school fluid mechanics. Students come to understand core science concepts in the context of their impact upon both the environment and human populations. Suggestions for using information about hurricanes, particularly Hurricane Katrina, in a…

Using Augmented Reality to Teach and Learn Biochemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vega Garzón, Juan Carlos; Magrini, Marcio Luiz; Galembeck, Eduardo

2017-01-01

Understanding metabolism and metabolic pathways constitutes one of the central aims for students of biological sciences. Learning metabolic pathways should be focused on the understanding of general concepts and core principles. New technologies such Augmented Reality (AR) have shown potential to improve assimilation of biochemistry abstract…

Epistemic Practices of Engineering for Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cunningham, Christine M.; Kelly, Gregory J.

2017-01-01

Engineering offers new educational opportunities for students, yet also poses challenges about how to conceptualize the disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices of the disciplinary fields of engineering. In this paper, we draw from empirical studies of engineering in professional and school settings to…

Using Innovative Resources and Programs to Prepare Pre- and In-Service Teachers for New Science Standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinzler, R. J.; Short, J.; Contino, J.; Cooke-Nieves, N.; Howes, E.; Kravitz, D.; Randle, D.; Trowbridge, C.

2014-12-01

Leveraging the Rose Center for Earth and Space and active research departments in Earth and Planetary Science, Astrophysics, and Paleontology, the Education Department at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) offers an MAT program to prepare new Earth Science teachers (~100 new teachers by 2018) as well as a range of professional development (PD) opportunities for over 3,000 K-12 teachers annually, providing opportunities to learn with scientists; inquiry-based experiences; and standards-aligned resources. The AMNH produces innovative geoscience and other STEM resources supporting teacher and student science investigations with data visualizations and analysis tools, teaching case materials and other resources that provide rich nonfiction reading and writing opportunities for use in Earth and space science curricula that are integrated in the MAT and PD programs. Museum resources and the MAT and PD programs are aligned to support the recently released Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the Common Core State Standards. The NGSS is a set of science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts and disciplinary core ideas to help cultivate teachers' and K-12 students' scientific habits of mind, develop their knowledge and abilities to engage in scientific investigations, and teach them how to reason in context; goals that closely align with those of the AMNH's teacher preparation and professional development programs. A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (NRC, 2012) is a required text for the MAT program, and this text as well as the NGSS Performance Expectations guide the PD programs as well. Researchers working with Museum scientists and educators find it is not enough for programs for pre- and in-service teachers to provide access to resources. Research suggests that these programs need to engage pre- and in-service teachers in using and reflecting on these types of resources, as well as take into account school environments and support for pre- and in-service teachers with different levels of knowledge and teaching expertise. Evaluation findings from AMNH programs indicate pre- and in-service teachers deepen their science content knowledge and develop new ways of supporting inquiry-based learning and teaching.

Positioning Genomics in Biology Education: Content Mapping of Undergraduate Biology Textbooks†

PubMed Central

Wernick, Naomi L. B.; Ndung’u, Eric; Haughton, Dominique; Ledley, Fred D.

2014-01-01

Biological thought increasingly recognizes the centrality of the genome in constituting and regulating processes ranging from cellular systems to ecology and evolution. In this paper, we ask whether genomics is similarly positioned as a core concept in the instructional sequence for undergraduate biology. Using quantitative methods, we analyzed the order in which core biological concepts were introduced in textbooks for first-year general and human biology. Statistical analysis was performed using self-organizing map algorithms and conventional methods to identify clusters of terms and their relative position in the books. General biology textbooks for both majors and nonmajors introduced genome-related content after text related to cell biology and biological chemistry, but before content describing higher-order biological processes. However, human biology textbooks most often introduced genomic content near the end of the books. These results suggest that genomics is not yet positioned as a core concept in commonly used textbooks for first-year biology and raises questions about whether such textbooks, or courses based on the outline of these textbooks, provide an appropriate foundation for understanding contemporary biological science. PMID:25574293

Positioning genomics in biology education: content mapping of undergraduate biology textbooks.

PubMed

Wernick, Naomi L B; Ndung'u, Eric; Haughton, Dominique; Ledley, Fred D

2014-12-01

Biological thought increasingly recognizes the centrality of the genome in constituting and regulating processes ranging from cellular systems to ecology and evolution. In this paper, we ask whether genomics is similarly positioned as a core concept in the instructional sequence for undergraduate biology. Using quantitative methods, we analyzed the order in which core biological concepts were introduced in textbooks for first-year general and human biology. Statistical analysis was performed using self-organizing map algorithms and conventional methods to identify clusters of terms and their relative position in the books. General biology textbooks for both majors and nonmajors introduced genome-related content after text related to cell biology and biological chemistry, but before content describing higher-order biological processes. However, human biology textbooks most often introduced genomic content near the end of the books. These results suggest that genomics is not yet positioned as a core concept in commonly used textbooks for first-year biology and raises questions about whether such textbooks, or courses based on the outline of these textbooks, provide an appropriate foundation for understanding contemporary biological science.

Analysis of the most common concept inventories in physics: What are we assessing?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laverty, James T.; Caballero, Marcos D.

2018-06-01

Assessing student learning is a cornerstone of educational practice. Standardized assessments have played a significant role in the development of instruction, curricula, and educational spaces in college physics. However, the use of these assessments to evaluate student learning is only productive if they continue to align with our learning goals. Recently, there have been calls to elevate the process of science ("scientific practices") to the same level of importance and emphasis as the concepts of physics ("core ideas" and "crosscutting concepts"). We use the recently developed Three-Dimensional Learning Assessment Protocol to investigate how well the most commonly used standardized assessments in introductory physics (i.e., concept inventories) align with this modern understanding of physics education's learning goals. We find that many of the questions on concept inventories do elicit evidence of student understanding of core ideas, but do not have the potential to elicit evidence of scientific practices or crosscutting concepts. Furthermore, we find that the individual scientific practices and crosscutting concepts that are assessed using these tools are limited to a select few. We discuss the implications that these findings have on designing and testing curricula and instruction both in the past and for the future.

Foundational concepts and underlying theories for majors in "biochemistry and molecular biology".

PubMed

Tansey, John T; Baird, Teaster; Cox, Michael M; Fox, Kristin M; Knight, Jennifer; Sears, Duane; Bell, Ellis

2013-01-01

Over the past two years, through an NSF RCN UBE grant, the ASBMB has held regional workshops for faculty members and science educators from around the country that focused on identifying: 1) core principles of biochemistry and molecular biology, 2) essential concepts and underlying theories from physics, chemistry, and mathematics, and 3) foundational skills that undergraduate majors in biochemistry and molecular biology must understand to complete their major coursework. Using information gained from these workshops, as well as from the ASBMB accreditation working group and the NSF Vision and Change report, the Core Concepts working group has developed a consensus list of learning outcomes and objectives based on five foundational concepts (evolution, matter and energy transformation, homeostasis, information flow, and macromolecular structure and function) that represent the expected conceptual knowledge base for undergraduate degrees in biochemistry and molecular biology. This consensus will aid biochemistry and molecular biology educators in the development of assessment tools for the new ASBMB recommended curriculum. © 2013 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Foundations of “new” social science: Institutional legitimacy from philosophy, complexity science, postmodernism, and agent-based modeling

PubMed Central

Henrickson, Leslie; McKelvey, Bill

2002-01-01

Since the death of positivism in the 1970s, philosophers have turned their attention to scientific realism, evolutionary epistemology, and the Semantic Conception of Theories. Building on these trends, Campbellian Realism allows social scientists to accept real-world phenomena as criterion variables against which theories may be tested without denying the reality of individual interpretation and social construction. The Semantic Conception reduces the importance of axioms, but reaffirms the role of models and experiments. Philosophers now see models as “autonomous agents” that exert independent influence on the development of a science, in addition to theory and data. The inappropriate molding effects of math models on social behavior modeling are noted. Complexity science offers a “new” normal science epistemology focusing on order creation by self-organizing heterogeneous agents and agent-based models. The more responsible core of postmodernism builds on the idea that agents operate in a constantly changing web of interconnections among other agents. The connectionist agent-based models of complexity science draw on the same conception of social ontology as do postmodernists. These recent developments combine to provide foundations for a “new” social science centered on formal modeling not requiring the mathematical assumptions of agent homogeneity and equilibrium conditions. They give this “new” social science legitimacy in scientific circles that current social science approaches lack. PMID:12011408

Demonstrating Proof by Contrapositive and Contradiction through Physical Analogs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaiser, Mark J.

1993-01-01

Presents examples where mathematical and physical reasoning complement each other in interpreting and analyzing some basic science concepts using proof by contradiction and contrapositive. Examples involve the rotation of the moon, the stability of electrons and protons, the electron's orbit about the nucleus, and the earth's liquid core. (MDH)

Identification and Addressing Reduction-Related Misconceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gal-Ezer, Judith; Trakhtenbrot, Mark

2016-01-01

Reduction is one of the key techniques used for problem-solving in computer science. In particular, in the theory of computation and complexity (TCC), mapping and polynomial reductions are used for analysis of decidability and computational complexity of problems, including the core concept of NP-completeness. Reduction is a highly abstract…

The Philosophical Problem of Truth in Librarianship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Labaree, Robert V.; Scimeca, Ross

2008-01-01

The authors develop a framework for addressing the question of truth in librarianship and in doing so attempt to move considerations of truth closer to the core of philosophical debates within the profession. After establishing ways in which philosophy contributes to social scientific inquiry in library science, the authors examine concepts of…

Adapting Assessment Tasks to Support Three-Dimensional Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Underwood, Sonia M.; Posey, Lynmarie A.; Herrington, Deborah G.; Carmel, Justin H.; Cooper, Melanie M.

2018-01-01

As chemists, we understand that science is more than a set of disconnected facts. It is a way of investigating and understanding our natural world that involves things like asking questions, analyzing data, identifying patterns, constructing explanations, developing and using models, and applying core concepts to other situations. This paper uses…

Biological Principles and Threshold Concepts for Understanding Natural Selection. Implications for Developing Visualizations as a Pedagogic Tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tibell, Lena A. E.; Harms, Ute

2017-11-01

Modern evolutionary theory is both a central theory and an integrative framework of the life sciences. This is reflected in the common references to evolution in modern science education curricula and contexts. In fact, evolution is a core idea that is supposed to support biology learning by facilitating the organization of relevant knowledge. In addition, evolution can function as a pivotal link between concepts and highlight similarities in the complexity of biological concepts. However, empirical studies in many countries have for decades identified deficiencies in students' scientific understanding of evolution mainly focusing on natural selection. Clearly, there are major obstacles to learning natural selection, and we argue that to overcome them, it is essential to address explicitly the general abstract concepts that underlie the biological processes, e.g., randomness or probability. Hence, we propose a two-dimensional framework for analyzing and structuring teaching of natural selection. The first—purely biological—dimension embraces the three main principles variation, heredity, and selection structured in nine key concepts that form the core idea of natural selection. The second dimension encompasses four so-called thresholds, i.e., general abstract and/or non-perceptual concepts: randomness, probability, spatial scales, and temporal scales. We claim that both of these dimensions must be continuously considered, in tandem, when teaching evolution in order to allow development of a meaningful understanding of the process. Further, we suggest that making the thresholds tangible with the aid of appropriate kinds of visualizations will facilitate grasping of the threshold concepts, and thus, help learners to overcome the difficulties in understanding the central theory of life.

BioCore Guide: A Tool for Interpreting the Core Concepts of Vision and Change for Biology Majors.

PubMed

Brownell, Sara E; Freeman, Scott; Wenderoth, Mary Pat; Crowe, Alison J

2014-01-01

Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education outlined five core concepts intended to guide undergraduate biology education: 1) evolution; 2) structure and function; 3) information flow, exchange, and storage; 4) pathways and transformations of energy and matter; and 5) systems. We have taken these general recommendations and created a Vision and Change BioCore Guide-a set of general principles and specific statements that expand upon the core concepts, creating a framework that biology departments can use to align with the goals of Vision and Change. We used a grassroots approach to generate the BioCore Guide, beginning with faculty ideas as the basis for an iterative process that incorporated feedback from more than 240 biologists and biology educators at a diverse range of academic institutions throughout the United States. The final validation step in this process demonstrated strong national consensus, with more than 90% of respondents agreeing with the importance and scientific accuracy of the statements. It is our hope that the BioCore Guide will serve as an agent of change for biology departments as we move toward transforming undergraduate biology education. © 2014 S. E. Brownell et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2014 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Undergraduate Research Collaborations with Government Agencies Involving the Effects of Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gurtler, G.

2017-12-01

We discuss the challenges and achievements that a small HSI college had integrating undergraduate research experiences into an existing natural sciences program. Like most introductory college science courses, our natural science courses used textbooks, PowerPoint presentations, and lectures to illustrate basic scientific concepts. Though a collective decision was made by our science faculty to incorporate undergraduate research projects into various STEM courses, our greatest challenge was incorporating mandatory research courses into the degree plans of our Natural Science program. We found that students made considerable progress in understanding natural science by critically evaluating primary research articles and undertaking small research projects. Many of these student projects were conducted in cooperation with the Albuquerque District of the US Army Corps of Engineers, United States Geological Survey in Denver, and the National Ice Core Laboratory. These projects illustrated the effects of climate change on the water quality, sediment buildup, and biodiversity at local reservoirs. Other projects involved the analysis of ice core samples from Greenland and Antarctica. Students presented research posters at various research venues, including Community College Undergraduate Research Initiative colloquiums.

Providing Geospatial Education and Real World Applications of Data across the Climate Initiative Themes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weigel, A. M.; Griffin, R.; Bugbee, K.

2015-12-01

Various organizations such as the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) have developed a structure for general thematic areas in Earth science research, however the Climate Data Initiative (CDI) is addressing the challenging goal of organizing such datasets around core themes specifically related to climate change impacts. These thematic areas, which currently include coastal flooding, food resilience, ecosystem vulnerability, water, transportation, energy infrastructure, and human health, form the core of a new college course at the University of Alabama in Huntsville developed around real-world applications in the Earth sciences. The goal of this course is to educate students on the data available and scope of GIS applications in Earth science across the CDI climate themes. Real world applications and datasets serve as a pedagogical tool that provide a useful medium for instruction in scientific geospatial analysis and GIS software. With a wide range of potential research areas that fall under the rubric of "Earth science", thematic foci can help to structure a student's understanding of the potential uses of GIS across sub-disciplines, while communicating core data processing concepts. The learning modules and use-case scenarios for this course demonstrate the potential applications of CDI data to undergraduate and graduate Earth science students.

Life sciences experiments in the first Spacelab mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huffstetler, W. J.; Rummel, J. A.

1978-01-01

The development of the Shuttle Transportation System (STS) by the United States and the Spacelab pressurized modules and pallets by the European Space Agency (ESA) presents a unique multi-mission space experimentation capability to scientists and researchers of all disciplines. This capability is especially pertinent to life scientists involved in all areas of biological and behavioral research. This paper explains the solicitation, evaluation, and selection process involved in establishing life sciences experiment payloads. Explanations relative to experiment hardware development, experiment support hardware (CORE) concepts, hardware integration and test, and concepts of direct Principal Investigator involvement in the missions are presented as they are being accomplished for the first Spacelab mission. Additionally, discussions of future plans for life sciences dedicated Spacelab missions are included in an attempt to define projected capabilities for space research in the 1980s utilizing the STS.

An engineering paradigm in the biomedical sciences: Knowledge as epistemic tool.

PubMed

Boon, Mieke

2017-10-01

In order to deal with the complexity of biological systems and attempts to generate applicable results, current biomedical sciences are adopting concepts and methods from the engineering sciences. Philosophers of science have interpreted this as the emergence of an engineering paradigm, in particular in systems biology and synthetic biology. This article aims at the articulation of the supposed engineering paradigm by contrast with the physics paradigm that supported the rise of biochemistry and molecular biology. This articulation starts from Kuhn's notion of a disciplinary matrix, which indicates what constitutes a paradigm. It is argued that the core of the physics paradigm is its metaphysical and ontological presuppositions, whereas the core of the engineering paradigm is the epistemic aim of producing useful knowledge for solving problems external to the scientific practice. Therefore, the two paradigms involve distinct notions of knowledge. Whereas the physics paradigm entails a representational notion of knowledge, the engineering paradigm involves the notion of 'knowledge as epistemic tool'. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biodiesel and Integrated STEM: Vertical Alignment of High School Biology/Biochemistry and Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burrows, Andrea C.; Breiner, Jonathan M.; Keiner, Jennifer; Behm, Chris

2014-01-01

This article explores the vertical alignment of two high school classes, biology and chemistry, around the core concept of biodiesel fuel production. High school teachers and university faculty members investigated biodiesel as it relates to societal impact through a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Teachers. Using an action…

Adapting to the Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Auclair, Joy

2014-01-01

This author wanted to begin her 10-grade biology course with an authentic inquiry that included a review of equipment use, investigation methods, and critical thinking skills. She also wanted to engage students in the practice of science while teaching biological core ideas and crosscutting concepts. She was at a loss as to what that inquiry might…

Exploring Relationships between Students' Interaction and Learning with a Haptic Virtual Biomolecular Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schonborn, Konrad J.; Bivall, Petter; Tibell, Lena A. E.

2011-01-01

This study explores tertiary students' interaction with a haptic virtual model representing the specific binding of two biomolecules, a core concept in molecular life science education. Twenty students assigned to a "haptics" (experimental) or "no-haptics" (control) condition performed a "docking" task where users sought the most favourable…

The Theory of Caritative Leadership Applied to Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Näsman, Yvonne

2018-01-01

Within caring science, the concept of caring leadership is well established. The aim of this study is to introduce Bondas's theory of caritative leadership into education. The theory of caritative leadership is a theory of caring leadership with the 'caritas' thought of human love and mercy at its core. The article considers a hypothetical testing…

Attending to Structural Programming Features Predicts Differences in Learning and Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Witherspoon, Eben B.; Schunn, Christian D.; Higashi, Ross M.; Shoop, Robin

2018-01-01

Educational robotics programs offer an engaging opportunity to potentially teach core computer science concepts and practices in K-12 classrooms. Here, we test the effects of units with different programming content within a virtual robotics context on both learning gains and motivational changes in middle school (6th-8th grade) robotics…

Fire in the forest

Treesearch

James M. Saveland

1995-01-01

From ancient philosophies to present day science, the ubiquity of change and the process of transformation are core concepts. The primary focus of a recent white paper on disturbance ecology is summed up by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus who stated, "Nothing is permanent but change." Disturbance processes, such as fire, provide a window into the emerging...

Process versus Product: What Ethic Does the FCS-BOK Uphold?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roubanis, Jody L.

2017-01-01

Fundamental moral implications for professional practice inherent to the Family and Consumer Sciences Body of Knowledge (FCS-BOK) are revealed by using paradigms conventional to normative ethics. A product-oriented teleological ethic is linked to the FCS-BOK core concepts: basic human needs, individual well-being, family strengths, and community…

Students' Usability Evaluation of a Web-Based Tutorial Program for College Biology Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, H. S.; Prevost, L.; Lemons, P. P.

2015-01-01

The understanding of core concepts and processes of science in solving problems is important to successful learning in biology. We have designed and developed a Web-based, self-directed tutorial program, "SOLVEIT," that provides various scaffolds (e.g., prompts, expert models, visual guidance) to help college students enhance their…

Any Questions? Want to Stimulate Student Curiosity? Let Them Ask Questions!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weiss, Tarin Harrar

2013-01-01

Of the eight scientific practices highlighted in "A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas," the first is for students to develop abilities to ask questions and define problems (NRC 2012). Constructing a range of questions about an object or phenomenon validates not only what students have…

The Bio Bay Game: Three-Dimensional Learning of Biomagnification

PubMed Central

JASTI, CHANDANA; LAUREN, HILLARY; WALLON, ROBERT C.; HUG, BARBARA

2016-01-01

Pressing concerns about sustainability and the state of the environment amplify the need to teach students about the connections between ecosystem health, toxicology, and human health. Additionally, the Next Generation Science Standards call for three-dimensional science learning, which integrates disciplinary core ideas, scientific practices, and crosscutting concepts. The Bio Bay Game is a way to teach students about the biomagnification of toxicants across trophic levels while engaging them in three-dimensional learning. In the game, the class models the biomagnification of mercury in a simple aquatic food chain as they play the roles of anchovies, tuna, and humans. While playing, the class generates data, which they analyze after the game to graphically visualize the buildup of toxicants. Students also read and discuss two articles that draw connections to a real-world case. The activity ends with students applying their understanding to evaluate the game as a model of biomagnification. Throughout the activity, students practice modeling and data analysis and engage with the crosscutting concepts of patterns and cause and effect to develop an understanding of core ideas about the connections between humans and the environment. PMID:27990023

The Bio Bay Game: Three-Dimensional Learning of Biomagnification.

PubMed

Jasti, Chandana; Lauren, Hillary; Wallon, Robert C; Hug, Barbara

2016-01-01

Pressing concerns about sustainability and the state of the environment amplify the need to teach students about the connections between ecosystem health, toxicology, and human health. Additionally, the Next Generation Science Standards call for three-dimensional science learning, which integrates disciplinary core ideas, scientific practices, and crosscutting concepts. The Bio Bay Game is a way to teach students about the biomagnification of toxicants across trophic levels while engaging them in three-dimensional learning. In the game, the class models the biomagnification of mercury in a simple aquatic food chain as they play the roles of anchovies, tuna, and humans. While playing, the class generates data, which they analyze after the game to graphically visualize the buildup of toxicants. Students also read and discuss two articles that draw connections to a real-world case. The activity ends with students applying their understanding to evaluate the game as a model of biomagnification. Throughout the activity, students practice modeling and data analysis and engage with the crosscutting concepts of patterns and cause and effect to develop an understanding of core ideas about the connections between humans and the environment.

Preservice Elementary Teachers' Ideas About Scientific Practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ricketts, Amy

2014-10-01

With the goal of producing scientifically literate citizens who are able to make informed decisions and reason critically when science intersects with their everyday lives, the National Research Council (NRC) has produced two recent documents that call for a new approach to K-12 science education that is based on scientific practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas. These documents will potentially influence future state standards and K-12 curricula. Teachers will need support in order to teach science using a practices based approach, particularly if they do not have strong science backgrounds, which is often the case with elementary teachers. This study investigates one cohort (n = 19) of preservice elementary teachers' ideas about scientific practices, as developed in a one-semester elementary science teaching methods course. The course focused on eight particular scientific practices, as defined by the National Research Council's A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (2012). Participants' written reflections, lesson plans and annotated teaching videos were analyzed in fine detail to better understand their ideas about what it means to engage in each of the practices. The findings suggest that preservice elementary teachers hold promising ideas about scientific practices (such as an emphasis on argumentation and communication between scientists, critical thinking, and answering and asking questions as the goal of science) as well as problematic ideas (including confusion over the purpose of modeling and the process of analysis, and conflating argumentation and explanation building). These results highlight the strengths and limitations of using the Framework (NRC 2012) as an instructional text and the difficulties of differentiating between preservice teachers' content knowledge about doing the practices and their pedagogical knowledge about teaching the practices.

Building bridges between Ayurveda and Modern Science

PubMed Central

Rastogi, Sanjeev

2010-01-01

The recent decade has witnessed many landmark observations, which have added to the scientific credentials of Ayurveda.It is however believed that instead of a retrospective approach of looking into the Ayurveda through the scientific reappraisals, a prospective approach through primary understanding of Ayurveda followed by a search into scientific linkage would be more appealing. This article brings the simplified yet scientific decoding of the core concepts of Ayurveda that form the framework of this ancient science of health. PMID:20532097

The Development of Stacked Core Technology for the Fabrication of Deep Lightweight UV-quality Space Mirrors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matthews, Gary W.; Kirk, Charles S.; Maffett, Steven P.; Abplanalp, Calvin E.; Stahl, H. Philip; Effinger, Michael R.

2013-01-01

The Decadal Survey stated that an advanced large-aperture ultraviolet, optical, near-infrared (UVOIR) telescope is required to enable the next generation of compelling astrophysics and exoplanet science; and, that present technology is not mature enough to affordably build and launch any potential UVOIR mission concept. Under Science and Technology funding, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and Exelis have developed a more cost effective process to make up to 4m monolithic spaceflight UV quality, low areal density, thermally and dynamically stable primary mirrors. A proof of concept mirror was completed at Exelis and tested down to 250K at MSFC which would allow imaging out to 2.5 microns. The parameters and test results of this concept mirror will be shown. The scale-up process will be discussed and the technology development path to a 4m mirror system by 2018 will also be outlined.

Development of Stacked Core Technology for the Fabrication of Deep Lightweight UV Quality Space Mirrors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matthews, Gary; Kirk, Charlie; Maffett, Steve; Abplanalp, Cal; Stahl, H. Philip

2013-01-01

Decadal Survey stated that an advanced large-aperture ultraviolet, optical, near-infrared (UVOIR) telescope is required to enable the next generation of compelling astrophysics and exoplanet science; and, that present technology is not mature enough to affordably build and launch any potential UVOIR mission concept. Under Science and Technology funding, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and ITT Exelis have developed a more cost effective process to make up to 4m monolithic spaceflight UV quality, low areal density, thermally and dynamically stable primary mirrors. A proof of concept mirror was completed at ITT Exelis and tested down to 250K at MSFC which would allow imaging out to 2.5 microns. The parameters and test results of this concept mirror will be shown. The scale-up process will be discussed and the technology development path to a 4m mirror system by 2018 will also be outlined.

A Small Fission Power System for NASA Planetary Science Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mason, Lee; Casani, John; Elliott, John; Fleurial, Jean-Pierre; MacPherson, Duncan; Nesmith, William; Houts, Michael; Bechtel, Ryan; Werner, James; Kapernick, Rick;

The fruits of a functional approach for psychological science.

PubMed

Stewart, Ian

2016-02-01

The current paper introduces relational frame theory (RFT) as a functional contextual approach to complex human behaviour and examines how this theory has contributed to our understanding of several key phenomena in psychological science. I will first briefly outline the philosophical foundation of RFT and then examine its conceptual basis and core concepts. Thereafter, I provide an overview of the empirical findings and applications that RFT has stimulated in a number of key domains such as language development, linguistic generativity, rule-following, analogical reasoning, intelligence, theory of mind, psychopathology and implicit cognition. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.

Crossing the Threshold: Bringing Biological Variation to the Foreground.

PubMed

Batzli, Janet M; Knight, Jennifer K; Hartley, Laurel M; Maskiewicz, April Cordero; Desy, Elizabeth A

2016-01-01

Threshold concepts have been referred to as "jewels in the curriculum": concepts that are key to competency in a discipline but not taught explicitly. In biology, researchers have proposed the idea of threshold concepts that include such topics as variation, randomness, uncertainty, and scale. In this essay, we explore how the notion of threshold concepts can be used alongside other frameworks meant to guide instructional and curricular decisions, and we examine the proposed threshold concept of variation and how it might influence students' understanding of core concepts in biology focused on genetics and evolution. Using dimensions of scientific inquiry, we outline a schema that may allow students to experience and apply the idea of variation in such a way that it transforms their future understanding and learning of genetics and evolution. We encourage others to consider the idea of threshold concepts alongside the Vision and Change core concepts to provide a lens for targeted instruction and as an integrative bridge between concepts and competencies. © 2016 J. M. Batzli et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2016 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Sensors, Circuits, and Satellites - NGSS at it's best: the integration of three dimensions with NASA science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butcher, G. J.; Roberts-Harris, D.

2013-12-01

A set of innovative classroom lessons were developed based on informal learning activities in the 'Sensors, Circuits, and Satellites' kit manufactured by littleBits™ Electronics that are designed to lead students through a logical science content storyline about energy using sound and light and fully implements an integrated approach to the three dimensions of the Next Generation of Science Standards (NGSS). This session will illustrate the integration of NGSS into curriculum by deconstructing lesson design to parse out the unique elements of the 3 dimensions of NGSS. We will demonstrate ways in which we have incorporated the NGSS as we believe they were intended. According to the NGSS, 'The real innovation in the NGSS is the requirement that students are required to operate at the intersection of practice, content, and connection. Performance expectations are the right way to integrate the three dimensions. It provides specificity for educators, but it also sets the tone for how science instruction should look in classrooms. (p. 3). The 'Sensors, Circuits, and Satellites' series of lessons accomplishes this by going beyond just focusing on the conceptual knowledge (the disciplinary core ideas) - traditionally approached by mapping lessons to standards. These lessons incorporate the other 2 dimensions -cross-cutting concepts and the 8-practices of Sciences and Engineering-via an authentic and exciting connection to NASA science, thus implementing the NGSS in the way they were designed to be used: practices and content with the crosscutting concepts. When the NGSS are properly integrated, students are engaged in science and engineering content through the coupling of practice, content and connection. In the past, these two dimensions have been separated as distinct entities. We know now that coupling content and practices better demonstrates what goes on in real world science and engineering. We set out to accomplish what is called for in NGSS by integrating these three dimensions to 'provide students with a context for the content of science, how science knowledge is acquired and understood, and how the sciences are connected through concepts that have universal meaning across the disciplines,' which include connections to authentic NASA science (NGSS, pg.2). The NASA context is embedded in the lessons and designed to interest students in Earth and space science. Research suggests that personal interest, experience, and enthusiasm--critical to children's learning of science at school or in other settings-- may also be linked to later educational and career choices. (Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Cross-cutting concepts, Core ideas, p. 28) Students are encouraged to follow their interests, through additional online resources, real world NASA applications, and career connections offering insight to course offerings and possible majors. Combined with the innovative electronic component kit manufactured by littleBits™ Electronics, students are excited and engaged in authentic science and engineering. Sample circuit used in the Sensors, Circuits, and Satellites kit.

Students' Energy Concepts at the Transition Between Primary and Secondary School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Opitz, Sebastian T.; Harms, Ute; Neumann, Knut; Kowalzik, Kristin; Frank, Arne

2015-10-01

Energy is considered both a core idea and a crosscutting concept in science education. A thorough understanding of the energy concept is thought to help students learn about other (related) concepts within and across science subjects, thereby fostering scientific literacy. This study investigates students' progression in understanding the energy concept in biological contexts at the transition from primary to lower secondary school by employing a quantitative, cross-sectional study in grades 3-6 ( N = 540) using complex multiple-choice items. Based on a model developed in a previous study, energy concepts were assessed along four aspects of energy: (1) forms and sources of energy, (2) transfer and transformation, (3) degradation and dissipation, and (4) energy conservation. Two parallel test forms (A and B) indicated energy concept scores to increase significantly by a factor of 2.3 (A)/1.7 (B) from grade 3 to grade 6. Students were observed to progress in their understanding of all four aspects of the concept and scored highest on items for energy forms. The lowest scores and the smallest gain across grades were found for energy conservation. Based on our results, we argue that despite numerous learning opportunities, students lack a more integrated understanding of energy at this stage, underlining the requirement of a more explicit approach to teaching energy to young learners. Likewise, more interdisciplinary links for energy learning between relevant contexts in each science discipline may enable older students to more efficiently use energy as a tool and crosscutting concept with which to analyze complex content.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory`s (ORNL) ecological and physical science study center: A hands-on science program for K-12 students

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bradshaw, S.P.

1994-12-31

In our tenth year of educational service and outreach, Oak Ridge National Laboratory`s Ecological and Physical Science Study Center (EPSSC) provides hands-on, inquiry-based science activities for area students and teachers. Established in 1984, the EPSSC now hosts over 20,000 student visits. Designed to foster a positive attitude towards science, each unit includes activities which reinforce the science concept being explored. Outdoor science units provide field experience at the Department of Energy`s Oak Ridge National Environmental Research Park and outreach programs are offered on-site in area schools. Other programs are offered as extensions of the EPSSC core programs, including on-site studentmore » science camps, all-girl programs, outreach science camps, student competitions, teacher in-service presentations and teacher workshops.« less

Evolutionary Science as a Method to Facilitate Higher Level Thinking and Reasoning in Medical Training.

PubMed

Graves, Joseph L; Reiber, Chris; Thanukos, Anna; Hurtado, Magdalena; Wolpaw, Terry

2016-10-15

Evolutionary science is indispensable for understanding biological processes. Effective medical treatment must be anchored in sound biology. However, currently the insights available from evolutionary science are not adequately incorporated in either pre-medical or medical school curricula. To illuminate how evolution may be helpful in these areas, examples in which the insights of evolutionary science are already improving medical treatment and ways in which evolutionary reasoning can be practiced in the context of medicine are provided. In order to facilitate the learning of evolutionary principles, concepts derived from evolutionary science that medical students and professionals should understand are outlined. These concepts are designed to be authoritative and at the same time easily accessible for anyone with the general biological knowledge of a first-year medical student. Thus we conclude that medical practice informed by evolutionary principles will be more effective and lead to better patient outcomes.Furthermore, it is argued that evolutionary medicine complements general medical training because it provides an additional means by which medical students can practice the critical thinking skills that will be important in their future practice. We argue that core concepts from evolutionary science have the potential to improve critical thinking and facilitate more effective learning in medical training. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Foundation for Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health.

Formative Assessment Probes: Pushes and Pulls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keeley, Page

2011-01-01

When the concept of force is first taught in the elementary curriculum, it is usually introduced as a push or a pull. The recently released "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" describes grade band endpoints for the Core Idea: Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions (NRC 2011). It states that by the end of grade 2 students should know…

Delivering Core Engineering Concepts to Secondary Level Students. Research in Engineering and Technology Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merrill, Chris; Custer, Rodney L.; Daugherty, Jenny; Westrick, Martin; Zeng, Yong

2007-01-01

Within primary and secondary school technology education, engineering has been proposed as an avenue to bring about technological literacy. Different initiatives such as curriculum development projects (i.e., Project ProBase and Project Lead The Way) and National Science Foundation funded projects such as the National Center for Engineering and…

A Qualitative Study of Urban and Suburban Elementary Student Understandings of Pest-Related Science and Agricultural Education Benchmarks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trexler, Cary J.

2000-01-01

Clinical interviews with nine fifth graders revealed that experiences play a pivotal role in their understanding of pests. They lack well-developed schema and language to discuss pest management. A foundation of core biological concepts was necessary for understanding pests and pest management. (Conatains 34 references.) (SK)

Tests of Cognitive Ability

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-12-01

Industrial-Organizational Psychology , 2003). Reliability and validity are two core concepts that must be considered whether choosing a commercial test or...Critiques includes tests used in business, education, and psychology . It provides information regarding practical applications and uses, guidelines for...use (http://www.apa.org/science/faq-findtests.html). The same is generally true for the American Psychological Society TESTS OF GENERAL COGNITIVE

Using Rasch Modeling to Investigate a Learning Progression for Energy Ideas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herrmann-Abell, Cari F.; DeBoer, George E.

2016-01-01

Energy is a core concept in the teaching of science. Therefore, it is important to know how students' thinking about energy develops so that elementary, middle, and high school students can be appropriately supported in their understanding of energy. This study tests the validity of a proposed theoretical model of students' growth of understanding…

A Science-Based Framework for Early Childhood Policy: Using Evidence to Improve Outcomes in Learning, Behavior, and Health for Vulnerable Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2007

2007-01-01

This report combines neuroscience, child development research, and program evaluation data to better inform policymakers' decisions about investing in and supporting existing early childhood programs. Core child development concepts highlight the importance of early experiences on the development of brain architecture and, in turn, future…

Implementation Options For the Solar System Exploration Survey's "Jupiter Polar Orbiter with Probes" Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spilker, T. R.

2002-09-01

In July of this year the National Academy of Science released a draft of its report, "New Frontiers in the Solar System: An Integrated Exploration Strategy," briefly describing the current state of solar system planetary science and the most important science objectives for the next decade (2003-2013). It includes a prioritized list of five mission concepts that might be flown as part of NASA's fledgling New Frontiers Program; each "concept" is more a list of science or measurement objectives than a full mission concept, since it does not specify implementation details in most cases. Number three on that list is the "Jupiter Polar Orbiter with Probes" ("JPOP") mission. This mission concept combines the strengths of previously described or proposed Jupiter missions into a single mission, and gains from the synergies of some of the newly-combined investigations. The primary science objectives are: 1. Determine if Jupiter has a central core 2. Determine the deep abundance of water (and other volatiles) 3. Measure Jupiter's deep winds 4. Determine the structure of Jupiter's dynamo magnetic field 5. Sample in situ Jupiter's polar magnetosphere This paper examines some of the implementation options for a JPOP mission, and gives relative advantages and disadvantages. Given the New Frontier Program's maximum cost to NASA of \\650M, plus an approx. \\120M cap on international contributions, implementing the full range of JPOP science objectives in a single New Frontiers mission may be challenging. This work was performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory / California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Reinvigorating the concept of situation in social psychology.

PubMed

Reis, Harry T

2008-11-01

The concept of situation has a long and venerable history in social psychology. The author argues that recent approaches to the concept of situation have confused certain important elements. Herein, the author proposes that attention to three of these elements will reinvigorate the concept of situation in social psychology: (a) that the analysis of situations should begin with their objective features; (b) that situations should be conceptualized as affordances; and (c) that the interpersonal core of situations, in particular the extent to which they are influenced by relationships, is the proper and most profitable focus for social psychology. These elements are consistent with recent developments in the study of situated social cognition and may help better define social psychology's position within the sciences.

School of Ice: An Advanced Professional Development Program for Geoscience Faculty at Minority-Serving Institutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huffman, L. T.

2017-12-01

The School of Ice (SOI) program from the US Ice Drilling Program Office (IDPO) is designed for college faculty who teach at minority-serving institutions or historically black colleges and universities, but lessons learned transfer easily to any science course based on current research. The institute builds participants' background knowledge about ice core science and climate change while also providing experiences with activities and labs for transferring information to their students. After three years of highly successful workshops, our model has provided valuable lessons for creating powerful experiences for participants. This presentation will identify some of the key ideas including pairing researchers and educators as presenters; creating leadership teams capitalizing on partner strengths; building a science community willing to participate in education and outreach; and building participants' science content background knowledge and confidence while providing them with teaching models for transferring the knowledge to their students. Another important element is to demand teacher buy-in to ensure replication and dissemination. Also, IDPO's drilling technologies make it an ideal platform for intertwining engineering concepts and practices with science research to meet new science standards. In this session, we will share results of the institute evaluations including the impact on the educators as well as longitudinal analysis of data from interviews with past participants concerning continued impacts on their teaching, their courses and their students. Faculty who have attended this institute in the last three years have reported increases in their understanding of the content and how to teach it. They also report increased confidence in their ability to teach ice core science and climate change concepts. Elements of these successful workshops can inform both the development of college professional development and student courses, as well as the creation of successful education and outreach programs for science research teams wanting to increase broader impacts of their research results.

Adaptation of Economy Attitude Scale to Turkish Culture: Validity and Reliability Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alagoz, Bullent

2015-01-01

Economics affects us no matter what role we play in social life. Its foundation as a science was laid by the studies of Adam Smith, and since history it has become one of the disciplines accepted in university curriculums. Scarcity, opportunity costs and abandoning something in order to obtain another one are the core concepts of this discipline.…

From Civic Conservation to the Age of Ecology: The Rise and Synthesis of Ecological Ideas in the American High School Science Curriculum, 1900-1980

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laubach, Stephen A.

2013-01-01

Ecological ideas have been manifested in diverse ways in American high schools since the early twentieth century. Core scientific concepts in ecology--the study of the relationship between organisms and their environment--include adaptations, plant succession, ecosystem ecology, and population ecology. This dissertation argues, however, that there…

Successfully Engaging Family and Student Audiences in Climate Science Workshops in an Informal Learning Venue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeFrancis, G.; Haynes, R.; Schroer, K.

2017-12-01

The Montshire Museum of Science, a regional science center serving families, teachers, and students in rural Vermont and New Hampshire, has been actively engaged in in climate literacy initiatives for over 10 years. The Museum's visitor evaluation data shows that before audiences can be engaged in conversations around climate change, they need to be introduced to the underlying earth processes that drive climate, and to the nature of how climate science is done. Through this work, the Museum has developed a suite of climate science programs that can be incorporated in informal science programming at museums, science centers, and libraries, and in the formal K-8 classroom environment. Front-end and formative evaluation data was used in the program design, and summative evaluation showed an increase in concept understanding in the topic presented. Family science and student workshops developed focused on Albedo and the Earth's energy budget, properties and characteristics of sea ice, sediment cores and ice cores to study changes in the climate over time, and the geography of the polar regions. We found that successful climate literacy learning experiences require meaningful hands-on, inquiry-based activities focused on a single earth process, and leads to an increase in science talk and conversation about climate change between the program instructor and audience members as learners begin to understand how these processes interact in the Earth's climate system.

The BepiColombo Archive Core System (BACS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macfarlane, A. J.; Osuna, P.; Pérez-López, F.; Vallejo, J. C.; Martinez, S.; Arviset, C.; Casale, M.

2015-09-01

BepiColombo is an interdisciplinary ESA mission to explore the planet Mercury in cooperation with JAXA. The mission consists of two separate orbiters: ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and JAXA's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO), which are dedicated to the detailed study of the planet and its magnetosphere. The MPO scientific payload comprises 11 instruments covering different scientific disciplines developed by several European teams. The MPO science operations will be prepared by the MPO Science Ground Segment (SGS) located at the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) in Madrid. The BepiColombo Archive Core System (BACS) will be the central archive in which all mission operational data will be stored and is being developed by the Science Archives and Virtual Observatory Team (SAT) also at ESAC. The BACS will act as one of the modular subsystems within the BepiColombo Science Operations Control System (BSCS), (Vallejo 2014; Pérez-López 2014) which is under the responsibility of the SGS, with the purpose of facilitating the information exchange of data and metadata between the other subsystems of the BSCS as well as with the MPO Instrument Teams. This paper gives an overview of the concept and design of the BACS and how it integrates into the science ground segment workflow.

Making Real-Time Data "Real" for General Interest Users

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hotaling, L.

2003-04-01

Helping educators realize the benefits of integrating technology into curricula to effectively engage student learning and improve student achievement, particularly in science and mathematics, is the core mission of the Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education (CIESE). To achieve our mission, we focus on projects utilizing real-time data available from the Internet, and collaborative projects utilizing the Internet's potential to reach peers and experts around the world. As a member of the Mid-Atlantic Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE), the Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education (CIESE), is committed to delivering relevant ocean science education to diverse audiences, including K-12 teachers, students, coastal managers, families and tourists. The highest priority of the Mid-Atlantic COSEE is to involve scientists and educators in the translation of data and information from the coastal observatories into instructional materials and products usable by educators and the public. A combination of three regional observing systems, the New Jersey Shelf Observing System (NJSOS), Chesapeake Bay Observing System (CBOS), and the York River observing system will provide the scientific backbone for an integrated program of science and education that improves user access to, and understanding of, modern ocean science and how it affects our daily lives. At present, the Mid-Atlantic COSEE offers three projects that enable users to apply and validate scientific concepts to real world situations. (1) The Gulf Stream Voyage is an online multidisciplinary project that utilizes both real-time data and primary source materials to help guide students to discover the science and history of the Gulf Stream current. (2) C.O.O.L. Classroom is an online project that utilizes concepts and real-time data collected through the NJSOS. The C.O.O.L. Classroom is based on the concept of the Rutgers-IMCS Coastal Ocean Observation Laboratory, a real place where ocean scientists from various disciplines study the coastal ocean collaboratively. (3) Oceans Connecting the Nation is an online collaborative project currently in development. The core activities will involve the study of Nonpoint Source Pollution (NPS). Students will conduct water quality (nutrient) testing and share that data, along with climate data and local characteristics with other participants. This will promote discussions about how NPS affects local communities as well as the oceans, and allow users to develop an understanding of how the oceans affect their daily lives.

Space shuttle and life sciences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mason, J. A.

1977-01-01

During the 1980's, some 200 Spacelab missions will be flown on space shuttle in earth-orbit. Within these 200 missions, it is planned that at least 20 will be dedicated to life sciences research, projects which are yet to be outlined by the life sciences community. Objectives of the Life Sciences Shuttle/Spacelab Payloads Program are presented. Also discussed are major space life sciences programs including space medicine and physiology, clinical medicine, life support technology, and a variety of space biology topics. The shuttle, spacelab, and other life sciences payload carriers are described. Concepts for carry-on experiment packages, mini-labs, shared and dedicated spacelabs, as well as common operational research equipment (CORE) are reviewed. Current NASA planning and development includes Spacelab Mission Simulations, an Announcement of Planning Opportunity for Life Sciences, and a forthcoming Announcement of Opportunity for Flight Experiments which will together assist in forging a Life Science Program in space.

Increasing ocean sciences in K and 1st grade classrooms through ocean sciences curriculum aligned to A Framework for K-12 Science Education, and implementation support.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pedemonte, S.; Weiss, E. L.

2016-02-01

Ocean and climate sciences are rarely introduced at the early elementary levels. Reasons for this vary, but include little direct attention at the national and state levels; lack of quality instructional materials; and, lack of teacher content knowledge. Recent recommendations by the National Research Council, "revise the Earth and Space sciences core ideas and grade band endpoints to include more attention to the ocean whenever possible" (NRC, 2012, p. 336) adopted in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), may increase the call for ocean and climate sciences to be addressed. In response to these recommendations' and the recognition that an understanding of some of the Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) would be incomplete without an understanding of processes or phenomena unique to the ocean and ocean organisms; the ocean Literacy community have created documents that show the alignment of NGSS with the Ocean Literacy Principles and Fundamental Concepts (Ocean Literacy, 2013) as well as the Ocean Literacy Scope and Sequence for Grades K-12 (Ocean Literacy, 2010), providing a solid argument for how and to what degree ocean sciences should be part of the curriculum. However, the percentage of science education curricula focused on the ocean remains very low. This session will describe a new project, that draws on the expertise of curriculum developers, ocean literacy advocates, and researchers to meet the challenges of aligning ocean sciences curriculum to NGSS, and supporting its implementation. The desired outcomes of the proposed project are to provide a rigorous standards aligned curricula that addresses all of the Life Sciences, and some Earth and Space Sciences and Engineering Design Core Ideas for Grades K and 1; and provides teachers with the support they need to understand the content and begin implementation. The process and lessons learned will be shared.

A Small Fission Power System with Stirling Power Conversion for NASA Science Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mason, Lee; Carmichael, Chad

2011-01-01

In early 2010, a joint National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Department of Energy (DOE) study team developed a concept for a 1 kWe Fission Power System with a 15-year design life that could be available for a 2020 launch to support future NASA science missions. The baseline concept included a solid block uranium-molybdenum reactor core with embedded heat pipes and distributed thermoelectric converters directly coupled to aluminum radiator fins. A short follow-on study was conducted at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) to evaluate an alternative power conversion approach. The GRC study considered the use of free-piston Stirling power conversion as a substitution to the thermoelectric converters. The resulting concept enables a power increase to 3 kWe with the same reactor design and scalability to 10 kW without changing the reactor technology. This paper presents the configuration layout, system performance, mass summary, and heat transfer analysis resulting from the study.

Aquifer-yield continuum as a guide and typology for science-based groundwater management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pierce, Suzanne A.; Sharp, John M.; Guillaume, Joseph H. A.; Mace, Robert E.; Eaton, David J.

2013-03-01

Groundwater availability is at the core of hydrogeology as a discipline and, simultaneously, the concept is the source of ambiguity for management and policy. Aquifer yield has undergone multiple definitions resulting in a range of scientific methods to calculate and model availability reflecting the complexity of combined scientific, management, policy, and stakeholder processes. The concept of an aquifer-yield continuum provides an approach to classify groundwater yields along a spectrum, from non-use through permissive sustained, sustainable, maximum sustained, safe, permissive mining to maximum mining yields, that builds on existing literature. Additionally, the aquifer-yield continuum provides a systems view of groundwater availability to integrate physical and social aspects in assessing management options across aquifer settings. Operational yield describes the candidate solutions for operational or technical implementation of policy, often relating to a consensus yield that incorporates human dimensions through participatory or adaptive governance processes. The concepts of operational and consensus yield address both the social and the technical nature of science-based groundwater management and governance.

Psyche: The Science of a Metal World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elkins-Tanton, L. T.

2016-12-01

(16) Psyche is a large metallic asteroid orbiting in the outer main belt at 3 AU. Psyche's metal composition is indicated by high radar albedo, thermal inertia, and density. Models show that among the accretionary collisions early in the solar system, some destructive "hit and run" impacts could strip the silicate mantle from differentiated bodies. This is the leading hypothesis for Psyche's formation: it is a bare planetesimal core. It is the only one we can explore for substantial information about a metal core (other metallic asteroids are far smaller and not roughly spherical). If our observations indicate that it is not a core, Psyche may instead be highly reduced, primordial metal-rich materials that accreted closer to the Sun, and never melted. Psyche is also a Discovery-class mission, selected for a Step 2 concept study, to investigate this metal body. The Psyche investigation has three broad goals: Understand a previously unexplored building block of planet formation: iron cores. Look inside the terrestrial planets, including Earth, by directly examining the interior of a differentiated body, which otherwise could not be seen. Explore a new type of world. For the first time, examine a world made not of rock, ice, or gas, but of metal. We will meet our science objectives with three domestic high heritage instruments and radio science: Multispectral imagers with clear and seven color filters map surface morphology and reveal the distribution of residual mantle silicates. A gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer determines elemental composition, particularly the concentrations of iron, nickel, silicon, and potassium. Dual fluxgate magnetometers, in a gradiometer configuration, characterize the magnetic field. Radio science maps the gravity field sufficiently to differentiate among core-formation hypotheses. New models for magnetic dynamo generation and solidification of planetesimal cores make testable predictions for geophysical measurements, and lead as well to predictions about tectonics and surface compositions. In this presentation we will show how measurements from these flight instruments can confirm or disprove hypotheses for Psyche's formation and evolution.

Macmillan Encyclopedia of Chemistry (edited by Joseph J. Lagowski)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kauffman, George B.

1998-11-01

Macmillan: New York, 1997. Four volumes. Figs., tables. lxxi + 1696 pp. 22.0 x 28.5 cm. $400. ISBN 0-02-897225-2. This latest addition to Macmillan's series of comprehensive core science encyclopedias (previous sets dealt with physics and earth sciences) will be of particular interest to readers of this Journal, for it is edited by longtime Journal of Chemical Education editor Joe Lagowski, assisted by a board of five distinguished associate editors. The attractively priced set offers clear explanations of the phenomena and concepts of chemistry and its materials, whether found in industry, the laboratory, or the natural world. It is intended for a broad spectrum of readers-professionals whose work draws on chemical concepts and knowledge (e.g., material scientists, engineers, health workers, biotechnologists, mathematicians, and computer programmers), science teachers at all levels from kindergarten to high school, high school and college students interested in medicine or the sciences, college and university professors, and laypersons desiring information on practical aspects of chemistry (e.g., household cleaning products, food and food additives, manufactured materials, herbicides, the human body, sweeteners, and animal communication).

Spacelab mission development tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dalton, B. P.

1978-01-01

The paper describes Spacelab Mission Development Test III (SMD III) whose principal scientific objective was to demonstrate the feasibility of conducting biological research in the Life Sciences Spacelab. The test also provided an opportunity to try out several items of Common Operational Research Equipment (CORE) hardware being developed for operational use in Shuttle/Spacelab, such as rodent and primate handling, transportation units, and a 'zero-g' surgical bench. Operational concepts planned for Spacelab were subjected to evaluation, including animal handling procedures, animal logistics, crew selection and training, and a 'remote' ground station concept. It is noted that all the objectives originally proposed for SMD III were accomplished

Assessing Cognitive Learning of Analytical Problem Solving

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Billionniere, Elodie V.

Introductory programming courses, also known as CS1, have a specific set of expected outcomes related to the learning of the most basic and essential computational concepts in computer science (CS). However, two of the most often heard complaints in such courses are that (1) they are divorced from the reality of application and (2) they make the learning of the basic concepts tedious. The concepts introduced in CS1 courses are highly abstract and not easily comprehensible. In general, the difficulty is intrinsic to the field of computing, often described as "too mathematical or too abstract." This dissertation presents a small-scale mixed method study conducted during the fall 2009 semester of CS1 courses at Arizona State University. This study explored and assessed students' comprehension of three core computational concepts---abstraction, arrays of objects, and inheritance---in both algorithm design and problem solving. Through this investigation students' profiles were categorized based on their scores and based on their mistakes categorized into instances of five computational thinking concepts: abstraction, algorithm, scalability, linguistics, and reasoning. It was shown that even though the notion of computational thinking is not explicit in the curriculum, participants possessed and/or developed this skill through the learning and application of the CS1 core concepts. Furthermore, problem-solving experiences had a direct impact on participants' knowledge skills, explanation skills, and confidence. Implications for teaching CS1 and for future research are also considered.

Creating Next Generation Teacher Preparation Programs to Support Implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core State Standards in K-12 Schools: An Opportunity for the Earth and Space Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geary, E. E.; Egger, A. E.; Julin, S.; Ronca, R.; Vokos, S.; Ebert, E.; Clark-Blickenstaff, J.; Nollmeyer, G.

2015-12-01

A consortium of two and four year Washington State Colleges and Universities in partnership with Washington's Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the Teachers of Teachers of Science, and Teachers of Teachers of Mathematics, and other key stakeholders, is currently working to improve science and mathematics learning for all Washington State students by creating a new vision for STEM teacher preparation in Washington State aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics and Language Arts. Specific objectives include: (1) strengthening elementary and secondary STEM Teacher Preparation courses and curricula, (2) alignment of STEM teacher preparation programs across Washington State with the NGSS and CCSS, (3) development of action plans to support implementation of STEM Teacher Preparation program improvement at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the state, (4) stronger collaborations between HEIs, K-12 schools, government agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations, and STEM businesses, involved in the preparation of preservice STEM teachers, (5) new teacher endorsements in Computer Science and Engineering, and (6) development of a proto-type model for rapid, adaptable, and continuous improvement of STEM teacher preparation programs. A 2015 NGSS gap analysis of teacher preparation programs across Washington State indicates relatively good alignment of courses and curricula with NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas and Scientific practices, but minimal alignment with NGSS Engineering practices and Cross Cutting Concepts. Likewise, Computer Science and Sustainability ideas and practices are not well represented in current courses and curricula. During the coming year teams of STEM faculty, education faculty and administrators will work collaboratively to develop unique action plans for aligning and improving STEM teacher preparation courses and curricula at their institutions.

Can biosemiotics be a "science" if its purpose is to be a bridge between the natural, social and human sciences?

PubMed

Brier, Søren

2015-12-01

Central to the attempt to develop a biosemiotics has been the discussion of what it means to be scientific. In Marcello Barbieri's latest argument for leaving Peircean biosemiotics and creating an alternative code-biology the definition of what it means to be scientific plays a major role. For Barbieri "scientific knowledge is obtained by building machine-like models of what we observe in nature". Barbieri interestingly claims that - in combination with the empirical and experimental basis - mechanism is virtually equivalent to the scientific method. The consequences of this statement seem to be that the optimal type of knowledge science can produce about living system is to model them as machines. But the explicit goal of a Peircean semiotically based biosemiotics is (also) to model living systems as cognitive and communicative systems working on the basis of meaning and signification. These two concepts are not part of the mechanistic models of natural science today, not even of cognitive science. Barbieri tries to solve this problem by introducing a new concept of biological meaning that is separate from the Peircean biosemiotics and then add Peirce's semiotics on top. This article argues why this view is inconsistent on the grounds that Peirce's semiotic paradigm only gives meaning in its pragmaticist conception of a fallibilist view of science, which again is intrinsic connected to its non-mechanistic metaphysics of Tychism, Synechism and Agapism. The core of the biosemiotic enterprise is to establish another type of trans- and interdisciplinary wissenschaft than the received view of "science". Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The Development of Curricular Guidelines for Introductory Microbiology that Focus on Understanding.

PubMed

Merkel, Susan

2012-01-01

The number of students who leave majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) due to a perception that courses are poorly taught is evidence that education reform in STEM is overdue. Despite decades of research that argues for student-centered teaching approaches, most introductory STEM courses are still taught in the large lecture format, focusing on rote memorization. While individual efforts in STEM educational reform are important, solutions will most certainly need to include institutional and cultural change. In biology, numerous national reports have called for educational reform to better prepare future scientists. We describe here a new, concept-based curriculum for Introductory Microbiology courses, designed to promote deep understanding of core concepts. Supported by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and based on the overarching concepts and competencies presented in the AAAS/NSF report Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action, we hope it will empower instructors to adapt student-centered approaches so that students in Introductory Microbiology courses can leave the course with a core set of enduring understandings of microbiology.

The Development of Curricular Guidelines for Introductory Microbiology that Focus on Understanding

PubMed Central

Merkel, Susan

2012-01-01

The number of students who leave majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) due to a perception that courses are poorly taught is evidence that education reform in STEM is overdue. Despite decades of research that argues for student-centered teaching approaches, most introductory STEM courses are still taught in the large lecture format, focusing on rote memorization. While individual efforts in STEM educational reform are important, solutions will most certainly need to include institutional and cultural change. In biology, numerous national reports have called for educational reform to better prepare future scientists. We describe here a new, concept-based curriculum for Introductory Microbiology courses, designed to promote deep understanding of core concepts. Supported by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and based on the overarching concepts and competencies presented in the AAAS/NSF report Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action, we hope it will empower instructors to adapt student-centered approaches so that students in Introductory Microbiology courses can leave the course with a core set of enduring understandings of microbiology. PMID:23653779

Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Mars Polar Science and Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

Sessions in this conference include: Mars polar geology and glaciology; Mars and terrestrial radar investigations; Observations, nature, and evolution of the Martian seasonal polar caps; Mars' residual south polar cap; Climate change, ice core analysis, and the redistribution of volatiles on Mars; errestrial Mars analog environments; The Phoenix Scout mission and the nature of the near-polar environment; Moderated Discussion: Key Issues Regarding Phoenix Scout Mission and the nature of the near-polar environment; Panel Discussion: Key Issues in Mars Polar Science and Exploration; Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter investigations of the Martian polar regions and climate; Mars Polar Scout Mission concepts; and Panel Discussion: New perspectives on Mars polar science and exploration

A Framework for Addressing Skeptics' Claims Using Evidence-Based Argumentation: Lessons Learned from Educational Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lambert, J. L.; Bleicher, R. E.; Edwards, A.; Henderson, A.

2012-12-01

In science education, climate change is an issue that is especially useful for teaching concepts spanning several fields of science, as well the nature and practices of science. In response, we are developing a NASA-funded curriculum, titled Climate Science Investigations (CSI): South Florida, that teaches high school and first-year undergraduate level students how to analyze and use scientific data answer questions about climate change. To create an effective curriculum, we integrated lessons learned from our educational research conducted within our elementary science methods courses (Lambert, Lindgren, & Bleicher, 2012). For the past few years, we have been integrating climate science in our courses as a way to teach standards across several science disciplines and assessing our preservice teachers' gains in knowledge over the semesters. More recently, given the media attention and reports on the public's shift in opinion toward being more skeptical (Kellstedt, Zahran, & Vedlitz, 2008; Washington & Cook, 2011), we have assessed our students' perceptions about climate change and implemented strategies to help students use evidence-based scientific argumentation to address common claims of climate skeptics. In our elementary science methods courses, we framed climate change as a crosscutting theme, as well as a core idea, in the Next Generation Science Standards. We proposed that the issue and science of climate change would help preservice teachers not only become more interested in the topic, but also be more prepared to teach core science concepts spanning several disciplines (physical, life, and earth sciences). We also thought that highlighting the "practice of scientific inquiry" by teaching students to develop evidence-based arguments would help the preservice teachers become more analytical and able to differentiate scientific evidence from opinions, which could ultimately influence their perceptions on climate change. Lessons learned from our preservice teachers' conceptions and perceptions about climate change, as well as the difficulties in engaging in evidence-based argumentation, have informed and enhanced the framework for development of the CSI: South Florida curriculum. The modules are sequenced according to the proposed learning progression. First, students are introduced to the nature of science and Earth's energy balance. Students then investigate the temporal and spatial temperature data to answer the question of whether Earth is warming. Students also compare natural and anthropogenic causes of climate change, investigate the various observed and projected consequences of climate change in the fourth module, and examine ways to mitigate the effects of and adapt to climate change. Finally, students learn how to refute skeptics' claims by providing counter evidence and reasoning of why the skeptics' claim is not the appropriate explanation. This paper describes our conceptual framework for teaching students how to address the skeptics' claims using the content learned in the CSI: South Florida curriculum and evidence-based argumentation.

Incorporating the International Polar Year Into Introductory Geology Laboratories at Ohio State University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Judge, S. A.; Wilson, T. J.

2005-12-01

The International Polar Year (IPY) provides an excellent opportunity for highlighting polar research in education. The ultimate goal of our outreach and education program is to develop a series of modules that are focused on societally-relevant topics being investigated in Antarctic earth science, while teaching basic geologic concepts that are standard elements of school curricula. For example, we envision a university-level, undergraduate, introductory earth science class with the entire semester/quarter laboratory program focused on polar earth science research during the period of the International Polar Year. To attain this goal, a series of modules will be developed, including inquiry-based exercises founded on imagery (video, digital photos, digital core scans), GIS data layers, maps, and data sets available from OSU research groups. Modules that highlight polar research are also suitable for the K-12 audience. Scaleable/grade appropriate modules that use some of the same data sets as the undergraduate modules can be outlined for elementary through high school earth science classes. An initial module is being developed that focuses on paleoclimate data. The module provides a hands-on investigation of the climate history archived in both ice cores and sedimentary rock cores in order to understand time scales, drivers, and processes of global climate change. The paleoclimate module also demonstrates the types of polar research that are ongoing at OSU, allowing students to observe what research the faculty are undertaking in their respective fields. This will link faculty research with student education in the classroom, enhancing learning outcomes. Finally, this module will provide a direct link to U.S. Antarctic Program research related to the International Polar Year, when new ice and sedimentary rock cores will be obtained and analyzed. As a result of this laboratory exercise, the students will be able to: (1) Define an ice core and a sedimentary rock core. (Knowledge) (2) Identify climate indicators in each type of core by using digital core images. These include layers of particulate material (such as volcanic tephra) in ice cores and layers of larger grains (such as ice-rafted debris) in sedimentary rock cores. (Knowledge) (3) Describe how cores are taken in extreme environments, such as Antarctica. (Comprehension) (4) Use actual data from proxies in the ice and sedimentary records to graph changes through time in the cores. (Application) (5) Recognize variances in data sets that might illustrate periods of climate change. (Analysis) (6) Integrate data results from several proxies in order to construct a climate record for both ice cores and sedimentary rock cores. (Synthesis) (7) Interpret both the ice core and sedimentary rock core records to ascertain the effectiveness of both of these tools in archiving climate records. (Evaluation)

Climate Adaptation Training for Natural Resource Professionals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sorensen, H. L.; Meyer, N.

2016-02-01

The University of Minnesota Sea Grant Program and University of Minensota Extension are coordinating the development of a cohort-based training for natural resource professionals that prepares them with essential aptitude, resources and tools to lead climate adaptation activities in their organizations and municipalities. This course is geared toward the growing cadre of natural resources, water, municipal infrastructure, and human resources professionals who are called upon to lead climate adaptation initiatives but lack core training in climate change science, vulnerability assessment, and adaptation planning. Modeled on pre-existing UMN certificate programs, the online course encompasses approximately 40 contact hours of training. Content builds from basic climate mechanics to change science, vulnerability assessment, downscaled climate modeling, ecosystem response to climate change and strategies communicating climate change to diverse audiences. Minnesota as well as national case studies and expertise will anchor core climate adaptation concepts in a relevant context.

Seeking missing pieces in science concept assessments: Reevaluating the Brief Electricity and Magnetism Assessment through Rasch analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Lin

2014-02-01

Discipline-based science concept assessments are powerful tools to measure learners' disciplinary core ideas. Among many such assessments, the Brief Electricity and Magnetism Assessment (BEMA) has been broadly used to gauge student conceptions of key electricity and magnetism (E&M) topics in college-level introductory physics courses. Differing from typical concept inventories that focus only on one topic of a subject area, BEMA covers a broad range of topics in the electromagnetism domain. In spite of this fact, prior studies exclusively used a single aggregate score to represent individual students' overall understanding of E&M without explicating the construct of this assessment. Additionally, BEMA has been used to compare traditional physics courses with a reformed course entitled Matter and Interactions (M&I). While prior findings were in favor of M&I, no empirical evidence was sought to rule out possible differential functioning of BEMA that may have inadvertently advantaged M&I students. In this study, we used Rasch analysis to seek two missing pieces regarding the construct and differential functioning of BEMA. Results suggest that although BEMA items generally can function together to measure the same construct of application and analysis of E&M concepts, several items may need further revision. Additionally, items that demonstrate differential functioning for the two courses are detected. Issues such as item contextual features and student familiarity with question settings may underlie these findings. This study highlights often overlooked threats in science concept assessments and provides an exemplar for using evidence-based reasoning to make valid inferences and arguments.

STEM Integration in Middle School Life Science: Student Learning and Attitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzey, S. Selcen; Moore, Tamara J.; Harwell, Michael; Moreno, Mario

2016-08-01

In many countries around the world, there has been an increasing emphasis on improving science education. Recent reform efforts in the USA call for teachers to integrate scientific and engineering practices into science teaching; for example, science teachers are asked to provide learning experiences for students that apply crosscutting concepts (e.g., patterns, scale) and increase understanding of disciplinary core ideas (e.g., physical science, earth science). Engineering practices and engineering design are essential elements of this new vision of science teaching and learning. This paper presents a research study that evaluates the effects of an engineering design-based science curriculum on student learning and attitudes. Three middle school life science teachers and 275 seventh grade students participated in the study. Content assessments and attitude surveys were administered before and after the implementation of the curriculum unit. Statewide mathematics test proficiency scores were included in the data analysis as well. Results provide evidence of the positive effects of implementing the engineering design-based science unit on student attitudes and learning.

Integrative Approach for a Transformative Freshman-Level STEM Curriculum

PubMed Central

Curran, Kathleen L.; Olsen, Paul E.; Nwogbaga, Agashi P.; Stotts, Stephanie

2016-01-01

In 2014 Wesley College adopted a unified undergraduate program of evidence-based high-impact teaching practices. Through foundation and federal and state grant support, the college completely revised its academic core curriculum and strengthened its academic support structures by including a comprehensive early alert system for at-risk students. In this core, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty developed fresh manifestations of integrated concept-based introductory courses and revised upper-division STEM courses around student-centered learning. STEM majors can participate in specifically designed paid undergraduate research experiences in directed research elective courses. Such a college-wide multi-tiered approach results in institutional cultural change. PMID:27064213

Core Today! Rationale and Implications. Revised Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vars, Gordon, Ed.; Larson, Craig, Ed.

This pamphlet is designed to help educators apply the core concept to current problems and situations in educational settings. The preface establishes the position of the National Association for Core Curriculum. A definition of the core curriculum concept is stated in the introduction. Ten assumptions and beliefs on which the core concept is…

Integrating the Dimensions of NGSS within a Collaborative Board Game about Honey Bees

PubMed Central

Lauren, Hillary; Lutz, Claudia; Wallon, Robert C.; Hug, Barbara

2016-01-01

The current reform in U.S. science education calls for the integration of three dimensions of science learning in classroom teaching and learning: Science and Engineering Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Disciplinary Core Ideas. While the Next Generation Science Standards provide flexibility in how curriculum and instruction are structured to meet learning goals, there are few examples of existing curricula that portray the integration of these dimensions as “three-dimensional learning.” Here, we describe a collaborative board game about honey bees that incorporates scientific evidence on how genetic and environmental factors influence variations of traits and social behavior and requires students to collaboratively examine and use a system model. Furthermore, we show how students used and evaluated the game as a model in authentic classroom settings. PMID:27990024

ADX: a high field, high power density, advanced divertor and RF tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LaBombard, B.; Marmar, E.; Irby, J.; Terry, J. L.; Vieira, R.; Wallace, G.; Whyte, D. G.; Wolfe, S.; Wukitch, S.; Baek, S.; Beck, W.; Bonoli, P.; Brunner, D.; Doody, J.; Ellis, R.; Ernst, D.; Fiore, C.; Freidberg, J. P.; Golfinopoulos, T.; Granetz, R.; Greenwald, M.; Hartwig, Z. S.; Hubbard, A.; Hughes, J. W.; Hutchinson, I. H.; Kessel, C.; Kotschenreuther, M.; Leccacorvi, R.; Lin, Y.; Lipschultz, B.; Mahajan, S.; Minervini, J.; Mumgaard, R.; Nygren, R.; Parker, R.; Poli, F.; Porkolab, M.; Reinke, M. L.; Rice, J.; Rognlien, T.; Rowan, W.; Shiraiwa, S.; Terry, D.; Theiler, C.; Titus, P.; Umansky, M.; Valanju, P.; Walk, J.; White, A.; Wilson, J. R.; Wright, G.; Zweben, S. J.

2015-05-01

The MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center and collaborators are proposing a high-performance Advanced Divertor and RF tokamak eXperiment (ADX)—a tokamak specifically designed to address critical gaps in the world fusion research programme on the pathway to next-step devices: fusion nuclear science facility (FNSF), fusion pilot plant (FPP) and/or demonstration power plant (DEMO). This high-field (⩾6.5 T, 1.5 MA), high power density facility (P/S ˜ 1.5 MW m-2) will test innovative divertor ideas, including an ‘X-point target divertor’ concept, at the required performance parameters—reactor-level boundary plasma pressures, magnetic field strengths and parallel heat flux densities entering into the divertor region—while simultaneously producing high-performance core plasma conditions that are prototypical of a reactor: equilibrated and strongly coupled electrons and ions, regimes with low or no torque, and no fuelling from external heating and current drive systems. Equally important, the experimental platform will test innovative concepts for lower hybrid current drive and ion cyclotron range of frequency actuators with the unprecedented ability to deploy launch structures both on the low-magnetic-field side and the high-magnetic-field side—the latter being a location where energetic plasma-material interactions can be controlled and favourable RF wave physics leads to efficient current drive, current profile control, heating and flow drive. This triple combination—advanced divertors, advanced RF actuators, reactor-prototypical core plasma conditions—will enable ADX to explore enhanced core confinement physics, such as made possible by reversed central shear, using only the types of external drive systems that are considered viable for a fusion power plant. Such an integrated demonstration of high-performance core-divertor operation with steady-state sustainment would pave the way towards an attractive pilot plant, as envisioned in the ARC concept (affordable, robust, compact) (Sorbom et al 2015 Fusion Eng. Des. submitted (arXiv:1409.3540)) that makes use of high-temperature superconductor technology—a high-field (9.25 T) tokamak the size of the Joint European Torus that produces 270 MW of net electricity.

Authentic Research in the Classroom: NITARP Teachers Connect Astronomy with NGSS.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pruett, Lee; Gibbs, John; Palmer, Robert; Young, Diedre; Gorjian, Varoujan

2016-01-01

The NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP) uses authentic astronomical research to bring the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) into the classroom. The creation of the NGSS was a collaborative effort between teams composed of teachers, scientists and other professionals from twenty-six states. These standards provide a framework for the change in how science is taught at all levels from kindergarten to twelfth grade in participating states. Scientific concepts are grouped into broad categories (physical, biological and earth sciences), and call for an interdisciplinary approach to content, along with the integration of engineering practices into the curriculum. This approach to the teaching of science has led educators to place more emphasis on authentic learning and problem-solving in their curricula. Project-based learning is a strategy that can effectively allow students to learn core scientific concepts within the context of a focused and complex scientific problem.The NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP) pairs teams of teachers and students with NASA astronomers. These teams are immersed in an astronomy research project over the course of the year, and are responsible for writing a project proposal, doing original research and presenting that research at a professional conference. The students who are involved in the NITARP research are provided with a rich hands-on experience that both exposes them to a deep understanding of an astronomical problem (and the core physics and math behind it), as well as the process of doing real science. The NITARP program offers a unique opportunity to bring project-based learning into K-12 science classrooms. We will highlight the ways in which this program has been implemented in classrooms across the country, as well as the connections to the NGSS.This research was made possible through the NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP) and was funded by NASA Astrophysics Data Program.

The Impact of Science Fiction Film on Student Understanding of Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnett, Michael; Wagner, Heather; Gatling, Anne; Anderson, Janice; Houle, Meredith; Kafka, Alan

2006-04-01

Researchers who have investigated the public understanding of science have argued that fictional cinema and television has proven to be particularly effective at blurring the distinction between fact and fiction. The rationale for this study lies in the notion that to teach science effectively, educators need to understand how popular culture influences their students' perception and understanding of science. Using naturalistic research methods in a diverse middle school we found that students who watched a popular science fiction film, The Core, had a number of misunderstandings of earth science concepts when compared to students who did not watch the movie. We found that a single viewing of a science fiction film can negatively impact student ideas regarding scientific phenomena. Specifically, we found that the film leveraged the scientific authority of the main character, coupled with scientifically correct explanations of some basic earth science, to create a series of plausible, albeit unscientific, ideas that made sense to students.

The Insidious Nature of "Hard-Core" Alternative Conceptions: Implications for the Constructivist Research Programme of Patterns in High School Students' and Pre-Service Teachers' Thinking about Ionisation Energy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taber, Keith S.; Tan, Kim Chwee Daniel

2011-01-01

The present study contributes to the constructivist research programme (RP) into learning science by comparing patterns in responses from two groups of learners--senior high school students and pre-service teachers--in the same educational context (Singapore), to a diagnostic instrument relating to the topic of ionisation energies. This topic is…

The AstroBiology Explorer (ABE) MIDEX Mission Concept: Using Infrared Spectroscopy to Identify Organic Molecules in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sandford, Scott A.; Ennico, Kimberly; Allamandola, Louis; Bregman, Jesse; Greene, Thomas; Hudgins, Douglas

2002-01-01

One of the principal means by which organic compounds are detected and identified in space is by infrared spectroscopy. Past IR telescopic and laboratory studies have shown that much of the carbon in the interstellar medium (ISM) is in complex organic species but the distribution, abundance and evolutionary relationships of these materials are not well understood. The Astrobiology Explorer (ABE) is a MIDEX mission concept designed to conduct IR spectroscopic observations to detect and identify these materials and address outstanding problems in astrobiology, astrochemistry, and astrophysics. ABE's core science program includes observations of planetary nebulae and stellar outflows, protostellar objects, Solar System objects, and galaxies, and lines of sight through dense molecular clouds and the diffuse ISM. ABE is a cryogenically-cooled 60 cm diameter space telescope equipped with 3 cross-dispersed R-2000 spectrometers that share a single common slit. Each spectrometer measures one spectral octave and together cover the entire 2.5-20 micron region simultaneously. The spectrometers use state-of-the-art InSb and Si:As 1024x1024 pixel detectors. ABE would operate in a heliocentric, Earth drift-away orbit and have a core science mission lasting approximately 1.5 years. ABE is currently under study at NASA's Ames Research Center in collaboration with Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp.

Integrating the New Generation Science Standards (NGSS) into K- 6 teacher training and curricula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinter, S.; Carlson, S. J.

2017-12-01

The Next Generation Science Standards is an initiative, adopted by 26 states, to set national education standards that are "rich in content and practice, arranged in a coherent manner across disciplines and grades to provide all students an internationally benchmarked science education." Educators now must integrate these standards into existing curricula. Many grade-school (K-6) teachers face a particularly daunting task, as they were traditionally not required to teach science or only at a rudimentary level. The majority of K-6 teachers enter teaching from non-science disciplines, making this transition even more difficult. Since the NGSS emphasizes integrated and coherent progression of knowledge from grade to grade, prospective K-6 teachers must be able to deliver science with confidence and enthusiasm to their students. CalTeach/MAST (Mathematics and Science Teaching Program) at the University of California Davis, has created a two-quarter sequence of integrated science courses for undergraduate students majoring in non-STEM disciplines and intending to pursue multiple-subject K-6 credentials. The UCD integrated science course provides future primary school teachers with a basic, but comprehensive background in the physical and earth/space sciences. Key tools are taught for improving teaching methods, investigating complex science ideas, and solving problems relevant to students' life experiences that require scientific or technological knowledge. This approach allows prospective K-6 teachers to explore more effectively the connections between the disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and scientific and engineering practices, as outlined in the NGSS. In addition, they develop a core set of science teaching skills based on inquiry activities and guided lab discussions. With this course, we deliver a solid science background to prospective K-6 teachers and facilitate their ability to teach science following the standards as articulated in the NGSS.

Twenty-first century science as a relational process: from eureka! to team science and a place for community psychology.

PubMed

Tebes, Jacob Kraemer; Thai, Nghi D; Matlin, Samantha L

2014-06-01

In this paper we maintain that twenty-first century science is, fundamentally, a relational process in which knowledge is produced (or co-produced) through transactions among researchers or among researchers and public stakeholders. We offer an expanded perspective on the practice of twenty-first century science, the production of scientific knowledge, and what community psychology can contribute to these developments. We argue that: (1) trends in science show that research is increasingly being conducted in teams; (2) scientific teams, such as transdisciplinary teams of researchers or of researchers collaborating with various public stakeholders, are better able to address complex challenges; (3) transdisciplinary scientific teams are part of the larger, twenty-first century transformation in science; (4) the concept of heterarchy is a heuristic for team science aligned with this transformation; (5) a contemporary philosophy of science known as perspectivism provides an essential foundation to advance twenty-first century science; and (6) community psychology, through its core principles and practice competencies, offers theoretical and practical expertise for advancing team science and the transformation in science currently underway. We discuss the implications of these points and illustrate them briefly with two examples of transdisciplinary team science from our own work. We conclude that a new narrative is emerging for science in the twenty-first century that draws on interpersonal transactions in teams, and active engagement by researchers with the public to address critical accountabilities. Because of its core organizing principles and unique blend of expertise on the intersection of research and practice, community psychologists are well-prepared to help advance these developments, and thus have much to offer twenty-first century science.

21st Century Science as a Relational Process: From Eureka! to Team Science and a Place for Community Psychology

PubMed Central

Tebes, Jacob Kraemer; Thai, Nghi D.; Matlin, Samantha L.

2014-01-01

In this paper we maintain that 21st century science is, fundamentally, a relational process in which knowledge is produced (or co-produced) through transactions among researchers or among researchers and public stakeholders. We offer an expanded perspective on the practice of 21st century science, the production of scientific knowledge, and what community psychology can contribute to these developments. We argue that: 1) trends in science show that research is increasingly being conducted in teams; 2) scientific teams, such as transdisciplinary teams of researchers or of researchers collaborating with various public stakeholders, are better able to address complex challenges; 3) transdisciplinary scientific teams are part of the larger, 21st century transformation in science; 4) the concept of heterarchy is a heuristic for team science aligned with this transformation; 5) a contemporary philosophy of science known as perspectivism provides an essential foundation to advance 21st century science; and 6) community psychology, through its core principles and practice competencies, offers theoretical and practical expertise for advancing team science and the transformation in science currently underway. We discuss the implications of these points and illustrate them briefly with two examples of transdisciplinary team science from our own work. We conclude that a new narrative is emerging for science in the 21st century that draws on interpersonal transactions in teams, and active engagement by researchers with the public to address critical accountabilities. Because of its core organizing principles and unique blend of expertise on the intersection of research and practice, community psychologists are extraordinarily well-prepared to help advance these developments, and thus have much to offer 21st century science. PMID:24496718

Improving Teacher Content Knowledge about the Physical Basis of Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaboardi, M.

2009-12-01

In order for teachers to guide students to a deeper understanding of climate change science, teachers themselves must have a firm comprehension of: - the climate system, - how changes in climate can be measured over time, - how past changes are investigated. Improving teacher content knowledge about the physical basis of climate change, and the sources of paleoclimate data, was the primary focus of the 2009 Florida PROMiSE (Partnership to Rejuvenate and Optimize Mathematics and Science Education in Florida) Climate Change Institute. Our team of four, including two scientists, a district resource teacher, and a practicing classroom teacher, collaborated to create and implement 60 hours of professional development for teachers of grades 4-9. First we determined what primary learning outcome we expected: teachers should be able to unravel a basic multi-proxy paleoclimate record (ice core) and convey that in formation in terms of climate change on earth. We then constructed a concept map containing major concepts teachers would need to interpret their records. During the first week, each day was devoted to a major concept, and included: - stations, at which each group of four teachers openly explored components or misconceptions central to that concept; - a station debrief, during which all groups shared findings and were guided to understand the links between the different stations; - a whole group structured discussion, which helped to crystallize the main concept; - time for teachers to reflect on their own learning. Our district resource teacher and our classroom teacher led the development and instruction of stations; our scientists mainly led structured discussions, though all facilitators participated in all levels of development and implementation. The second week included less structure. Learners worked in groups of of four and were able to handle more complex inquiry. The week culminated in the day-long dissection of model ice cores, presentation of each group’s climate change findings, relation of their discoveries to actual findings from ice core data, and placement of that information within the context of climate change over a variety of time scales. Both formal and informal assessment demonstrate that: - teacher content knowledge increased substantially, - teachers report that the various levels of guided inquiry employed during instruction were helpful for their own learning, - teachers communicate that the content and pedagogical knowledge gained during the institute would be useful to them in their classrooms.

The Development of Stacked Core for the Fabrication of Deep Lightweight UV-Quality Space Mirrors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matthews, Gary W.; Egerman, Robert; Maffett, Steven P.; Stahl, H. Philip; Eng, Ron; Effinger, Michael R.

2014-01-01

The 2010 Decadal Survey stated that an advanced large-aperture ultraviolet, optical, near-infrared (UVOIR) telescope is required to enable the next generation of compelling astrophysics and exoplanet science; and, that present technology is not mature enough to affordably build and launch any potential UVOIR mission concept. Under Science and Technology funding, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and Exelis have developed a more cost effective process to make 4m class or larger monolithic spaceflight UV quality, low areal density, thermally and dynamically stable primary mirrors. A proof of concept 0.43m mirror was completed at Exelis optically tested at 250K at MSFC which demonstrated the ability for imaging out to 2.5 microns. The parameters and test results of this concept mirror are shown. The next phase of the program includes a 1.5m subscale mirror that will be optically and dynamically tested. The scale-up process will be discussed and the technology development path to a 4m mirror system by 2018 will be outlined.

Status Report on Activities of the Systems Assessment Task Force, OECD-NEA Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuels for LWRs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bragg-Sitton, Shannon Michelle

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development /Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) Nuclear Science Committee approved the formation of an Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) for LWRs (EGATFL) in 2014. Chaired by Kemal Pasamehmetoglu, INL Associate Laboratory Director for Nuclear Science and Technology, the mandate for the EGATFL defines work under three task forces: (1) Systems Assessment, (2) Cladding and Core Materials, and (3) Fuel Concepts. Scope for the Systems Assessment task force includes definition of evaluation metrics for ATF, technology readiness level definition, definition of illustrative scenarios for ATF evaluation, parametric studies, and selection of system codes. Themore » Cladding and Core Materials and Fuel Concepts task forces will identify gaps and needs for modeling and experimental demonstration; define key properties of interest; identify the data necessary to perform concept evaluation under normal conditions and illustrative scenarios; identify available infrastructure (internationally) to support experimental needs; and make recommendations on priorities. Where possible, considering proprietary and other export restrictions (e.g., International Traffic in Arms Regulations), the Expert Group will facilitate the sharing of data and lessons learned across the international group membership. The Systems Assessment Task Force is chaired by Shannon Bragg-Sitton (INL), while the Cladding Task Force will be chaired by a representative from France (Marie Moatti, Electricite de France [EdF]) and the Fuels Task Force will be chaired by a representative from Japan (Masaki Kurata, Japan Atomic Energy Agency [JAEA]). This report provides an overview of the Systems Assessment Task Force charter and status of work accomplishment.« less

Science teacher's perception about science learning experiences as a foundation for teacher training program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tapilouw, Marisa Christina; Firman, Harry; Redjeki, Sri; Chandra, Didi Teguh

2017-05-01

Teacher training is one form of continuous professional development. Before organizing teacher training (material, time frame), a survey about teacher's need has to be done. Science teacher's perception about science learning in the classroom, the most difficult learning model, difficulties of lesson plan would be a good input for teacher training program. This survey conducted in June 2016. About 23 science teacher filled in the questionnaire. The core of questions are training participation, the most difficult science subject matter, the most difficult learning model, the difficulties of making lesson plan, knowledge of integrated science and problem based learning. Mostly, experienced teacher participated training once a year. Science training is very important to enhance professional competency and to improve the way of teaching. The difficulties of subject matter depend on teacher's education background. The physics subject matter in class VIII and IX are difficult to teach for most respondent because of many formulas and abstract. Respondents found difficulties in making lesson plan, in term of choosing the right learning model for some subject matter. Based on the result, inquiry, cooperative, practice are frequently used in science class. Integrated science is understood as a mix between Biology, Physics and Chemistry concepts. On the other hand, respondents argue that problem based learning was difficult especially in finding contextual problem. All the questionnaire result can be used as an input for teacher training program in order to enhanced teacher's competency. Difficult concepts, integrated science, teaching plan, problem based learning can be shared in teacher training.

Hilbert's sixth problem: between the foundations of geometry and the axiomatization of physics.

PubMed

Corry, Leo

2018-04-28

The sixth of Hilbert's famous 1900 list of 23 problems was a programmatic call for the axiomatization of the physical sciences. It was naturally and organically rooted at the core of Hilbert's conception of what axiomatization is all about. In fact, the axiomatic method which he applied at the turn of the twentieth century in his famous work on the foundations of geometry originated in a preoccupation with foundational questions related with empirical science in general. Indeed, far from a purely formal conception, Hilbert counted geometry among the sciences with strong empirical content, closely related to other branches of physics and deserving a treatment similar to that reserved for the latter. In this treatment, the axiomatization project was meant to play, in his view, a crucial role. Curiously, and contrary to a once-prevalent view, from all the problems in the list, the sixth is the only one that continually engaged Hilbet's efforts over a very long period of time, at least between 1894 and 1932.This article is part of the theme issue 'Hilbert's sixth problem'. © 2018 The Author(s).

Hilbert's sixth problem: between the foundations of geometry and the axiomatization of physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corry, Leo

2018-04-01

The sixth of Hilbert's famous 1900 list of 23 problems was a programmatic call for the axiomatization of the physical sciences. It was naturally and organically rooted at the core of Hilbert's conception of what axiomatization is all about. In fact, the axiomatic method which he applied at the turn of the twentieth century in his famous work on the foundations of geometry originated in a preoccupation with foundational questions related with empirical science in general. Indeed, far from a purely formal conception, Hilbert counted geometry among the sciences with strong empirical content, closely related to other branches of physics and deserving a treatment similar to that reserved for the latter. In this treatment, the axiomatization project was meant to play, in his view, a crucial role. Curiously, and contrary to a once-prevalent view, from all the problems in the list, the sixth is the only one that continually engaged Hilbet's efforts over a very long period of time, at least between 1894 and 1932. This article is part of the theme issue `Hilbert's sixth problem'.

Shaping biomedical objects across history and philosophy:a conversation with Hans-Jörg Rheinberger.

PubMed

García-Sancho, Miguel; González-Silva, Matiana; Jesús Santesmases, María; Rheinberger, Hans-Jörg

2014-01-01

Historical epistemology, according to the historian of science Hans-Jörg Rheinberger, is a space through which "to take experimental laboratory work into the realm of philosophy". This key concept, together with the crucial events and challenges of his career, were discussed in a public conversation which took place on the occasion of Rheinberger's retirement. By making sense of natural phenomena in the laboratory, the act of experimenting shapes the object; it is this shaping which became the core of Rheinberger's own research across biology and philosophy into history. For his intellectual agenda, a history of the life sciences so constructed became "epistemologically demanding".

Implications of the Next Generation Science Standards for Earth and Space Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wysession, M. E.; Colson, M.; Duschl, R. A.; Huff, K.; Lopez, R. E.; Messina, P.; Speranza, P.; Matthews, T.; Childress, J.

2012-12-01

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), due to be released in 2013, set a new direction for K-12 science education in America. These standards will put forth significant changes for Earth and space sciences. The NGSS are based upon the recommendations of the National Research Council's 2011 report "A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Cross-Cutting Concepts, and Core Ideas." The standards are being written by a large group of authors who represent many different constituencies, including 26 participating states, in a process led by Achieve, Inc. The standards encourage innovative ways to teach science at the K-12 level, including enhanced integration between the content, practices, and crosscutting ideas of science and greater assimilation among the sciences and engineering, and among the sciences, mathematics, and English language arts. The NGSS presents a greater emphasis on Earth and space sciences than in previous standards, recommending a year at both the middle and high school levels. The new standards also present a greater emphasis on areas of direct impact between humans and the Earth system, including climate change, natural hazards, resource management, and sustainability.

Understanding Global Change (UGC) as a Unifying Conceptual Framework for Teaching Ecology: Using UGC in a High School Biology Program to Integrate Earth Science and Biology, and to Demonstrate the Value of Modeling Global Systems in Promoting Conceptual Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levine, J.; Bean, J. R.

2017-12-01

Global change science is ideal for NGSS-informed teaching, but presents a serious challenge to K-12 educators because it is complex and interdisciplinary- combining earth science, biology, chemistry, and physics. Global systems are themselves complex. Adding anthropogenic influences on those systems creates a formidable list of topics - greenhouse effect, climate change, nitrogen enrichment, introduced species, land-use change among them - which are often presented as a disconnected "laundry list" of "facts." This complexity, combined with public and mass-media scientific illiteracy, leaves global change science vulnerable to misrepresentation and politicization, creating additional challenges to teachers in public schools. Ample stand-alone, one-off, online resources, many of them excellent, are (to date) underutilized by teachers in the high school science course taken by most students: biology. The Understanding Global Change project (UGC) from the UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology has created a conceptual framework that organizes, connects, and explains global systems, human and non-human drivers of change in those systems, and measurable changes in those systems. This organization and framework employ core ideas, crosscutting concepts, structure/function relationships, and system models in a unique format that facilitates authentic understanding, rather than memorization. This system serves as an organizing framework for the entire ecology unit of a forthcoming mainstream high school biology program. The UGC system model is introduced up front with its core informational graphic. The model is elaborated, step by step, by adding concepts and processes as they are introduced and explained in each chapter. The informational graphic is thus used in several ways: to organize material as it is presented, to summarize topics in each chapter and put them in perspective, and for review and critical thinking exercises that supplement the usual end-of-chapter lists of key terms.

Status Report on Activities of the Systems Assessment Task Force, OECD-NEA Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuels for LWRs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bragg-Sitton, Shannon Michelle

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development /Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) Nuclear Science Committee approved the formation of an Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) for LWRs (EGATFL) in 2014. Chaired by Kemal Pasamehmetoglu, INL Associate Laboratory Director for Nuclear Science and Technology, the mandate for the EGATFL defines work under three task forces: (1) Systems Assessment, (2) Cladding and Core Materials, and (3) Fuel Concepts. Scope for the Systems Assessment task force (TF1) includes definition of evaluation metrics for ATF, technology readiness level definition, definition of illustrative scenarios for ATF evaluation, and identification of fuel performance and systemmore » codes applicable to ATF evaluation. The Cladding and Core Materials (TF2) and Fuel Concepts (TF3) task forces will identify gaps and needs for modeling and experimental demonstration; define key properties of interest; identify the data necessary to perform concept evaluation under normal conditions and illustrative scenarios; identify available infrastructure (internationally) to support experimental needs; and make recommendations on priorities. Where possible, considering proprietary and other export restrictions (e.g., International Traffic in Arms Regulations), the Expert Group will facilitate the sharing of data and lessons learned across the international group membership. The Systems Assessment task force is chaired by Shannon Bragg-Sitton (Idaho National Laboratory [INL], U.S.), the Cladding Task Force is chaired by Marie Moatti (Electricite de France [EdF], France), and the Fuels Task Force is chaired by a Masaki Kurata (Japan Atomic Energy Agency [JAEA], Japan). The original Expert Group mandate was established for June 2014 to June 2016. In April 2016 the Expert Group voted to extend the mandate one additional year to June 2017 in order to complete the task force deliverables; this request was subsequently approved by the Nuclear Science Committee. This report provides an update on the status Systems Assessment Task Force activities.« less

Teaching Engineering Practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cunningham, Christine M.; Carlsen, William S.

2014-03-01

Engineering is featured prominently in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and related reform documents, but how its nature and methods are described is problematic. This paper is a systematic review and critique of that representation, and proposes that the disciplinary core ideas of engineering (as described in the NGSS) can be disregarded safely if the practices of engineering are better articulated and modeled through student engagement in engineering projects. A clearer distinction between science and engineering practices is outlined, and prior research is described that suggests that precollege engineering design can strengthen children's understandings about scientific concepts. However, a piecemeal approach to teaching engineering practices is unlikely to result in students understanding engineering as a discipline. The implications for science teacher education are supplemented with lessons learned from a number of engineering education professional development projects.

Critical information literacy as core skill for lifelong STEM learning in the 21st century: reflections on the desirability and feasibility for widespread science media education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Storksdieck, Martin

2016-03-01

Grace Reid and the late Stephen Norris argue in this issue the urgent need for widespread Science Media Education (SME) as an integral part of formal and informal science education. SME is to achieve two goals: First, allow learners to critically evaluate any media as a source for scientific information by understanding the socio-economic and socio-cultural context of how and why news and entertainment media are created, and secondly, utilize media as a legitimate and productive source for science education and science learning. While laudable, I will argue that SME as an integral part of STEM education is unrealistic, and offer instead that the broader concept of Information Literacy might be more easily achieved within the current strong movement to conceptualize STEM education via science and engineering practices and within the broad goals of strengthening learners' 21st century skills.

Designing Observatories for the Hydrologic Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hooper, R. P.

2004-05-01

The need for longer-term, multi-scale, coherent, and multi-disciplinary data to test hypotheses in hydrologic science has been recognized by numerous prestigious review panels over the past decade (e.g. NRC's Basic Research Opportunities in Earth Science). Designing such observatories has proven to be a challenge not only on scientific, but also technological, economic and even sociologic levels. The Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) has undertaken a "paper" prototype design of a hydrologic observatory (HO) for the Neuse River Basin, NC and plans to solicit proposals and award grants to develop implementation plans for approximately 10 basins (which may be defined by topographic or groundwater divides) during the summer of 2004. These observatories are envisioned to be community resources with data available to all scientists, with support facilities to permit their use by both local and remote investigators. This paper presents the broad design concepts which were developed from a national team of scientists for the Neuse River Basin Prototype. There are three fundamental characteristics of a watershed or river basin that are critical for answering the major scientific questions proposed by the NRC to advance hydrologic, biogeochemical and ecological sciences: (1) the store and flux of water, sediment, nutrients and contaminants across interfaces at multiple scales must be identified; (2) the residence time of these constituents, and (3) their flowpaths and response spectra to forcing must be estimated. "Stores" consist of subsurface, land surface and atmospheric volumes partitioned over the watershed. The HO will require "core measurements" which will serve the communities of hydrologic science for long range research questions. The core measurements will also provide context for shorter-term or hypothesis-driven research investigations. The HO will support "mobile measurement facilities" designed to support teams of investigators to explore new and more narrowly focused hypotheses, including but not limited to, experimental campaigns for identifying constitutive relations across scale, or testing of theoretical models. The core measurement data will be available to the community in as quickly as possible. Science teams which develop new non-core data will have priority for a specific period of time (e.g. completion of PhD or publication priority) before it is made available to the wider community. Core data will be subject to quality assurance standards to ensure comparability across all HO's. Collection of the core data and its publication will be carried out by scientists and technicians employed by the HO, independent of the local investigators. Criteria for selection among proposed HO's include (1) effectiveness of design to estimate characteristics at large scale, (2) breadth and interdisciplinary nature of hypotheses, (3) proportion of proposed data collection that will be core data, (4) leveraging of existing data and local resources, (5) institutional support of government and stakeholders, (6) innovation of proposed interpretive frameworks, such as models, and use of benchmark models as performance metrics, (7) innovative sensors and instrumentation networks, and (8) education and outreach opportunities.

Emergency Manuals: How Quality Improvement and Implementation Science Can Enable Better Perioperative Management During Crises.

PubMed

Goldhaber-Fiebert, Sara N; Macrae, Carl

2018-03-01

How can teams manage critical events more effectively? There are commonly gaps in performance during perioperative crises, and emergency manuals are recently available tools that can improve team performance under stress, via multiple mechanisms. This article examines how the principles of implementation science and quality improvement were applied by multiple teams in the development, testing, and systematic implementations of emergency manuals in perioperative care. The core principles of implementation have relevance for future patient safety innovations perioperatively and beyond, and the concepts of emergency manuals and interprofessional teamwork are applicable for diverse fields throughout health care. Copyright © 2017 Sara N. Goldhaber-Fiebert, Carl Macrae. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Context-Aware Adaptive Hybrid Semantic Relatedness in Biomedical Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emadzadeh, Ehsan

Text mining of biomedical literature and clinical notes is a very active field of research in biomedical science. Semantic analysis is one of the core modules for different Natural Language Processing (NLP) solutions. Methods for calculating semantic relatedness of two concepts can be very useful in solutions solving different problems such as relationship extraction, ontology creation and question / answering [1--6]. Several techniques exist in calculating semantic relatedness of two concepts. These techniques utilize different knowledge sources and corpora. So far, researchers attempted to find the best hybrid method for each domain by combining semantic relatedness techniques and data sources manually. In this work, attempts were made to eliminate the needs for manually combining semantic relatedness methods targeting any new contexts or resources through proposing an automated method, which attempted to find the best combination of semantic relatedness techniques and resources to achieve the best semantic relatedness score in every context. This may help the research community find the best hybrid method for each context considering the available algorithms and resources.

On identity: from a philosophical point of view

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The term “identity” has a much longer tradition in Western philosophy than in psychology. However, the philosophical discourse addresses very different meanings of the term, which should be distinguished to avoid misunderstandings, but also to sharpen the key meanings of the term in psychological contexts. These crucial points in the philosophical concepts of identity in the sense of singularity, individuality, or self-sameness may structure the ongoing discussion on identity in psychiatric diagnoses (as in DSM-5, Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment, this issue, 2013), in psychology, psychoanalysis, but also neuroscience and neurophilosophy (Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment, this issue, 2013). Method The concept of identity is subjected to a systematic philosophical analysis following some milestones in its history to provide a background for recent discussions on identity in psychiatry and psychology. Results The article focuses first on the philosophical core distinctions of identity in the different meanings to be addressed, second, briefly on some of the diverse psychological histories of the concept in the second half of the 20th century. Finally some reflections are presented on borderline personality disorder, considered as a mental disorder with a disturbance or diffusion of identity as core feature, and briefly on a newly developed instrument assessing identity development and identity diffusion in adolescence, the AIDA that is also presented in the special issue of this journal (Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment, this issue, 2013). Conclusion As a conclusion, different points of view concerning identity are summarized in respect to treatment planning, and different levels of description of identity in phenomenology, philosophy of mind, cognitive science, and social science and personality psychology are outlined. PMID:23902741

Effective and responsible teaching of climate change in Earth Science-related disciplines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, Z. P.; Greenhough, B. J.

2009-04-01

Climate change is a core topic within Earth Science-related courses. This vast topic covers a wide array of different aspects that could be covered, from past climatic change across a vast range of scales to environmental (and social and economic) impacts of future climatic change and strategies for reducing anthropogenic climate change. The Earth Science disciplines play a crucial role in our understanding of past, present and future climate change and the Earth system in addition to understanding leading to development of strategies and technological solutions to achieve sustainability. However, an increased knowledge of the occurrence and causes of past (natural) climate changes can lead to a lessened concern and sense of urgency and responsibility amongst students in relation to anthropogenic causes of climatic change. Two concepts integral to the teaching of climate change are those of scientific uncertainty and complexity, yet an emphasis on these concepts can lead to scepticism about future predictions and a further loss of sense of urgency. The requirement to understand the nature of scientific uncertainty and think and move between different scales in particular relating an increased knowledge of longer timescale climatic change to recent (industrialised) climate change, are clearly areas of troublesome knowledge that affect students' sense of responsibility towards their role in achieving a sustainable society. Study of the attitudes of university students in a UK HE institution on a range of Earth Science-related programmes highlights a range of different attitudes in the student body towards the subject of climate change. Students express varied amounts of ‘climate change saturation' resulting from both media and curriculum coverage, a range of views relating to the significance of humans to the global climate and a range of opinions about the relevance of environmental citizenship to their degree programme. Climate change is therefore a challenging topic to cover within the Earth Science-related curricula due to wide-ranging, and sometimes polarised, existing attitudes of students and levels of existing partial and sometimes flawed knowledge in addition to the troublesome concepts that need to be grasped. These issues highlight the responsibility and challenge inherent in teaching the subject of climate change and the importance of consideration of integrating sustainability issues with the core science of climate change. The talk will include a discussion of strategies and resources for the effective teaching of climate change topics for a range of levels and discipline backgrounds.

Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program FY98

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hansen, T.; Chartock, M.

1999-02-05

The Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL or Berkeley Lab) Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program FY 1998 report is compiled from annual reports submitted by principal investigators following the close of the fiscal year. This report describes the supported projects and summarizes their accomplishments. It constitutes a part of the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program planning and documentation process that includes an annual planning cycle, projection selection, implementation, and review. The LBNL LDRD program is a critical tool for directing the Laboratory's forefront scientific research capabilities toward vital, excellent, and emerging scientific challenges. The program providesmore » the resources for LBNL scientists to make rapid and significant contributions to critical national science and technology problems. The LDRD program also advances LBNL's core competencies, foundations, and scientific capability, and permits exploration of exciting new opportunities. All projects are work in forefront areas of science and technology. Areas eligible for support include the following: Advanced study of hypotheses, concepts, or innovative approaches to scientific or technical problems; Experiments and analyses directed toward ''proof of principle'' or early determination of the utility of new scientific ideas, technical concepts, or devices; and Conception and preliminary technical analyses of experimental facilities or devices.« less

Enhancing introductory hydrology curriculum by integrating perspectives from multi-disciplinary graduate fields of study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnold, T. E.; Henson, W.; Reijo, C. J.; Laing, J.; Weinkam, G.

2015-12-01

A cross-disciplinary hydrology course was developed that combined field and classroom based techniques to educate undergraduate level students on issues related to water resources in Florida, USA. Six instructors from separate departments brought a different perspective, research experience, and view on water quality and quantity issues. The course progressed by examining hydrologic processes at different spatio-temporal scales beginning with the geologic scale (the formation of aquifers) and ending with present-day water management and policy concerns. We were challenged to introduce students from various academic backgrounds and levels to the core concepts of hydrology and water chemistry. Additionally, the instructors faced the task of making our research fit together seamlessly, such that one topic would naturally progress to the next topic. We ensured that students' knowledge progressed enough so they could address complex management issues through critical thinking and application of basic field techniques. It is our objective to share the experiences and challenges in developing an interdisciplinary course that: 1) introduced new research ideas and concepts from six separate fields, 2) enhanced lecture concepts by hands-on, field-based activities, and 3) would keep students from science and non-science backgrounds engaged and challenged but not overwhelmed.

Toward critical spatial thinking in the social sciences and humanities.

PubMed

Goodchild, Michael F; Janelle, Donald G

2010-02-01

The integration of geographically referenced information into the conceptual frameworks and applied uses of the social sciences and humanities has been an ongoing process over the past few centuries. It has gained momentum in recent decades with advances in technologies for computation and visualization and with the arrival of new data sources. This article begins with an overview of this transition, and argues that the spatial integration of information resources and the cross-disciplinary sharing of analysis and representation methodologies are important forces for the integration of scientific and artistic expression, and that they draw on core concepts in spatial (and spatio-temporal) thinking. We do not suggest that this is akin to prior concepts of unified knowledge systems, but we do maintain that the boundaries to knowledge transfer are disintegrating and that our abilities in problem solving for purposes of artistic expression and scientific development are enhanced through spatial perspectives. Moreover, approaches to education at all levels must recognize the need to impart proficiency in the critical and efficient application of these fundamental spatial concepts, if students and researchers are to make use of expanding access to a broadening range of spatialized information and data processing technologies.

Identifying Core Concepts of Cybersecurity: Results of Two Delphi Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parekh, Geet; DeLatte, David; Herman, Geoffrey L.; Oliva, Linda; Phatak, Dhananjay; Scheponik, Travis; Sherman, Alan T.

2018-01-01

This paper presents and analyzes results of two Delphi processes that polled cybersecurity experts to rate cybersecurity topics based on importance, difficulty, and timelessness. These ratings can be used to identify core concepts--cross-cutting ideas that connect knowledge in the discipline. The first Delphi process identified core concepts that…

Teaching Rocks and Minerals in the Context of Dynamic Earth Systems and Interactions: Using the Three Dimensions of the Next Generation Science Standards as an Organizing Framework to Engage Learners in Teacher Preparation Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brady, M. E.; Nelson, F.

2014-12-01

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) call for a shift from science learning as a fixed body of decontextualized facts toward a deliberate integration of three dimensions that transcend instructional level: 1) Disciplinary Core Ideas, 2) Crosscutting concepts, and 3) Science & Engineering Practices. This new approach to K-12 science education requires a dedicated effort to address teacher preparation in ESS. Here, we present an instructional model that explicitly integrates the three dimensions of the NGSS as an organizing framework in large-enrollment, undergraduate introductory geoscience courses targeted toward future teachers. This curriculum development is part of a campus-wide collaboration among science, engineering, and education faculty to enhance science teacher preparation. This approach reflects NGSS conceptual shifts and promotes a learner-centered environment where students regularly engage with each other and course material as part of the course: 1) In terms of content, Earth systems and interactions, are emphasized; rocks and minerals are discussed in the context of their use to understand and predict changes over Earth's past, present, and future; and engineering and technology are incorporated into discussions of mediating human impacts on Earth systems. 2) Cross-cutting concepts, such as cycles and flows, are explicitly referenced throughout the course to promote connections between and application of prior knowledge and new information or situations. 3) Guided by explicit prompts for partner discussions in class, students regularly engage in scientific practices, such as arguing by evidence and constructing an explanation. We will provide examples of student learning assessment, including in-class responses pre- and post- partner discussions, short written reflections, and cumulative projects. Ongoing evaluation of this instructional approach will include pre- and post- Geoscience Concept Inventory responses.

A technique to identify core journals for neurosurgery using citation scatter analysis and the Bradford distribution across neurosurgery journals.

PubMed

Madhugiri, Venkatesh S; Ambekar, Sudheer; Strom, Shane F; Nanda, Anil

2013-11-01

The volume of scientific literature doubles approximately every 7 years. The coverage of this literature provided by online compendia is variable and incomplete. It would hence be useful to identify "core" journals in any field and validate whether the h index and impact factor truly identify the core journals in every subject. The core journals in every medical specialty would be those that provide a current and comprehensive coverage of the science in that specialty. Identifying these journals would make it possible for individual physicians to keep abreast of research and clinical progress. The top 10 neurosurgical journals (on the basis of impact factor and h index) were selected. A database of all articles cited in the reference lists of papers published in issues of these journals published in the first quarter of 2012 was generated. The journals were ranked based on the number of papers cited from each. This citation rank list was compared with the h index and impact factor rank lists. The rank list was also examined to see if the concept of core journals could be validated for neurosurgical literature using Bradford's law. A total of 22,850 papers spread across 2522 journals were cited in neurosurgical literature over 3 months. Although the top 10 journals were the same, irrespective of ranking criterion (h index, impact factor, citation ranking), the 3 rank lists were not congruent. The top 25% of cited articles obeyed the Bradford distribution; beyond this, there was a zone of increased scatter. Six core journals were identified for neurosurgery. The core journals for neurosurgery were identified to be Journal of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery, Spine, Acta Neurochirurgica, Stroke, and Journal of Neurotrauma. A list of core journals could similarly be generated for every subject. This would facilitate a focused reading to keep abreast of current knowledge. Collated across specialties, these journals could depict the current status of medical science.

Taking the lead from our colleagues in medical education: the use of images of the in-vivo setting in teaching concepts of pharmaceutical science.

PubMed

Curley, Louise E; Kennedy, Julia; Hinton, Jordan; Mirjalili, Ali; Svirskis, Darren

2017-01-01

Despite pharmaceutical sciences being a core component of pharmacy curricula, few published studies have focussed on innovative methodologies to teach the content. This commentary identifies imaging techniques which can visualise oral dosage forms in-vivo and observe formulation disintegration in order to achieve a better understanding of in-vivo performance. Images formed through these techniques can provide students with a deeper appreciation of the fate of oral formulations in the body compared to standard disintegration and dissolution testing, which is conducted in-vitro. Such images which represent the in-vivo setting can be used in teaching to give context to both theory and experimental work, thereby increasing student understanding and enabling teaching of pharmaceutical sciences supporting students to correlate in-vitro and in-vivo processes.

Engaging Youth in Climate Change Issues with Family Science Day Activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brevik, Corinne E.; Brevik, Eric C.; Steffan, Joshua J.

2016-04-01

Dickinson State University organizes four Family Science Day events each fall during the months of September, October, November, and December. Activities are geared toward elementary-aged children to increase student engagement in the sciences. Offered on Saturday afternoons, each event focuses on a different science-related theme. Families can attend these events free of charge, and the kids participate in a large variety of hands-on activities that center around the event's theme. This year, the November event focused on climate change, including an emphasis on the roles soil plays in the climate system. The timing of this topic was carefully chosen. 2015 has been declared the International Year of Soil by the United Nations, and the Soil Science Society of America theme for the month of November was Soils and Climate. This public outreach event was an amazing opportunity to help the youth in our community learn about climate change in a fun, interactive environment. Climate changes in the past, present, and future were emphasized. Activities including the Farming Game, painting with soils, taking Jello "cores", creating a cloud in a jar, and making a glacier in a bag helped children learn how science is a process of discovery that allows them to better understand the world they live in. In addition to the hands-on activities, a planetarium show focused on climate change was also offered during the event, surrounding the kids and their parents in a fully immersive, 360-degree show that allowed them to personally observe phenomena that are otherwise difficult to visualize. All of the activities at the Family Science Day event were staffed by university students, and this proved to be a very valuable experience for them as well. Some of the students who helped are majoring in a science field, and for them, the experience taught public communication. They learned to break complicated concepts down into simpler terms that young kids could understand. Education students who participated learned how to communicate science concepts to children, and students in other majors who helped with this event gained experiences that reinforced various concepts they had learned in their general education science courses.

The "Core Concepts Plus" Paradigm for Creating an Electronic Textbook for Introductory Business and Economic Statistics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haley, M. Ryan

2013-01-01

This paper describes a flexible paradigm for creating an electronic "Core Concepts Plus" textbook (CCP-text) for a course in Introductory Business and Economic Statistics (IBES). In general terms, "core concepts" constitute the intersection of IBES course material taught by all IBES professors at the author's university. The…

Ocean Sciences Sequence for Grades 6-8: Climate Change Curriculum Developed Through a Collaboration Between Scientists and Educators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss, E.; Skene, J.; Tran, L.

2011-12-01

Today's youth have been tasked with the overwhelming job of addressing the world's climate future. The students who will become the scientists, policy makers, and citizens of tomorrow must gain a robust understanding of the causes and effects of climate change, as well as possible adaptation strategies. Currently, there are few high quality curricula available to teachers that address these topics in a developmentally appropriate manner. The NOAA-funded Ocean Sciences Sequence for Grades 6-8 aims to address this gap by providing teachers with scientifically accurate climate change curriculum that hits on some of the most salient points in climate science, while simultaneously developing students' science process skills. The Ocean Sciences Sequence for Grades 6-8 is developed through a collaboration between some of the nation's leading ocean and climate scientists and the Lawrence Hall of Science's highly qualified GEMS (Great Explorations in Math & Science) curriculum development team. Scientists are active partners throughout the whole development process, from initial brainstorming of key concepts and creating the conceptual storyline for the curriculum to final review of the content and activities. As with all GEMS Sequences, the Ocean Sciences Sequence for Grades 6-8 is designed to provide significant scientific and educational depth, systematic assessments and informational readings, and incorporate new learning technologies. The goal is to focus strategically and effectively on the core concepts within ocean and climate sciences that students need to understand. This curriculum is designed in accordance with the latest research from the learning sciences, and provides numerous opportunities for students to develop inquiry skills and abilities as they learn about the practice of science through hands-on activities. The Ocean Sciences Sequence for Grades 6-8 addresses in depth a significant number of national, state, and district standards and benchmarks. It aligns with the Ocean Literacy and Climate Literacy Frameworks, as well as multiple core ideas in the new National Academy of Sciences Framework for K-12 Science Education. In brief, the curriculum comprises 33 45-minute sessions organized into three thematic units that are each driven by an exploratory question: Unit 1 (11 sessions)-How do the ocean and atmosphere interact?; Unit 2 (8 sessions)-How does carbon flow through the ocean, land, and atmosphere?; and Unit 3 (12 sessions)-What are the causes and effects of climate change? The curriculum deliberately explores the ocean and climate as global systems, and challenges students to use scientific evidence to make explanations about climate change. The Ocean Sciences Sequence for Grades 6-8 is currently being classroom tested by teachers across the United States in a wide variety of classroom settings. Evaluation is also being undertaken to determine the efficacy of the sequence in addressing the curriculum's learning goals.

Engaging Middle School Students with Google Earth Technology to Analyze Ocean Cores as Evidence for Sea Floor Spreading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prouhet, T.; Cook, J.

2006-12-01

Google Earth's ability to captivate students' attention, its ease of use, and its high quality images give it the potential to be an extremely effective tool for earth science educators. The unique properties of Google Earth satisfy a growing demand to incorporate technology in science instruction. Google Earth is free and relatively easy to use unlike some other visualization software. Students often have difficulty conceptualizing and visualizing earth systems, such as deep-ocean basins, because of the complexity and dynamic nature of the processes associated with them (e.g. plate tectonics). Google Earth's combination of aerial photography, satellite images and remote sensing data brings a sense of realism to science concepts. The unobstructed view of the ocean floor provided by this technology illustrates three-dimensional subsurface features such as rift valleys, subduction zones, and sea-mounts enabling students to better understand the seafloor's dynamic nature. Students will use Google Earth to navigate the sea floor, and examine Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) core locations the from the Glomar Challenger Leg 3 expedition. The lesson to be implemented was expanded upon and derived from the Joint Oceanographic Insitute (JOI) Learning exercise, Nannofossils Reveal Seafloor Spreading. In addition, students take on the role of scientists as they graph and analyze paleontological data against the distance from the Mid Ocean Ridge. The integration of ocean core data in this three-dimensional view aids students' ability to draw and communicate valid conclusions about their scientific observations. A pre and post survey will be given to examine attitudes, self-efficacy, achievement and content mastery to a sample of approximately 300 eighth grade science students. The hypothesis is that the integration of Google Earth will significantly improve all areas of focus as mentioned above.

Space Station Furnace Facility. Volume 2: Requirements definition and conceptual design study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The Space Station Freedom Furnace (SSFF) Project is divided into two phases: phase 1, a definition study phase, and phase 2, a design and development phase. TBE was awarded a research study entitled, 'Space Station Furnace Facility Requirements Definition and Conceptual Design Study' on June 2, 1989. This report addresses the definition study phase only. Phase 2 is to be complete after completion of phase 1. The contract encompassed a requirements definition study and culminated in hardware/facility conceptual designs and hardware demonstration development models to test these conceptual designs. The study was divided into two parts. Part 1 (the basic part of the effort) encompassed preliminary requirements definition and assessment; conceptional design of the SSFF Core; fabrication of mockups; and preparation for the support of a conceptional design review (CoDR). Part 2 (the optional part of the effort) included detailed definition of the engineering and design requirements, as derived from the science requirements; refinement of the conceptual design of the SSFF Core; fabrication and testing of the 'breadboards' or development models; and preparation for and support of a requirements definition review.

Concept Study on a Flexible Standard Bus for Small Scientific Satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukuda, Seisuke; Sawai, Shujiro; Sakai, Shin-Ichiro; Saito, Hirobumi; Tohma, Takayuki; Takahashi, Junko; Toriumi, Tsuyoshi; Kitade, Kenji

In this paper, a new standard bus system for a series of small scientific satellites in the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (ISAS/JAXA) is described. Since each mission proposed for the series has a wide variety of requirements, a lot of efforts are needed to enhance flexibility of the standard bus. Some concepts from different viewpoints are proposed. First, standardization layers concerning satellite configuration, instruments, interfaces, and design methods are defined respectively. Methods of product platform engineering, which classify specifications of the bus system into a core platform, alternative variants, and selectable variants, are also investigated in order to realize a semi-custom-made bus. Furthermore, a tradeoff between integration and modularization architecture is fully considered.

Professional Values Competency Evaluation for Students Enrolled in a Concept-Based Curriculum.

PubMed

Elliott, Annette M

2017-01-01

Although many nursing programs have transitioned toward the use of concept-based curricula, the evaluation of student learning associated with the curricular approach has been limited. An evaluation of student learning related to professional values for programs offering concept-based curricula was not evident in the literature. The purpose was to determine how a course competency related to professional values was addressed by nursing students studying in a concept-based nursing curriculum. The qualitative methodology of framework analysis was used to evaluate written assignments (N = 75). The core concept appreciation for professional values and the core concept disillusionment with unprofessional behaviors were identified in students' written reflections. The core concept of appreciation for professional values contributes to an evidence base of contemporary professional values identified in nursing. The core concept of disillusionment with unprofessional behaviors can inform curricular planning and research on how to advocate for professional behaviors. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(1):12-21.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

Life sciences domain analysis model

PubMed Central

Freimuth, Robert R; Freund, Elaine T; Schick, Lisa; Sharma, Mukesh K; Stafford, Grace A; Suzek, Baris E; Hernandez, Joyce; Hipp, Jason; Kelley, Jenny M; Rokicki, Konrad; Pan, Sue; Buckler, Andrew; Stokes, Todd H; Fernandez, Anna; Fore, Ian; Buetow, Kenneth H

2012-01-01

Objective Meaningful exchange of information is a fundamental challenge in collaborative biomedical research. To help address this, the authors developed the Life Sciences Domain Analysis Model (LS DAM), an information model that provides a framework for communication among domain experts and technical teams developing information systems to support biomedical research. The LS DAM is harmonized with the Biomedical Research Integrated Domain Group (BRIDG) model of protocol-driven clinical research. Together, these models can facilitate data exchange for translational research. Materials and methods The content of the LS DAM was driven by analysis of life sciences and translational research scenarios and the concepts in the model are derived from existing information models, reference models and data exchange formats. The model is represented in the Unified Modeling Language and uses ISO 21090 data types. Results The LS DAM v2.2.1 is comprised of 130 classes and covers several core areas including Experiment, Molecular Biology, Molecular Databases and Specimen. Nearly half of these classes originate from the BRIDG model, emphasizing the semantic harmonization between these models. Validation of the LS DAM against independently derived information models, research scenarios and reference databases supports its general applicability to represent life sciences research. Discussion The LS DAM provides unambiguous definitions for concepts required to describe life sciences research. The processes established to achieve consensus among domain experts will be applied in future iterations and may be broadly applicable to other standardization efforts. Conclusions The LS DAM provides common semantics for life sciences research. Through harmonization with BRIDG, it promotes interoperability in translational science. PMID:22744959

Finding an information concept suited for a universal theory of information.

PubMed

Brier, Søren

2015-12-01

The view argued in this article is that if we want to define a universal concept of information covering subjective experiential and meaningful cognition - as well as intersubjective meaningful communication in nature, technology, society and life worlds - then the main problem is to decide, which epistemological, ontological and philosophy of science framework the concept of information should be based on and integrated in. All the ontological attempts to create objective concepts of information result in concepts that cannot encompass meaning and experience of embodied living and social systems. There is no conclusive evidence that the core of reality across nature, culture, life and mind is purely either mathematical, logical or of a computational nature. Therefore the core of the information concept should not only be based only on pure logical or mathematical rationality. We need to include interpretation, signification and meaning construction in our transdisciplinary framework for information as a basic aspect of reality alongside the physical, chemical and molecular biological. Dretske defines information as the content of new, true, meaningful, and understandable knowledge. According to this widely held definition information in a transdisciplinary theory cannot be 'objective', but has to be relativized in relation to the receiver's knowledge, as also proposed by Floridi. It is difficult to produce a quantitative statement independently of a qualitative analysis based on some sort of relation to the human condition as a semiotic animal. I therefore alternatively suggest to build information theories based on semiotics from the basic relations of embodied living systems meaningful cognition and communication. I agree with Peircean biosemiotics that all information must be part of real relational sign-processes manifesting as tokens. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Support as a complement, intrusion and right--evidence from ageing and disability support service users in Sweden and Australia.

PubMed

Laragy, Carmel; Fisher, Karen R; Cedersund, Elisabet; Campbell-McLean, Carolyn

2011-12-01

How service users conceptualise their personal support services is under researched, even though this understanding is important for responsive policy development and service implementation. This paper tests the proposition that service users understand formal support in three ways: support is a complement to their other arrangements, an intrusion into their personal life and a right. These three concepts were identified using discourse analysis in a Swedish study of older people wanting in-home support services. To test generalisability of these concepts, they were applied to data from an Australian study of people using disability personal support. The analysis found that the three concepts were core to people's views of their support, although the construction of the concepts differed in the two countries. Service users in Sweden asserted their right to services more forcefully than those in Australia, and they had higher expectations that their support needs would be met. These differences reflect the impact of each country's social policy environment on service users' expectations. The analysis suggests that service users and their families want to control their formal support arrangements to complement their informal care and their life preferences and to minimise the intrusive aspects of formal support. The findings imply that the three concepts have utility for theorising service users' perspectives, informing policy and developing implementation strategies which enhance peoples' quality of life. © 2011 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences © 2011 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Inseparability of science history and discovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herndon, J. M.

2010-04-01

Science is very much a logical progression through time. Progressing along a logical path of discovery is rather like following a path through the wilderness. Occasionally the path splits, presenting a choice; the correct logical interpretation leads to further progress, the wrong choice leads to confusion. By considering deeply the relevant science history, one might begin to recognize past faltering in the logical progression of observations and ideas and, perhaps then, to discover new, more precise understanding. The following specific examples of science faltering are described from a historical perspective: (1) Composition of the Earth's inner core; (2) Giant planet internal energy production; (3) Physical impossibility of Earth-core convection and Earth-mantle convection, and; (4) Thermonuclear ignition of stars. For each example, a revised logical progression is described, leading, respectively, to: (1) Understanding the endo-Earth's composition; (2) The concept of nuclear georeactor origin of geo- and planetary magnetic fields; (3) The invalidation and replacement of plate tectonics; and, (4) Understanding the basis for the observed distribution of luminous stars in galaxies. These revised logical progressions clearly show the inseparability of science history and discovery. A different and more fundamental approach to making scientific discoveries than the frequently discussed variants of the scientific method is this: An individual ponders and through tedious efforts arranges seemingly unrelated observations into a logical sequence in the mind so that causal relationships become evident and new understanding emerges, showing the path for new observations, for new experiments, for new theoretical considerations, and for new discoveries. Science history is rich in "seemingly unrelated observations" just waiting to be logically and causally related to reveal new discoveries.

Venera-D: Technology Implications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kremic, Tibor

2016-01-01

The Venera-D concept mission being developed by the Joint Russian US Science Definition Team (JSDT) is an exciting concept for exploring Venus and is based largely successful approach of heritage Soviet Veneras and VEGA missions. The desired science of Venera-D seeks to build on the results on these missions and also missions by other nations such as the American Mariners, Pioneer Venus, and Magellan missions, ESAs Venus Express, and the current Japanese Akatsuki mission. A number of elements comprise the potential full mission concept. Core elements of the mission include a long lived orbiter (3 years) and a short duration ( 2 hour) but powerful lander. Several other mission elements are possible depending on mission constraints which include cost limitations. Other possible elements include some form of mobile aerial platform, such as a balloon, long lived dropsonde(s), and sub-satellite. One can image the diverse maturity of technologies that will be needed to support the various elements of the Venera-D mission concept. Given the long heritage and recent orbiting missions, little technology challenges are expected for the orbiter. However it has been several decades since humanity has placed a functioning lander on the Venus surface or spent time floating in the Venus atmosphere so the technology challenges will be of greater concern. This briefing presents some of the results of the Venera-D technology sub-group.

Physiology undergraduate degree requirements in the U.S.

PubMed

VanRyn, Valerie S; Poteracki, James M; Wehrwein, Erica A

2017-12-01

Course-level learning objectives and core concepts for undergraduate physiology teaching exist. The next step is to consider how these resources fit into generalizable program-level guidelines for Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees in Physiology. In the absence of program-level guidelines for Physiology degree programs, we compiled a selective internal report to review degree requirements from 18 peer BS programs entitled "Physiology" in the United States (U.S.). There was a range of zero to three required semesters of math, physics, physics laboratory, general biology, biology laboratory, general chemistry, chemistry laboratory, organic chemistry, organic chemistry laboratory, biochemistry, biochemistry laboratory, anatomy, anatomy laboratory, core systems physiology, and physiology laboratory. Required upper division credits ranged from 11 to 31 and included system-specific, exercise and environmental, clinically relevant, pathology/disease-related, and basic science options. We hope that this information will be useful for all programs that consider themselves to be physiology, regardless of name. Reports such as this can serve as a starting point for collaboration among BS programs to improve physiology undergraduate education and best serve our students. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Mechanical design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Design concepts for a 1000 mw thermal stationary power plant employing the UF6 fueled gas core breeder reactor are examined. Three design combinations-gaseous UF6 core with a solid matrix blanket, gaseous UF6 core with a liquid blanket, and gaseous UF6 core with a circulating blanket were considered. Results show the gaseous UF6 core with a circulating blanket was best suited to the power plant concept.

Structures, Not Strings: Linguistics as Part of the Cognitive Sciences.

PubMed

Everaert, Martin B H; Huybregts, Marinus A C; Chomsky, Noam; Berwick, Robert C; Bolhuis, Johan J

2015-12-01

There are many questions one can ask about human language: its distinctive properties, neural representation, characteristic uses including use in communicative contexts, variation, growth in the individual, and origin. Every such inquiry is guided by some concept of what 'language' is. Sharpening the core question--what is language?--and paying close attention to the basic property of the language faculty and its biological foundations makes it clear how linguistics is firmly positioned within the cognitive sciences. Here we will show how recent developments in generative grammar, taking language as a computational cognitive mechanism seriously, allow us to address issues left unexplained in the increasingly popular surface-oriented approaches to language. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Earth & Space Science in the Next Generation Science Standards: Promise, Challenge, and Future Actions. (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pyle, E. J.

2013-12-01

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are a step forward in ensuring that future generations of students become scientifically literate. The NGSS document builds from the National Science Education Standards (1996) and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science framework of 2005. Design teams for the Curriculum Framework for K-12 Science Education were to outline the essential content necessary for students' science literacy, considering the foundational knowledge and the structure of each discipline in the context of learning progressions. Once draft standards were developed, two issues emerged from their review: (a) the continual need to prune 'cherished ideas' within the content, such that only essential ideas were represented, and (b) the potential for prior conceptions of Science & Engineering Practices (SEP) and cross-cutting concepts (CCC) to limit overly constrain performance expectations. With the release of the NGSS, several challenges are emerging for geoscience education. First, the traditional emphasis of Earth science in middle school has been augmented by new standards for high school that require major syntheses of concepts. Second, the integration of SEPs into performance expectations places an increased burden on teachers and curriculum developers to organize instruction around the nature of inquiry in the geosciences. Third, work is needed to define CCCs in Earth contexts, such that the unique structure of the geosciences is best represented. To ensure that the Earth & Space Science standards are implemented through grade 12, two supporting structures must be developed. In the past, many curricular materials claimed that they adhered to the NSES, but in some cases this match was a simple word match or checklist that bore only superficial resemblance to the standards. The structure of the performance expectations is of sufficient sophistication to ensure that adherence to the standards more than a casual exercise. Claims of match must be supported not just by disciplinary core ideas, but also by SEPs and CCCs. Such a structured approach to Earth science instruction also requires specialized approaches to teacher preparation and professional development. Many teachers of Earth science are underprepared, and an examination of how Earth science teachers are prepared and supported to use to new curricular materials is also warranted. This presentation will (a) compare the structure of the NGSS and NSES for Earth & Space Science, (b) discuss the review of the NGSS drafts with respect to the intent of the Curriculum Framework, (c) provide definition to the particular challenges to instruction offered by the NGSS beyond prior instructional experience, and (d) define and reinforce concepts of what it means for curricula, instructional materials, and teacher preparation and professional development to be considered 'aligned' with the NGSS.

Core concepts of human rights and inclusion of vulnerable groups in the mental health policies of Malawi, Namibia, and Sudan

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background One of the most crucial steps towards delivering judicious and comprehensive mental health care is the formulation of a policy and plan that will navigate mental health systems. For policy-makers, the challenges of a high-quality mental health system are considerable: the provision of mental health services to all who need them, in an equitable way, in a mode that promotes human rights and health outcomes. Method EquiFrame, a novel policy analysis framework, was used to evaluate the mental health policies of Malawi, Namibia, and Sudan. The health policies were assessed in terms of their coverage of 21 predefined Core Concepts of human rights (Core Concept Coverage), their stated quality of commitment to said Core Concepts (Core Concept Quality), and their inclusion of 12 Vulnerable Groups (Vulnerable Group Coverage). In relation to these summary indices, each policy was also assigned an Overall Summary Ranking, in terms of it being of High, Moderate, or Low quality. Results Substantial variability was identified across EquiFrame’s summary indices for the mental health policies of Malawi, Namibia, and Sudan. However, all three mental health policies scored high on Core Concept Coverage. Particularly noteworthy was the Sudanese policy, which scored 86% on Core Concept Coverage, and 92% on Vulnerable Group Coverage. Particular deficits were evident in the Malawian mental health policy, which scored 33% on Vulnerable Group Coverage and 47% on Core Concept Quality, and was assigned an Overall Summary Ranking of Low accordingly. The Overall Summary Ranking for the Namibian Mental Health Policy was High; for the Sudanese Mental Health Policy was Moderate; and for the Malawian Mental Health Policy was Low. Conclusions If human rights and equity underpin policy formation, it is more likely that they will be inculcated in health service delivery. EquiFrame may provide a novel and valuable tool for mental health policy analysis in relation to core concepts of human rights and inclusion of vulnerable groups, a key practical step in the successful realization of the Millennium Development Goals. PMID:23406583

The ISES: A non-intrusive medium for in-space experiments in on-board information extraction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murray, Nicholas D.; Katzberg, Stephen J.; Nealy, Mike

1990-01-01

The Information Science Experiment System (ISES) represents a new approach in applying advanced systems technology and techniques to on-board information extraction in the space environment. Basically, what is proposed is a 'black box' attached to the spacecraft data bus or local area network. To the spacecraft the 'black box' appears to be just another payload requiring power, heat rejection, interfaces, adding weight, and requiring time on the data management and communication system. In reality, the 'black box' is a programmable computational resource which eavesdrops on the data network, taking and producing selectable, real-time science data back on the network. This paper will present a brief overview of the ISES Concept and will discuss issues related to applying the ISES to the polar platform and Space Station Freedom. Critical to the operation of ISES is the viability of a payload-like interface to the spacecraft data bus or local area network. Study results that address this question will be reviewed vis-a-vis the solar platform and the core space station. Also, initial results of processing science and other requirements for onboard, real-time information extraction will be presented with particular emphasis on the polar platform. Opportunities for a broader range of applications on the core space station will also be discussed.

Setting the Scope of Concept Inventories for Introductory Computing Subjects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldman, Ken; Gross, Paul; Heeren, Cinda; Herman, Geoffrey L.; Kaczmarczyk, Lisa; Loui, Michael C.; Zilles, Craig

2010-01-01

A concept inventory is a standardized assessment tool intended to evaluate a student's understanding of the core concepts of a topic. In order to create a concept inventory it is necessary to accurately identify these core concepts. A Delphi process is a structured multi-step process that uses a group of experts to achieve a consensus opinion. We…

An ecological framework of place: situating environmental gerontology within a life course perspective.

PubMed

Moore, Keith Diaz

2014-01-01

This article presents an emergent heuristic framework for the core environmental gerontology concept of "place." Place has been a central concern in the field since the 1970s (Gubrium, 1978) for its hypothesized direct relationship to identity, the self, and agency--suggestive of the appropriateness of lateral theoretical linkages with developmental science. The Ecological Framework of Place (EFP) defines place as a socio-physical milieu involving people, the physical setting, and the program of the place, all catalyzed by situated human activity and fully acknowledging that all four may change over time. The article begins with a concise overview of the EFP before moving on to consider it within three theoretical terrains: place theory, developmental science theory, and environmental gerontology theory. The EFP will be argued to be a place theory which subsumes themes of emergent environmental gerontology theories within a developmental science perspective. Implications for theory, method and practice are discussed. One of the strengths of the model is its ability to serve both research and practice, as is exhibited in its ability to incorporate applied design research and inform architectural decision-making so often lacking in other environmental gerontology models. Place should be viewed as an integrative concept providing opportunities for both environmental gerontology and developmental science to more critically concern the profound role places have in terms of agency, identity and sense of self over the life course.

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Concepts for Enriching High School Curricula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanders, Charlotte; Marshall, Jill

2010-03-01

High school science teachers seeking to enhance student enthusiasm for science and to enrich their curricula with ``real world'' examples might be interested in drawing on nanoscience, which is currently a major branch of study in biology, chemistry, and physics---key high school curriculum areas---and is also a subject much reported upon by the news media. However, presenting nanoscience and nanotechnology in the classroom presents key challenges: the subject matter must be successfully integrated into the core curriculum so as to enhance the students' educational experience; it must support the aims of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science (TEKC), or equivalent systems in other states; it must be made accessible to students; and it must be presentable with the use of equipment or supplies that are neither too expensive nor too rare to be obtainable by school districts. These last two requirements are particularly difficult, because it is the nature of nanoscale research that complex fabrication processes and expensive characterization methods are typically required. This talk will discuss the authors' experience leading a teachers' workshop session in 2009 to address the issue of introducing nanoscience into the high school science classroom. The workshop is funded by the NSF through the UT-IGERT program, and brings together teachers from across Texas annually for discussion, curriculum-building, and training in concepts related to nanoscience and nanotechnology.

Microsatellites for Affordable Space Science: Capability and Design Concepts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smithies, Chad; Meerman, Max; Sweeting, Martin, , Sir

2002-01-01

Traditionally, space science has been performed using the most advanced technology available: the rationale being to obtain data that is as accurate and precise as possible. Pushing the envelope has led to a drive towards one-off, complex missions (as regards both the payloads and bus) that result in a high cost and long lead-time. The role for small, low cost satellites to complement these high cost, large platforms that are only accessible to the wealthiest nations has been demonstrated by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL). Building on the experience gained from the 20 small satellites launched over 20 years, SSTL has pioneered innovative design and cost-effective engineering techniques for small satellites. The modular design of all three of Surrey's core platforms for the nano-, micro- and mini-satellites allows for a versatile capability that is well matched to the changing requirements demanded by scientific investigation. This capability, traditionally associated with LEO, is currently being studied for Lunar, Near Earth Object and Interplanetary missions. The affordability, modularity and rapid build philosophy of Surrey's small satellite platforms allow for an alternate approach to science missions. The opportunity now exists for lower cost instruments that can launched more frequently and affordably, as well as offering an alternative approach to redundancy and risk - for example, through distributed constellations. The paper will present a design concept of a cost-capped, science payload-driven spacecraft.

Sampling in the Snow: High School Winter Field Experiences Provide Relevant, Real World Connections Between Scientific Practices and Disciplinary Core Ideas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanson, E. W.; Burakowski, E. A.

2014-12-01

For much of the northern United States, the months surrounding the winter solstice are times of increased darkness, low temperatures, and frozen landscapes. It's a time when many high school science educators, who otherwise would venture outside with their classes, hunker down and are wary of the outdoors. However, a plethora of learning opportunities lies just beyond the classroom. Working collaboratively, a high school science teacher and a snow scientist have developed multiple activities to engage students in the scientific process of collecting, analyzing and interpreting the winter world using snow data to (1) learn about the insulative properties of snow, and (2) to learn about the role of snow cover on winter climate through its reflective properties while participating in a volunteer network that collects snow depth, albedo (reflectivity), and density data. These outdoor field-based snow investigations incorporate Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and disciplinary core ideas, including ESS2.C: The roles of water in Earth's surface processes and ESS2.D: Weather and Climate. Additionally, the lesson plans presented address Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics, including the creation and analysis of bar graphs and time series plots (CCSS.Math.HSS-ID.A.1) and xy scatter plots (CCSS.Math.HSS-ID.B.6). High school students participating in the 2013/2014 snow sampling season described their outdoor learning experience as "authentic" and "hands-on" as compared to traditional class indoors. They emphasized that learning outdoors was essential to their understanding of underlying content and concepts because they "learn through actual experience."

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Core Competencies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roberto, J.B.; Anderson, T.D.; Berven, B.A.

1994-12-01

A core competency is a distinguishing integration of capabilities which enables an organization to deliver mission results. Core competencies represent the collective learning of an organization and provide the capacity to perform present and future missions. Core competencies are distinguishing characteristics which offer comparative advantage and are difficult to reproduce. They exhibit customer focus, mission relevance, and vertical integration from research through applications. They are demonstrable by metrics such as level of investment, uniqueness of facilities and expertise, and national impact. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has identified four core competencies which satisfy the above criteria. Each core competencymore » represents an annual investment of at least $100M and is characterized by an integration of Laboratory technical foundations in physical, chemical, and materials sciences; biological, environmental, and social sciences; engineering sciences; and computational sciences and informatics. The ability to integrate broad technical foundations to develop and sustain core competencies in support of national R&D goals is a distinguishing strength of the national laboratories. The ORNL core competencies are: 9 Energy Production and End-Use Technologies o Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technology o Advanced Materials Synthesis, Processing, and Characterization & Neutron-Based Science and Technology. The distinguishing characteristics of each ORNL core competency are described. In addition, written material is provided for two emerging competencies: Manufacturing Technologies and Computational Science and Advanced Computing. Distinguishing institutional competencies in the Development and Operation of National Research Facilities, R&D Integration and Partnerships, Technology Transfer, and Science Education are also described. Finally, financial data for the ORNL core competencies are summarized in the appendices.« less

The use of concept mapping in measurement development and evaluation: Application and future directions.

PubMed

Rosas, Scott R; Ridings, John W

2017-02-01

The past decade has seen an increase of measurement development research in social and health sciences that featured the use of concept mapping as a core technique. The purpose, application, and utility of concept mapping have varied across this emerging literature. Despite the variety of uses and range of outputs, little has been done to critically review how researchers have approached the application of concept mapping in the measurement development and evaluation process. This article focuses on a review of the current state of practice regarding the use of concept mapping as methodological tool in this process. We systematically reviewed 23 scale or measure development and evaluation studies, and detail the application of concept mapping in the context of traditional measurement development and psychometric testing processes. Although several limitations surfaced, we found several strengths in the contemporary application of the method. We determined concept mapping provides (a) a solid method for establishing content validity, (b) facilitates researcher decision-making, (c) insight into target population perspectives that are integrated a priori, and (d) a foundation for analytical and interpretative choices. Based on these results, we outline how concept mapping can be situated in the measurement development and evaluation processes for new instrumentation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

HACC: Extreme Scaling and Performance Across Diverse Architectures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Habib, Salman; Morozov, Vitali; Frontiere, Nicholas; Finkel, Hal; Pope, Adrian; Heitmann, Katrin

2013-11-01

Supercomputing is evolving towards hybrid and accelerator-based architectures with millions of cores. The HACC (Hardware/Hybrid Accelerated Cosmology Code) framework exploits this diverse landscape at the largest scales of problem size, obtaining high scalability and sustained performance. Developed to satisfy the science requirements of cosmological surveys, HACC melds particle and grid methods using a novel algorithmic structure that flexibly maps across architectures, including CPU/GPU, multi/many-core, and Blue Gene systems. We demonstrate the success of HACC on two very different machines, the CPU/GPU system Titan and the BG/Q systems Sequoia and Mira, attaining unprecedented levels of scalable performance. We demonstrate strong and weak scaling on Titan, obtaining up to 99.2% parallel efficiency, evolving 1.1 trillion particles. On Sequoia, we reach 13.94 PFlops (69.2% of peak) and 90% parallel efficiency on 1,572,864 cores, with 3.6 trillion particles, the largest cosmological benchmark yet performed. HACC design concepts are applicable to several other supercomputer applications.

Underwater Threat Source Localization: Processing Sensor Network TDOAs with a Terascale Optical Core Device

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barhen, Jacob; Imam, Neena

2007-01-01

Revolutionary computing technologies are defined in terms of technological breakthroughs, which leapfrog over near-term projected advances in conventional hardware and software to produce paradigm shifts in computational science. For underwater threat source localization using information provided by a dynamical sensor network, one of the most promising computational advances builds upon the emergence of digital optical-core devices. In this article, we present initial results of sensor network calculations that focus on the concept of signal wavefront time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA). The corresponding algorithms are implemented on the EnLight processing platform recently introduced by Lenslet Laboratories. This tera-scale digital optical core processor is optimizedmore » for array operations, which it performs in a fixed-point-arithmetic architecture. Our results (i) illustrate the ability to reach the required accuracy in the TDOA computation, and (ii) demonstrate that a considerable speed-up can be achieved when using the EnLight 64a prototype processor as compared to a dual Intel XeonTM processor.« less

An unusual type of polymorphism in a liquid crystal

DOE PAGES

Li, Lin; Salamonczyk, Miroslaw; Shadpour, Sasan; ...

2018-02-19

Polymorphism is a remarkable concept in chemistry, materials science, computer science, and biology. Whether it is the ability of a material to exist in two or more crystal structures, a single interface connecting to two different entities, or alternative phenotypes of an organism, polymorphism determines function and properties. In materials science, polymorphism can be found in an impressively wide range of materials, including crystalline materials, minerals, metals, alloys, and polymers. Here in this paper we report on polymorphism in a liquid crystal. A bent-core liquid crystal with a single chiral side chain forms two structurally and morphologically significantly different liquidmore » crystal phases solely depending on the cooling rate from the isotropic liquid state. On slow cooling, the thermodynamically more stable oblique columnar phase forms, and on rapid cooling, a not heretofore reported helical microfilament phase. Since structure determines function and properties, the structural color for these phases also differs.« less

[Relations between the scientific thought and the medicine: the contributions of Plato and Aristotle].

PubMed

Boudjeltia, K Zouaoui; Lelubre, C

2015-01-01

Since the advent of philosophy and rational thought, a question has been raised: Is medicine an art, a science, a technique, or the three of them? In this paper we discuss two monuments of Western thought that have approached this topic: Plato and Aristotle. For Plato, medicine is focused on what is transient and changing and therefore it is a subordinate science. However, he has a positive view because it presupposes knowledge of all and he takes medicine as a dialectical model. Aristotle places medicine in his classification of sciences. He emphasizes the idea that the purpose of medicine is based on what "happens most often" and insists on essential role of experimentation. It is remarkable to notice that these ideas developed 2.500 years ago are still relevant and remain the core of the epistemological conceptions of modern medicine.

An unusual type of polymorphism in a liquid crystal

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Lin; Salamonczyk, Miroslaw; Shadpour, Sasan

Polymorphism is a remarkable concept in chemistry, materials science, computer science, and biology. Whether it is the ability of a material to exist in two or more crystal structures, a single interface connecting to two different entities, or alternative phenotypes of an organism, polymorphism determines function and properties. In materials science, polymorphism can be found in an impressively wide range of materials, including crystalline materials, minerals, metals, alloys, and polymers. Here in this paper we report on polymorphism in a liquid crystal. A bent-core liquid crystal with a single chiral side chain forms two structurally and morphologically significantly different liquidmore » crystal phases solely depending on the cooling rate from the isotropic liquid state. On slow cooling, the thermodynamically more stable oblique columnar phase forms, and on rapid cooling, a not heretofore reported helical microfilament phase. Since structure determines function and properties, the structural color for these phases also differs.« less

Mapping Science in Discourse-based Inquiry Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeneayhu, Demeke Gesesse

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate how discourse-based inquiry science lessons provided opportunities for students to develop a network of semantic relations among core ideas and concepts in science. It was a naturalistic inquiry classroom lessons observation study on three science teachers--- a middle school science teacher and two high school physics teachers in an urban school district located in the Western New York region. Discourse and thematic analysis drawn from the theory of Systemic Functional Linguistics were utilized as guiding framework and analysis tools. Analysis of the pre-observation and post-observation interviews of the participant teachers revealed that all of the three teachers participated in at least one inquiry-based science teaching teacher professional development program and they all thought their classroom teaching practice was inquiry-based. Analysis of their classroom lesson videos that each participant teacher taught on a specific science topic revealed that the middle school teacher was found to be a traditional teacher-dominated classroom whereas the two high school physics teachers' classroom teaching approach was found to be discourse-based inquiry. One of the physics teachers who taught on a topic of Magnetic Interaction used relatively structured and guided-inquiry classroom investigations. The other physics teacher who taught on a topic of Color Mixing utilized open-ended classroom investigations where the students planned and executed the series of classroom science investigations with minimal guidance from the teacher. The traditional teacher-based classroom communicative pattern was found to be dominated by Triadic Dialogue and most of the science thematics were jointly developed by the teacher and the students, but the students' role was limited to providing responses to the teacher's series questions. In the guided-inquiry classroom, the common communicative pattern was found to be True Dialogue and most of the science thematic patterns in the lessons were not only developed by the students but also resemble the standard thematics. Similarly, in the open-ended inquiry classroom, True Dialogue and Cross-discussion were the two most common communicative patterns and students did most of the science thematic patterns in the lessons but most of the student thematics were commonsense than resembling the standard thematics on the topic. This research showed that if teachers are to help students participate in classroom discourse that would enable them meaningfully connects core ideas and concepts in science, teachers could use various discourse tools and pedagogic resources that could fit into their particular classroom realities and contexts. This study demonstrated that when given the opportunity, students in challenging contexts such in typical inner city schools are able to engage in scientific processes and develop nuanced understandings of scientific phenomena.

`She Has to Drink Blood of the Snake': Culture and prior knowledge in science|health education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bricker, Leah A.; Reeve, Suzanne; Bell, Philip

2014-06-01

In this analysis, we argue that science education should attend more deeply to youths' cultural resources and practices (e.g. material, social, and intellectual). Inherent in our argument is a call for revisiting conceptions of 'prior knowledge' to theorize how people make sense of the complex ecologies of experience, ideas, and cultural practices that undergird any learning moment. We illustrate our argument using examples from the domain of personal health, chosen because of its tremendous societal impact and its significant areas of overlap with biology, chemistry, physics, and other scientific disciplines taught as core subjects in schools. Using data from a team ethnography of young people's science and technology learning across settings and over developmental timescales, we highlight two youths' experiences and understandings related to personal health, and how those experiences and understandings influenced the youths' sense-making about the natural world. We then discuss the implications of our argument for science education.

Principles and Applications of Geochemistry, 2nd Edition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcantonio, Franco

Many academic geology departments do not include geochemistry in their undergraduate core curriculums. The second edition of Principles and Applications of Geochemistry demonstrates why this should change. Gunter Faure's book clearly shows the important role played by quantitative geochemical analysis in our understanding of Earth processes, both natural and anthropogenic. Intended as an introductory inorganic geochemistry text for senior undergraduates or first-year graduate students, the book makes even the most difficult concepts readily understandable. Beyond its lucid technical explanations, it also includes engaging discussions of the history of geochemistry as a science.

A Study of Flexitime Effects in a Government Research Organization.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-05-01

report on new individually-worded initiating structure and consideration subscales. College of Administrative Science, The Ohio State University...the relatively new concept called "FLEXITIME." In its simplest form, this consists of two parts. The first part is a "core time," which is a band of...etc.) ’ 1,. 6:0 a m. -Winter p =m. 01pring am. Summer p]m7Responsibilities for children (In school, babysitter , etc.) El2i 6:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. i2 6

From a Reductionist to a Holistic Approach in Preventive Nutrition to Define New and More Ethical Paradigms

PubMed Central

Fardet, Anthony; Rock, Edmond

2015-01-01

This concept paper intends to define four new paradigms for improving nutrition research. First, the consequences of applying a reductionist versus a holistic approach to nutrition science will be discussed. The need for a more focused preventive nutrition approach, as opposed to a curative one, will then be presented on the basis of the ‘healthy core metabolism’ concept. This will lead us to propose a new classification of food products based on processing for future epidemiological studies. As a result of applying the holistic approach, health food potential will be redefined based on both food structure and nutrient density. These new paradigms should help define a more ethical preventive nutrition for humans to improve public recommendations while preserving the environment. PMID:27417812

Using augmented reality to teach and learn biochemistry.

PubMed

Vega Garzón, Juan Carlos; Magrini, Marcio Luiz; Galembeck, Eduardo

2017-09-01

Understanding metabolism and metabolic pathways constitutes one of the central aims for students of biological sciences. Learning metabolic pathways should be focused on the understanding of general concepts and core principles. New technologies such Augmented Reality (AR) have shown potential to improve assimilation of biochemistry abstract concepts because students can manipulate 3D molecules in real time. Here we describe an application named Augmented Reality Metabolic Pathways (ARMET), which allowed students to visualize the 3D molecular structure of substrates and products, thus perceiving changes in each molecule. The structural modification of molecules shows students the flow and exchange of compounds and energy through metabolism. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(5):417-420, 2017. © 2017 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

From a Reductionist to a Holistic Approach in Preventive Nutrition to Define New and More Ethical Paradigms.

PubMed

Fardet, Anthony; Rock, Edmond

2015-10-28

This concept paper intends to define four new paradigms for improving nutrition research. First, the consequences of applying a reductionist versus a holistic approach to nutrition science will be discussed. The need for a more focused preventive nutrition approach, as opposed to a curative one, will then be presented on the basis of the 'healthy core metabolism' concept. This will lead us to propose a new classification of food products based on processing for future epidemiological studies. As a result of applying the holistic approach, health food potential will be redefined based on both food structure and nutrient density. These new paradigms should help define a more ethical preventive nutrition for humans to improve public recommendations while preserving the environment.

A review of causal inference for biomedical informatics

PubMed Central

Kleinberg, Samantha; Hripcsak, George

2011-01-01

Causality is an important concept throughout the health sciences and is particularly vital for informatics work such as finding adverse drug events or risk factors for disease using electronic health records. While philosophers and scientists working for centuries on formalizing what makes something a cause have not reached a consensus, new methods for inference show that we can make progress in this area in many practical cases. This article reviews core concepts in understanding and identifying causality and then reviews current computational methods for inference and explanation, focusing on inference from large-scale observational data. While the problem is not fully solved, we show that graphical models and Granger causality provide useful frameworks for inference and that a more recent approach based on temporal logic addresses some of the limitations of these methods. PMID:21782035

Thermal Testing of a Stacked Core Mirror for UV Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matthews, Gary; Kirk, Charles S.; Maffett, Steven; Hanson, Craig; Eng, Ron; Stahl, H. Philip

2013-01-01

The ASTRO2010 Decadal Survey stated that an advanced large-aperture ultraviolet, optical, near-infrared (UVOIR) telescope is required to enable the next generation of compelling astrophysics and exoplanet science; and, that present technology is not mature enough to affordably build and launch any potential UVOIR mission concept. Under Science and Technology funding, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and ITT Exelis have developed a more cost effective process to make 4m monolithic spaceflight UV quality, low areal density, thermally and dynamically stable primary mirrors. A proof of concept mirror was built and tested down to 250K which would allow imaging out to 2.5 microns. This mirror was thermally tested at the Marshall Spaceflight Center to understand the thermal changes between the processing temperature of 293K and the potential low end of the operational temperature of 250K. Isothermal testing results and front plate gradient results have been evaluated and compared to analysis predictions. Measurement of gravity effects on surface figure will be compared to analytical predictions. Future testing of a larger Pathfinder mirror will also be discussed.

(Dis)entangling Barad: Materialisms and ethics.

PubMed

Hollin, Gregory; Forsyth, Isla; Giraud, Eva; Potts, Tracey

2017-12-01

In the wake of the widespread uptake of and debate surrounding the work of Karen Barad, this article revisits her core conceptual contributions. We offer descriptions, elaborations, problematizations and provocations for those intrigued by or invested in this body of work. We examine Barad's use of quantum physics, which underpins her conception of the material world. We discuss the political strengths of this position but also note tensions associated with applying quantum physics to phenomena at macro-scales. We identify both frictions and unacknowledged affinities with science and technology studies in Barad's critique of reflexivity and her concept of diffraction. We flesh out Barad's overarching position of 'agential realism', which contains a revised understanding of scientific apparatuses. Building upon these discussions, we argue that inherent in agential realism is both an ethics of inclusion and an ethics of exclusion. Existing research has, however, frequently emphasized entanglement and inclusion to the detriment of foreclosure and exclusion. Nonetheless, we contend that it is in the potential for an ethics of exclusion that Barad's work could be of greatest utility within science and technology studies and beyond.

Social and Leadership Factors Influencing Moral Decision Making in Canadian Military Operations: An Annotated Bibliography

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-01

emphasis on challenges to or failures of moral and ethical decision making. To conduct our literature review, a number of core concepts were identified...The research team identified a number of core concepts , relating specifically to the social and leadership factors that influence moral and ethical...decision making (see Table 1). Table 1: Keywords Core Concepts Related Keywords Moral *1, immoral Ethic*, unethical Decision making Decision

Seizing an Opportunity with Carefully Designed Geoscience Education Professional Development (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holzer, M. A.

2013-12-01

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are providing science education with opportunities to improve classroom practice and student learning within the domain of Earth and space science education. However, accurate and precise interpretation and implementation are the keys to meeting the goals of NGSS. Through their networks, our national geoscience organizations, like National Earth Science Teachers Association, are well positioned to ensure accuracy and precision is achieved in the interpretation and implementation of the NGSS. Nevertheless there are numerous challenges in designing appropriate resources and professional development aligned with the NGSS. This presentation will highlight the challenges and offer solutions to ensuring NGSS specific professional development will assist teachers and increase student learning. In the race to "align" instructional materials with the NGSS a rubber stamp must be avoided, and instead, careful vetting is necessary. The Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (NRC, 2011) set the groundwork for the creation of the NGSS, which then melded the three dimensions (science and engineering practices, cross-cutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas) into the performance expectations within the standards. When instructional materials are aligned, assessment for the explicit integration of all three dimensions must be included if the materials are to be truly aligned. The NGSS team is designing an instructional material alignment rubric to be used in the vetting process. Once the rubric has been created it will be a tool used by anyone creating instructional materials, and once an educator understands how to use the rubric and how to interpret the rubric score, it will increase the likelihood that the NGSS will be implemented with fidelity. As much as it is a challenge to identify instructional materials that "align" with the NGSS, it will be more of a challenge to design and implement appropriate professional development to assist our science educators with the integration of the NGSS into their classrooms. Careful planning in the creation of professional development follows a professional development design framework such as the one in Designing Professional Development for Teachers of Science and Mathematics (Loucks-Horsely, et al, 2009) in which a commitment to a vision is created and data on student learning is considered before setting professional development goals, and planning, implementing, and evaluating are done. Those in geoscience organizations offering instructional materials and professional development have the expertise available to ensure their members and audiences are receiving accurate and precise information about the NGSS. However it is imperative that time and care be taken to make sure what is communicate is truly accurate and precise.

Tools for Reflection: Video-Based Reflection Within a Preservice Community of Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hawkins, Susan; Park Rogers, Meredith

2016-06-01

Current reform in science education calls for teachers to understand student thinking within a lesson to effectively address students' needs (NRC in A framework for K-12 science education: practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 2012; NRC in Guide to implementing the Next Generation Science Standards. The National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2015). This study investigates how to scaffold preservice teachers with learning to attend to students' thinking for the purpose of guiding curricular decisions. The study focuses on one team teaching a science unit during their early field experience. We sought to understand how participants' thoughts and abilities changed through participation in a moderated community of practice using video of their own teaching as a reflective tool. We examined how these changes affected both their classroom practice and their decision-making for future lessons. Evidence shows growth in participants' ability to identify opportunities to elicit, assess, and use students' thinking to guide instructional decisions. Implications for use of the approach used in this study to begin developing novice teachers' pedagogical content knowledge for teaching science are discussed.

Brain literate: making neuroscience accessible to a wider audience of undergraduates.

PubMed

Salomon, Danielle; Martin-Harris, Laurel; Mullen, Brian; Odegaard, Brian; Zvinyatskovskiy, Aleksey; Chandler, Scott H

2015-01-01

The ability to critically evaluate neuroscientific findings is a skill that is rapidly becoming important in non-science professions. As neuroscience research is increasingly being used in law, business, education, and politics, it becomes imperative to educate future leaders in all areas of society about the brain. Undergraduate general education courses are an ideal way to expose students to issues of critical importance, but non-science students may avoid taking a neuroscience course because of the perception that neuroscience is more challenging than other science courses. A recently developed general education cluster course at UCLA aims to make neuroscience more palatable to undergraduates by pairing neuroscientific concepts with philosophy and history, and by building a learning community that supports the development of core academic skills and intellectual growth over the course of a year. This study examined the extent to which the course was successful in delivering neuroscience education to a broader undergraduate community. The results indicate that a majority of students in the course mastered the basics of the discipline regardless of their major. Furthermore, 77% of the non-life science majors (approximately two-thirds of students in the course) indicated that they would not have taken an undergraduate neuroscience course if this one was not offered. The findings also demonstrate that the course helped students develop core academic skills and improved their ability to think critically about current events in neuroscience. Faculty reported that teaching the course was highly rewarding and did not require an inordinate amount of time.

Engaging Students In The Science Of Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rhew, R. C.; Halversen, C.; Weiss, E.; Pedemonte, S.; Weirman, T.

2013-12-01

Climate change is arguably the defining environmental issue of our generation. It is thus increasingly necessary for every member of the global community to understand the basic underlying science of Earth's climate system and how it is changing in order to make informed, evidence-based decisions about how we will respond individually and as a society. Through exploration of the inextricable interconnection between Earth's ocean, atmosphere and climate, we believe students will be better prepared to tackle the complex issues surrounding the causes and effects of climate change and evaluate possible solutions. If students are also given opportunities to gather evidence from real data and use scientific argumentation to make evidence-based explanations about climate change, not only will they gain an increased understanding of the science concepts and science practices, the students will better comprehend the nature of climate change science. Engaging in argument from evidence is a scientific practice not only emphasized in the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), but also emphasized in the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies and Science (CCSS). This significant overlap between NGSS and CCSS has implications for science and language arts classrooms, and should influence how we support and build students' expertise with this practice of sciences. The featured exemplary curricula supports middle school educators as they address climate change in their classrooms. The exemplar we will use is the NOAA-funded Ocean Sciences Sequence (OSS) for Grades 6-8: The ocean-atmosphere connection and climate change, which are curriculum units that deliver rich science content correlated to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Disciplinary Core Ideas and an emphasis on the Practices of Science, as called for in NGSS and the Framework. Designed in accordance with the latest research on learning this curriculum provides numerous opportunities for students to use real data to make evidence-based explanations. During the session, we will discuss ways in which students can use scientific data related to climate change as evidence in their construction of scientific arguments.

The science knowledge, conceptions of the nature of science, attitudes about teaching science, and science instructional strategies of bilingual and English-only elementary teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alegria, Adelina Victoria

The goal of this study was to explore bilingual and English-only elementary teachers' science knowledge, their conceptions of the nature of science, their attitudes about teaching science, and their self-reported science instructional skills. In this study, a bilingual teacher was defined as a teacher who provides instruction in Spanish and English in core academic subjects and has completed and/or is completing a bilingual certification program. An English-only teacher was defined as a monolingual teacher that only speaks and instructs in English. The principal questions guiding this dissertation investigation were the following: How do bilingual elementary teachers differ from English-only elementary teachers in (a) their science knowledge, (b) their conceptions of the nature of science, (c) their attitude about teaching science, and (d) their self-reported science instructional skills? This dissertation study is a component of a three-year long Eisenhower Project granted to Hueneme School District and the University of California, Santa Barbara Southcoast Science Project. While the Project will last three years (1997--2000), this dissertation study was developed to answer only a subset of questions of the entire project and data was collected in 1998. The research design for this study consisted of a self-administered questionnaire that was given to Hueneme School District elementary teachers that teach science and was developed by reviewing the relevant literature about teachers' science knowledge, their conceptions of the nature of science, their attitudes about teaching science, and the instructional strategies that support science learning. The findings showed that both the bilingual and the English-only respondents demonstrated a similar science knowledge base, which is suggested, by this researcher, to be limited. That both bilingual and English-only teacher respondents demonstrated similar positive attitudes about teaching science and both reported making use of similar instructional strategies, many of which are known to support science learning in the classroom (laboratory/hands-on activities, whole group discussion, questioning, and cooperative/small group activities). Concerning assessment strategies, both the bilingual and English-only groups reported very similar answers. They reported usually making use of students' projects, student's logs/journals/diaries, performance activities such as lab practicals and hands-on tests to assess science learning. They also reported seldom or never making use of paper/pencil quizzes nor end-of-chapter/unit tests. There was not enough clear information to decide whether bilingual and English-only elementary respondents hold similar or different views of science. This study's implications encompass two different areas: (a) changes that bilingual and elementary credentialing programs need to undergo and (b) further bilingual science teaching research. The findings concerned with science knowledge, that both bilingual and English-only elementary teachers possess a limited science knowledge base leads me to suggest, just as the science teaching literature has suggested, that elementary credentialing programs need to strengthen their candidates' science content by increasing the science content addressed in the science methodology courses and/or by requiring a greater number of science undergraduate courses (most liberal arts majors require no more than five courses, San Diego State University, 1999). (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Fast reactor core concepts to improve transmutation efficiency

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fujimura, Koji; Kawashima, Katsuyuki; Itooka, Satoshi

Fast Reactor (FR) core concepts to improve transmutation efficiency were conducted. A heterogeneous MA loaded core was designed based on the 1000MWe-ABR breakeven core. The heterogeneous MA loaded core with Zr-H loaded moderated targets had a better transmutation performance than the MA homogeneous loaded core. The annular pellet rod design was proposed as one of the possible design options for the MA target. It was shown that using annular pellet MA rods mitigates the self-shielding effect in the moderated target so as to enhance the transmutation rate.

Core Noise: Implications of Emerging N+3 Designs and Acoustic Technology Needs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hultgren, Lennart S.

2011-01-01

This presentation is a summary of the core-noise implications of NASA's primary N+3 aircraft concepts. These concepts are the MIT/P&W D8.5 Double Bubble design, the Boeing/GE SUGAR Volt hybrid gas-turbine/electric engine concept, the NASA N3-X Turboelectric Distributed Propulsion aircraft, and the NASA TBW-XN Truss-Braced Wing concept. The first two are future concepts for the Boeing 737/Airbus A320 US transcontinental mission of 180 passengers and a maximum range of 3000 nm. The last two are future concepts for the Boeing 777 transpacific mission of 350 passengers and a 7500 nm range. Sections of the presentation cover: turbofan design trends on the N+1.5 time frame and the already emerging importance of core noise; the NASA N+3 concepts and associated core-noise challenges; the historical trends for the engine bypass ratio (BPR), overall pressure ratio (OPR), and combustor exit temperature; and brief discussion of a noise research roadmap being developed to address the core-noise challenges identified for the N+3 concepts. The N+3 conceptual aircraft have (i) ultra-high bypass ratios, in the rage of 18 - 30, accomplished by either having a small-size, high-power-density core, an hybrid design which allows for an increased fan size, or by utilizing a turboelectric distributed propulsion design; and (ii) very high OPR in the 50 - 70 range. These trends will elevate the overall importance of turbomachinery core noise. The N+3 conceptual designs specify the need for the development and application of advanced liners and passive and active control strategies to reduce the core noise. Current engineering prediction of core noise uses semi-empirical methods based on older turbofan engines, with (at best) updates for more recent designs. The models have not seen the same level of development and maturity as those for fan and jet noise and are grossly inadequate for the designs considered for the N+3 time frame. An aggressive program for the development of updated noise prediction tools for integrated core assemblies as well as and strategies for noise reduction and control is needed in order to meet the NASA N+3 noise goals. The NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program has the principal objective of overcoming today's national challenges in air transportation. The SFW Reduced-Perceived-Noise Technical Challenge aims to develop concepts and technologies to dramatically reduce the perceived aircraft noise outside of airport boundaries. This reduction of aircraft noise is critical to enabling the anticipated large increase in future air traffic.

Ecosystem Vulnerability Review: Proposal of an Interdisciplinary Ecosystem Assessment Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weißhuhn, Peter; Müller, Felix; Wiggering, Hubert

2018-06-01

To safeguard the sustainable use of ecosystems and their services, early detection of potentially damaging changes in functional capabilities is needed. To support a proper ecosystem management, the analysis of an ecosystem's vulnerability provide information on its weaknesses as well as on its capacity to recover after suffering an impact. However, the application of the vulnerability concept to ecosystems is still an emerging topic. After providing background on the vulnerability concept, we summarize existing ecosystem vulnerability research on the basis of a systematic literature review with a special focus on ecosystem type, disciplinary background, and more detailed definition of the ecosystem vulnerability components. Using the Web of ScienceTM Core Collection, we overviewed the literature from 1991 onwards but used the 5 years from 2011 to 2015 for an in-depth analysis, including 129 articles. We found that ecosystem vulnerability analysis has been applied most notably in conservation biology, climate change research, and ecological risk assessments, pinpointing a limited spreading across the environmental sciences. It occurred primarily within marine and freshwater ecosystems. To avoid confusion, we recommend using the unambiguous term ecosystem vulnerability rather than ecological, environmental, population, or community vulnerability. Further, common ground has been identified, on which to define the ecosystem vulnerability components exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. We propose a framework for ecosystem assessments that coherently connects the concepts of vulnerability, resilience, and adaptability as different ecosystem responses. A short outlook on the possible operationalization of the concept by ecosystem vulnerabilty indices, and a conclusion section complete the review.

Ecosystem Vulnerability Review: Proposal of an Interdisciplinary Ecosystem Assessment Approach.

PubMed

Weißhuhn, Peter; Müller, Felix; Wiggering, Hubert

2018-06-01

To safeguard the sustainable use of ecosystems and their services, early detection of potentially damaging changes in functional capabilities is needed. To support a proper ecosystem management, the analysis of an ecosystem's vulnerability provide information on its weaknesses as well as on its capacity to recover after suffering an impact. However, the application of the vulnerability concept to ecosystems is still an emerging topic. After providing background on the vulnerability concept, we summarize existing ecosystem vulnerability research on the basis of a systematic literature review with a special focus on ecosystem type, disciplinary background, and more detailed definition of the ecosystem vulnerability components. Using the Web of Science TM Core Collection, we overviewed the literature from 1991 onwards but used the 5 years from 2011 to 2015 for an in-depth analysis, including 129 articles. We found that ecosystem vulnerability analysis has been applied most notably in conservation biology, climate change research, and ecological risk assessments, pinpointing a limited spreading across the environmental sciences. It occurred primarily within marine and freshwater ecosystems. To avoid confusion, we recommend using the unambiguous term ecosystem vulnerability rather than ecological, environmental, population, or community vulnerability. Further, common ground has been identified, on which to define the ecosystem vulnerability components exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. We propose a framework for ecosystem assessments that coherently connects the concepts of vulnerability, resilience, and adaptability as different ecosystem responses. A short outlook on the possible operationalization of the concept by ecosystem vulnerabilty indices, and a conclusion section complete the review.

Virtual reality training improves students' knowledge structures of medical concepts.

PubMed

Stevens, Susan M; Goldsmith, Timothy E; Summers, Kenneth L; Sherstyuk, Andrei; Kihmm, Kathleen; Holten, James R; Davis, Christopher; Speitel, Daniel; Maris, Christina; Stewart, Randall; Wilks, David; Saland, Linda; Wax, Diane; Panaiotis; Saiki, Stanley; Alverson, Dale; Caudell, Thomas P

2005-01-01

Virtual environments can provide training that is difficult to achieve under normal circumstances. Medical students can work on high-risk cases in a realistic, time-critical environment, where students practice skills in a cognitively demanding and emotionally compelling situation. Research from cognitive science has shown that as students acquire domain expertise, their semantic organization of core domain concepts become more similar to those of an expert's. In the current study, we hypothesized that students' knowledge structures would become more expert-like as a result of their diagnosing and treating a patient experiencing a hematoma within a virtual environment. Forty-eight medical students diagnosed and treated a hematoma case within a fully immersed virtual environment. Student's semantic organization of 25 case-related concepts was assessed prior to and after training. Students' knowledge structures became more integrated and similar to an expert knowledge structure of the concepts as a result of the learning experience. The methods used here for eliciting, representing, and evaluating knowledge structures offer a sensitive and objective means for evaluating student learning in virtual environments and medical simulations.

Evolution of engine cycles for STOVL propulsion concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bucknell, R. L.; Frazier, R. H.; Giulianetti, D. J.

1990-01-01

Short Take-off, Vertical Landing (STOVL) demonstrator concepts using a common ATF engine core are discussed. These concepts include a separate fan and core flow engine cycle, mixed flow STOVL cycles, separate flow cycles convertible to mixed flow, and reaction control system engine air bleed. STOVL propulsion controls are discussed.

Delivering Core Engineering Concepts to Secondary Level Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merrill, Chris; Custer, Rodney L.; Daugherty, Jenny; Westrick, Martin; Zeng, Yong

2008-01-01

Through the efforts of National Center for Engineering and Technology Education (NCETE), three core engineering concepts within the realm of engineering design have emerged as crucial areas of need within secondary level technology education. These concepts are constraints, optimization, and predictive analysis (COPA). COPA appears to be at the…

Core Strength: Implications for Fitness and Low Back Pain.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liemohn, Wendell; Pariser, Gina

2002-01-01

Presents information to promote understanding of the concept of core strength and stability, explain why this concept is important to spine health, and evaluate trunk training activities with respect to their contribution to core strength and stability, noting implications for physical fitness and low back pain. The paper reviews the anatomy and…

The Core Journal Concept in Black Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weissinger, Thomas

2010-01-01

Black Studies scholars have shown interest in the core journal concept. Indeed, the idea of core journals for the study of the Black experience has changed several times since 1940. While Black Studies scholars are citing Black Studies journals with frequency, they also cite traditional disciplinary journals a great deal of the time. However,…

The Concept Currency of K-12 Science Textbooks Relative to Earth Science Concepts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janke, Delmar Lester

This study was undertaken to determine the degree of agreement between science textbooks and scholars in earth science relative to earth science concepts to be included in the K-12 science curriculum. The study consisted of two phases: (1) the identification of a sample of earth science concepts rated by earth scientists as important for inclusion…

Preservice elementary teachers' alternative conceptions of science and their self-efficacy beliefs about science teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koc, Isil

The present study was conducted to investigate the extent to which preservice elementary teachers held alternative conceptions in fundamental elementary science concepts from earth/space science, life science, and physical science along with their self-efficacy beliefs about science teaching and to determine the relationship between these two issues. Eighty-six preservice elementary education majors enrolled in the four sections of the course titled "07E:162 Methods Elementary School Science" offered in the Science Education Center, College of Education, the University of Iowa during the 2005-2006 academic year participated in this study. Twelve preservice elementary teachers participated in follow-up interviews. Data were collected through the use of Alternative Conceptions in Science Instrument constructed by Schoon and Boone (1998), Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI-B) constructed by Enochs and Riggs (1990), a participant information form, and through utilization of interviews. The results from the alternative conception instrument indicated that the majority of preservice elementary teachers held a number of alternative conceptions with most being in the physical sciences followed by earth/space, and then life science. Various sources of alternative conceptions emerged during the interview sessions. Participants mainly cited science teachers, science textbooks, and previous science experiences as sources of their alternative conceptions. On the other hand, the analysis of the self-efficacy instrument and follow-up interviews revealed generally positive self-efficacy beliefs. Findings from the study also confirmed that science courses completed in high school and college do not seem to have influenced participants' number and types of alternative conceptions regarding earth/space science, life science, and physical science and self-efficacy beliefs about science teaching. The results also indicate that participants with the lowest number of alternative conceptions regarding earth/space science, physical science, and life science have a relatively high personal science teaching efficacy. Overall, the results of the study regarding self-efficacy beliefs propose that consideration be given to identification and modification of preservice elementary teachers' science alternative conceptions if they are expected to teach science effectively.

How Climate Science got to be in the Next Generation Science Standards (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wysession, M. E.

2013-12-01

Climate science plays a prominent role in the new national K-12 Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This represents the culmination of a significant amount of effort by many different organizations that have worked hard to educate the public on one of the most interesting, complex, complicated, and societally important aspects of geoscience. While there are significant challenges to the full implementation of the NGSS, especially those aspects that relate to climate change, the fact that so many states are currently adopting the NGSS represents a significant milestone in geoscience education. When grade 6-12 textbooks were written ten years ago, such as Pearson's high school Physical Science: Concepts in Action (Wysession et al., 2004), very little mention of climate change was incorporated because it did not appear in state standards. Now, climate and climate change are an integral part of the middle school and high school NGSS standards, and textbook companies are fully incorporating this content into their programs. There are many factors that have helped the shift toward teaching about climate, such as the IPCC report, Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth,' and the many reports on climate change published by the National Research Council (NRC). However, four major community-driven literacy documents (The Essential Principles of Ocean Science, Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts for Atmospheric Science Literacy, The Earth Science Literacy Principles, and The Essential Principles of Climate Science) were essential in that they directly informed the construction of the Earth and Space Science (ESS) content of the NRC's 'Framework for K-12 Science Education' by the ESS Design Team. The actual performance expectations of the NGSS were then informed directly by the disciplinary core ideas of the NRC Framework, which were motivated by the community-driven literacy documents and the significant credentials these bore. The work in getting climate science into classrooms has just begun: having standards that address climate science does not ensure that it will reach students. However, the fact that climate science plays an important role in the nation's first attempt at a national K-12 science program represents a significant advancement.

How Climate Science got to be in the Next Generation Science Standards (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westnedge, K. L.; Dallimore, A.; Salish Sea Expedition Team

2011-12-01

Climate science plays a prominent role in the new national K-12 Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This represents the culmination of a significant amount of effort by many different organizations that have worked hard to educate the public on one of the most interesting, complex, complicated, and societally important aspects of geoscience. While there are significant challenges to the full implementation of the NGSS, especially those aspects that relate to climate change, the fact that so many states are currently adopting the NGSS represents a significant milestone in geoscience education. When grade 6-12 textbooks were written ten years ago, such as Pearson's high school Physical Science: Concepts in Action (Wysession et al., 2004), very little mention of climate change was incorporated because it did not appear in state standards. Now, climate and climate change are an integral part of the middle school and high school NGSS standards, and textbook companies are fully incorporating this content into their programs. There are many factors that have helped the shift toward teaching about climate, such as the IPCC report, Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth,' and the many reports on climate change published by the National Research Council (NRC). However, four major community-driven literacy documents (The Essential Principles of Ocean Science, Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts for Atmospheric Science Literacy, The Earth Science Literacy Principles, and The Essential Principles of Climate Science) were essential in that they directly informed the construction of the Earth and Space Science (ESS) content of the NRC's 'Framework for K-12 Science Education' by the ESS Design Team. The actual performance expectations of the NGSS were then informed directly by the disciplinary core ideas of the NRC Framework, which were motivated by the community-driven literacy documents and the significant credentials these bore. The work in getting climate science into classrooms has just begun: having standards that address climate science does not ensure that it will reach students. However, the fact that climate science plays an important role in the nation's first attempt at a national K-12 science program represents a significant advancement.

The Open Science Grid - Support for Multi-Disciplinary Team Science - the Adolescent Years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauerdick, Lothar; Ernst, Michael; Fraser, Dan; Livny, Miron; Pordes, Ruth; Sehgal, Chander; Würthwein, Frank; Open Science Grid

2012-12-01

As it enters adolescence the Open Science Grid (OSG) is bringing a maturing fabric of Distributed High Throughput Computing (DHTC) services that supports an expanding HEP community to an increasingly diverse spectrum of domain scientists. Working closely with researchers on campuses throughout the US and in collaboration with national cyberinfrastructure initiatives, we transform their computing environment through new concepts, advanced tools and deep experience. We discuss examples of these including: the pilot-job overlay concepts and technologies now in use throughout OSG and delivering 1.4 Million CPU hours/day; the role of campus infrastructures- built out from concepts of sharing across multiple local faculty clusters (made good use of already by many of the HEP Tier-2 sites in the US); the work towards the use of clouds and access to high throughput parallel (multi-core and GPU) compute resources; and the progress we are making towards meeting the data management and access needs of non-HEP communities with general tools derived from the experience of the parochial tools in HEP (integration of Globus Online, prototyping with IRODS, investigations into Wide Area Lustre). We will also review our activities and experiences as HTC Service Provider to the recently awarded NSF XD XSEDE project, the evolution of the US NSF TeraGrid project, and how we are extending the reach of HTC through this activity to the increasingly broad national cyberinfrastructure. We believe that a coordinated view of the HPC and HTC resources in the US will further expand their impact on scientific discovery.

The Solar Probe Plus Mission: Humanity's First Visit to Our Star

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fox, N. J.; Velli, M. C.; Bale, S. D.; Decker, R.; Driesman, A.; Howard, R. A.; Kasper, J. C.; Kinnison, J.; Kusterer, M.; Lario, D.;

The Solar Probe Plus Mission: Humanity's First Visit to Our Star

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fox, N. J.; Velli, M. C.; Bale, S. D.; Decker, R.; Driesman, A.; Howard, R. A.; Kasper, J. C.; Kinnison, J.; Kusterer, M.; Lario, D.; Lockwood, M. K.; McComas, D. J.; Raouafi, N. E.; Szabo, A.

2016-12-01

Solar Probe Plus (SPP) will be the first spacecraft to fly into the low solar corona. SPP's main science goal is to determine the structure and dynamics of the Sun's coronal magnetic field, understand how the solar corona and wind are heated and accelerated, and determine what processes accelerate energetic particles. Understanding these fundamental phenomena has been a top-priority science goal for over five decades, dating back to the 1958 Simpson Committee Report. The scale and concept of such a mission has been revised at intervals since that time, yet the core has always been a close encounter with the Sun. The mission design and the technology and engineering developments enable SPP to meet its science objectives to: (1) Trace the flow of energy that heats and accelerates the solar corona and solar wind; (2) Determine the structure and dynamics of the plasma and magnetic fields at the sources of the solar wind; and (3) Explore mechanisms that accelerate and transport energetic particles. The SPP mission was confirmed in March 2014 and is under development as a part of NASA's Living with a Star (LWS) Program. SPP is scheduled for launch in mid-2018, and will perform 24 orbits over a 7-year nominal mission duration. Seven Venus gravity assists gradually reduce SPP's perihelion from 35 solar radii (RS) for the first orbit to {<}10 RS for the final three orbits. In this paper we present the science, mission concept and the baseline vehicle for SPP, and examine how the mission will address the key science questions

Population Health Science: A Core Element of Health Science Education in Sub-Saharan Africa.

PubMed

Hiatt, Robert A; Engmann, Natalie J; Ahmed, Mushtaq; Amarsi, Yasmin; Macharia, William M; Macfarlane, Sarah B; Ngugi, Anthony K; Rabbani, Fauziah; Walraven, Gijs; Armstrong, Robert W

2017-04-01

Sub-Saharan Africa suffers an inordinate burden of disease and does not have the numbers of suitably trained health care workers to address this challenge. New concepts in health sciences education are needed to offer alternatives to current training approaches.A perspective of integrated training in population health for undergraduate medical and nursing education is advanced, rather than continuing to take separate approaches for clinical and public health education. Population health science educates students in the social and environmental origins of disease, thus complementing disease-specific training and providing opportunities for learners to take the perspective of the community as a critical part of their education.Many of the recent initiatives in health science education in sub-Saharan Africa are reviewed, and two case studies of innovative change in undergraduate medical education are presented that begin to incorporate such population health thinking. The focus is on East Africa, one of the most rapidly growing economies in sub-Saharan Africa where opportunities for change in health science education are opening. The authors conclude that a focus on population health is a timely and effective way for enhancing training of health care professionals to reduce the burden of disease in sub-Saharan Africa.

Public Conceptions of Algorithms and Representations in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nanna, Robert J.

2016-01-01

Algorithms and representations have been an important aspect of the work of mathematics, especially for understanding concepts and communicating ideas about concepts and mathematical relationships. They have played a key role in various mathematics standards documents, including the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. However, there have…

NASA's Earth Science Data Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramapriyan, H. K.

2015-01-01

NASA's Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS) Program has evolved over the last two decades, and currently has several core and community components. Core components provide the basic operational capabilities to process, archive, manage and distribute data from NASA missions. Community components provide a path for peer-reviewed research in Earth Science Informatics to feed into the evolution of the core components. The Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) is a core component consisting of twelve Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) and eight Science Investigator-led Processing Systems spread across the U.S. The presentation covers how the ESDS Program continues to evolve and benefits from as well as contributes to advances in Earth Science Informatics.

Dark Skies, Bright Kids Year 7

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bittle, Lauren E.; Johnson, Kelsey E.; Borish, H. Jacob; Burkhardt, Andrew; Firebaugh, Ariel; Hancock, Danielle; Rochford Hayes, Christian; Linden, Sean; Liss, Sandra; Matthews, Allison; Prager, Brian; Pryal, Matthew; Sokal, Kimberly R.; Troup, Nicholas William; Wenger, Trey

2016-01-01

We present updates from our seventh year of operation including new club content, continued assessments, and our fifth annual Star Party. Dark Skies, Bright Kids (DSBK) is an entirely volunteer-run outreach organization based out of the Department of Astronomy at the University of Virginia. Our core mission is to enhance elementary science education and literacy in Central Virginia through fun, hands-on activities that introduce basic Astronomy concepts. Our primary focus is hosting an 8-10 week after-school astronomy club at underserved elementary and middle schools. Each week, DSBK volunteers take the role of coaches to introduce astronomy-related concepts ranging from the Solar System to galaxies to astrobiology, and to lead students in interactive learning activities. Another hallmark of DSBK is hosting our Annual Central Virginia Star Party, a free event open to the community featuring star-gazing and planetarium shows.

At the Limit: Introducing Energy with Human Senses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stinken, Lisa; Heusler, Stefan; Carmesin, Hans-Otto

2016-12-01

Energy belongs to the core ideas of the physics curriculum. But at the same time, energy is one of the most complex topics in science education since it occurs in multiple ways, such as motion, sound, light, and thermal energy. It can neither be destroyed nor created, but only converted. Due to the variety of relevant scales and abstractness of the term energy, the question arises how to introduce energy at the introductory physics level. The aim of this article is to demonstrate how the concept of energy can become meaningful in the context of the human senses. Three simple experiments to investigate the minimal amount of energy that is required to generate a sensory perception are presented. In this way students can learn that even different sensory perceptions can be compared by using energy as the unifying concept.

BioCore Guide: A Tool for Interpreting the Core Concepts of Vision and Change for Biology Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brownell, Sara E.; Freeman, Scott; Wenderoth, Mary Pat; Crowe, Alison J.

2014-01-01

"Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education" outlined five core concepts intended to guide undergraduate biology education: 1) evolution; 2) structure and function; 3) information flow, exchange, and storage; 4) pathways and transformations of energy and matter; and 5) systems. We have taken these general recommendations and…

Bio-psycho-social factors affecting sexual self-concept: A systematic review.

PubMed

Potki, Robabeh; Ziaei, Tayebe; Faramarzi, Mahbobeh; Moosazadeh, Mahmood; Shahhosseini, Zohreh

2017-09-01

Nowadays, it is believed that mental and emotional aspects of sexual well-being are the important aspects of sexual health. Sexual self-concept is a major component of sexual health and the core of sexuality. It is defined as the cognitive perspective concerning the sexual aspects of 'self' and refers to the individual's self-perception as a sexual creature. The aim of this study was to assess the different factors affecting sexual self-concept. English electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar as well as two Iranian databases including Scientific Information Database and Iranmedex were searched for English and Persian-language articles published between 1996 and 2016. Of 281 retrieved articles, 37 articles were finally included for writing this review article. Factors affecting sexual self-concept were categorized to biological, psychological and social factors. In the category of biological factors, age gender, marital status, race, disability and sexual transmitted infections are described. In the psychological category, the impact of body image, sexual abuse in childhood and mental health history are present. Lastly, in the social category, the roles of parents, peers and the media are discussed. As the development of sexual self-concept is influenced by multiple events in individuals' lives, to promotion of sexual self-concept, an integrated implementation of health policies is recommended.

Seeding science success: Relations of secondary students' science self-concepts and motivation with aspirations and achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandrasena, Wanasinghe Durayalage

This research comprises three inter-related synergistic studies. Study 1 aims to develop a psychometrically sound tool to measure secondary students' science self-concepts, motivation, and aspirations in biology, chemistry, earth and environmental methodology to explicate students' and teachers' views, practices, and personal experiences, to identify the barriers to undertaking science for secondary students and to provide rich insights into the relations of secondary students' science self-concepts and motivation with their aspirations and achievement. Study 3 will detect additional issues that may not necessarily be identifiable from the quantitative findings of Study 2. The psychometric properties of the newly developed instrument demonstrated that students' science self-concepts were domain specific, while science motivation and science aspirations were not. Students' self-concepts in general science, chemistry, and physics were stronger for males than females. Students' self-concepts in general science and biology became stronger for students in higher years of secondary schooling. Students' science motivation did not vary across gender and year levels. Though students' science aspirations did not vary across gender, they became stronger with age. In general, students' science self-concepts and science motivation were positively related to science aspirations and science achievement. Specifically, students' year level, biology self-concept, and physics self concept predicted their science and career aspirations. Biology self-concept predicted teacher ratings of students' achievement, and students' general science self-concepts predicted their achievement according to students' ratings. Students' year level and intrinsic motivation in science were predictors of their science aspirations, and intrinsic motivation was a greater significant predictor of students' achievement, according to student ratings. Based upon students' and teachers' perceptions, the identified barriers to promoting science in schools were: the difficulty of the subject matter, lack of student interest, the large amount of subject content, lack of perceived relevance of the subject matter to day-to-day life, ineffective teacher characteristics, lack of aspirations to pursue science as a career, inadequate teaching methods, lack of adequate teacher training, lack of proper policies to reward science teachers, and inadequate support for science from the media. Overall, the results from this study provide a greater understanding of the relations of secondary students' science self-concepts and motivation with aspirations and achievement in different science domains across gender and age levels. Hence, this research makes a valuable contribution to the literature by providing new insight. The findings will be useful for science educators in planning and developing science curriculum and policies with regard to student self-concepts and motivation. Equally, science teachers may find implications for classroom practices, for the planning and conducting of science lessons, for conveying scientific concepts and principles to students more effectively, and in considering the need to generate enthusiasm about the subject in young science students. Thus, the findings may offer the necessary strategies to assist in reducing the decline of students' enrolments in science through efficacious attention to student self-concepts and motivation. The newly developed instrument provides a new opportunity for future research to confidently interrogate the psychosocial issues central to science education and promotion. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

Exploring Corn-Ethanol As A Complex Problem To Teach Sustainability Concepts Across The Science-Business-Liberal Arts Curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oches, E. A.; Szymanski, D. W.; Snyder, B.; Gulati, G. J.; Davis, P. T.

2012-12-01

The highly interdisciplinary nature of sustainability presents pedagogic challenges when sustainability concepts are incorporated into traditional disciplinary courses. At Bentley University, where over 90 percent of students major in business disciplines, we have created a multidisciplinary course module centered on corn ethanol that explores a complex social, environmental, and economic problem and develops basic data analysis and analytical thinking skills in several courses spanning the natural, physical, and social sciences within the business curriculum. Through an NSF-CCLI grant, Bentley faculty from several disciplines participated in a summer workshop to define learning objectives, create course modules, and develop an assessment plan to enhance interdisciplinary sustainability teaching. The core instructional outcome was a data-rich exercise for all participating courses in which students plot and analyze multiple parameters of corn planted and harvested for various purposes including food (human), feed (animal), ethanol production, and commodities exchanged for the years 1960 to present. Students then evaluate patterns and trends in the data and hypothesize relationships among the plotted data and environmental, social, and economic drivers, responses, and unintended consequences. After the central data analysis activity, students explore corn ethanol production as it relates to core disciplinary concepts in their individual classes. For example, students in Environmental Chemistry produce ethanol using corn and sugar as feedstocks and compare the efficiency of each process, while learning about enzymes, fermentation, distillation, and other chemical principles. Principles of Geology students examine the effects of agricultural runoff on surface water quality associated with extracting greater agricultural yield from mid-continent croplands. The American Government course examines the role of political institutions, the political process, and various stakeholders in developing and implementing policy on renewable fuels standards and ethanol production targets for the U.S. In Microeconomics students learn cost-benefit analysis and other concepts by applying economics principles to the corn ethanol problem. Following the disciplinary activities, students are asked to reconsider the central corn ethanol problem and evaluate it from a sustainability perspective. Assessment is ongoing, although initial results suggest that undergraduate students have difficulty integrating knowledge across multiple disciplines when evaluating a complex sustainability problem. Based on our initial assessment, we are exploring ways to modify the corn ethanol module as well as fine-tune the assessment instruments to provide the most effective outcomes possible. Because there are commonly institutional barriers to team teaching and other methods of cross-disciplinary instruction, we are recruiting faculty from additional disciplines to adapt and implement the corn ethanol module as a way of integrating sustainability concepts across the curriculum. Our goal is to teach complex, trans-disciplinary problem-solving and have students explore ways in which sustainability issues must be addressed through the application of concepts from the environmental and social sciences, public policy, and economics.

Contextualizing Next Generation Science Standards to Guide Climate Education in the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sussman, A.; Fletcher, C. H.; Sachs, J. P.

2012-12-01

The USAPI has a population of about 1,800,000 people spread across 4.9 million square miles of the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Islands are characterized by a multitude of indigenous cultures and languages. Many USAPI students live considerably below the poverty line. The Pacific Island region is projected to experience some of the most profound negative impacts of climate change considerably sooner than other regions. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Pacific Islands Climate Education Partnership (PCEP) has developed a detailed strategic plan to collaboratively improve climate knowledge among the region's students and citizens in ways that exemplify modern science and indigenous environmental knowledge, address the urgency of climate change impacts, and honor indigenous cultures. Students and citizens within the region will have the knowledge and skills to advance understanding of climate change, and to adapt to its impacts. Core PCEP partners contribute expertise in climate science, the science of learning, the region's education infrastructure, and the region's cultures and indigenous knowledge and practices. PCEP's strategic education plan is guided by a general, multidisciplinary K-14 Climate Education Framework (CEF) that organizes fundamental science concepts and practices within appropriate grade-span progressions. This CEF is based largely upon the National Research Council's "A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas" and the emerging Next Generation Science Standards. While the CEF is based upon these national Next Generation documents, it is also informed and strongly influenced by the region's geographic, climatic, cultural and socioeconomic contexts, notably indigenous knowledge and practices. Guided by the CEF, the PCEP in its initial development/planning phase has prototyped regional approaches to professional development, contextualizing curricula, and supporting community/school partnerships. With new, multiyear NSF implementation funding, the PCEP is building upon these prototypes and the strategic education plan to transform climate education across the region. Examples include a program of climate education certification being developed among the region's community colleges; research-based professional development focused on improving teachers' pedagogical content knowledge that has demonstrated striking success with both teacher and student outcomes; regional curricula based on local ecosystems and in local languages as well as English; and local school/community partnerships that combine the climate education work with local community climate adaptation projects. PCEP's interactive web-based environment (http://pcep.dsp.wested.org) interlinks the region's locations, organizations and people with information about climate science and climate impacts. This system enables the region's diverse stakeholders to access and contribute to the same information pool. This web-based environment both supports the development of PCEP resources such as the CEF and their continuing evolution and dissemination.

Developing a virtual community for health sciences library book selection: Doody's Core Titles.

PubMed

Shedlock, James; Walton, Linda J

2006-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe Doody's Core Titles in the Health Sciences as a new selection guide and a virtual community based on an effective use of online systems and to describe its potential impact on library collection development. The setting is the availability of health sciences selection guides. Participants include Doody Enterprise staff, Doody's Library Board of Advisors, content specialists, and library selectors. Resources include the online system used to create Doody's Core Titles along with references to complementary databases. Doody's Core Titles is described and discussed in relation to the literature of selection guides, especially in comparison to the Brandon/Hill selected lists that were published from 1965 to 2003. Doody's Core Titles seeks to fill the vacuum created when the Brandon/Hill lists ceased publication. Doody's Core Titles is a unique selection guide based on its method of creating an online community of experts to identify and score a core list of titles in 119 health sciences specialties and disciplines. The result is a new selection guide, now available annually, that will aid health sciences librarians in identifying core titles for local collections. Doody's Core Titles organizes the evaluation of core titles that are identified and recommended by content specialists associated with Doody's Book Review Service and library selectors. A scoring mechanism is used to create the selection of core titles, similar to the star rating system employed in other Doody Enterprise products and services.

An Approach toward the Development of Core Syllabuses for the Anatomical Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moxham, Bernard John; Plaisant, Odile; Smith, Claire F.; Pawlina, Wojciech; McHanwell, Stephen

2014-01-01

There is increasingly a call for clinical relevance in the teaching of the biomedical sciences within all health care programs. This presupposes that there is an understanding of what is "core" material within the curriculum. To date, the anatomical sciences have been poorly served by the development of core syllabuses, although there…

Central endoscopy reads in inflammatory bowel disease clinical trials: The role of the imaging core lab.

PubMed

Ahmad, Harris; Berzin, Tyler M; Yu, Hui Jing; Huang, Christopher S; Mishkin, Daniel S

2014-08-01

Clinical trials in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are evolving at a rapid pace by employing central reading for endoscopic mucosal assessment in a field that was, historically, largely based on assessments by local physicians. This transition from local to central reading carries with it numerous technical, operational, and scientific challenges, many of which can be resolved by imaging core laboratories (ICLs), a concept that has a longer history in clinical trials in a number of diseases outside the realm of gastroenterology. For IBD trials, ICLs have the dual goals of providing objective, consistent assessments of endoscopic findings using central-reading paradigms whilst providing important expertise with regard to operational issues and regulatory expectations. This review focuses on current approaches to using ICLs for central endoscopic reading in IBD trials. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press and the Digestive Science Publishing Co. Limited.

Politicizing science: conceptions of politics in science and technology studies.

PubMed

Brown, Mark B

2015-02-01

This essay examines five ideal-typical conceptions of politics in science and technology studies. Rather than evaluating these conceptions with reference to a single standard, the essay shows how different conceptions of politics serve distinct purposes: normative critique, two approaches to empirical description, and two views of democracy. I discuss each conception of politics with respect to how well it fulfills its apparent primary purpose, as well as its implications for the purpose of studying a key issue in contemporary democratic societies: the politicization of science. In this respect, the essay goes beyond classifying different conceptions of politics and also recommends the fifth conception as especially conducive to understanding and shaping the processes whereby science becomes a site or object of political activity. The essay also employs several analytical distinctions to help clarify the differences among conceptions of politics: between science as 'political' (adjective) and science as a site of 'politics' (noun), between spatial-conceptions and activity-conceptions of politics, between latent conflicts and actual conflicts, and between politics and power. The essay also makes the methodological argument that the politics of science and technology is best studied with concepts and methods that facilitate dialogue between actors and analysts. The main goal, however, is not to defend a particular view of politics, but to promote conversation on the conceptions of politics that animate research in social studies of science and technology.

The NASA Innovations in Climate Education Project: 'Instructional Strategies for Expanding Climate Change Concepts within Readng/Literacy Skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walton-Jaggers, L. J.; Johnson, D.; Hayden, L. B.; Hale, S. R.

2013-12-01

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. In 2010 the standards were designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that young people need for success in college and careers. In 2013 the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in connection with the CCSS developed revised science standards in performance, prior standards documents listed what students should know or understand, foundations were each performance expectation incorporates all three dimensions from a science or engineering practice, a core disciplinary idea, and a crosscutting concept, and coherence that connects each set of performance expectations lists connections to other ideas within the disciplines of science and engineering. Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) in Elizabeth City, North Carolina has joined with the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in Durham, New Hampshire under the NASA Innovations in Climate Education (NICE) grant to empower faculty of education programs at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to better engage their pre-service teachers in teaching and learning about global climate change through the use of NASA Earth observation sets. Specifically, professors from MSIs received training with Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and GES-DISC Interactive Online Visualization And aNalysis Infrastructure (GIOVANNI) to engage pre-service teachers in facets of climate education. Grambling State University faculty members served as participants of the NICE workshop for 2012 and were encouraged to develop lessons in climate education from information shared at the workshop. A corresponding project that incorporated the CCSS and NGSS at Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana was headed by Dr. Loretta Jaggers. This paper documents activities that pre-service students in the GSU Curriculum and Instruction Department (College of Education) ED 452-Advanced Seminar Methods course have implemented. Activities included: Critique of Climate Education (oceans) articles, Methodology instruction; and design of a grade specific daily science lesson plan based on Climate Education that focused on El Nino, La Nina, seasonal characteristics of the southern oceans and resources from a NASA NICE workshop packet. Lessons designed were implemented on-site of partner secondary schools. The implementation included a virtual component as Grambling and ECSU students interacted via a polycom environment during reports from ED 452-Advanced Seminar Methods students.

Academic Self-Concept: Modeling and Measuring for Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardy, Graham

2014-08-01

In this study, the author developed a model to describe academic self-concept (ASC) in science and validated an instrument for its measurement. Unlike previous models of science ASC, which envisage science as a homogenous single global construct, this model took a multidimensional view by conceiving science self-concept as possessing distinctive facets including conceptual and procedural elements. In the first part of the study, data were collected from 1,483 students attending eight secondary schools in England, through the use of a newly devised Secondary Self-Concept Science Instrument, and structural equation modeling was employed to test and validate a model. In the second part of the study, the data were analysed within the new self-concept framework to examine learners' ASC profiles across the domains of science, with particular attention paid to age- and gender-related differences. The study found that the proposed science self-concept model exhibited robust measures of fit and construct validity, which were shown to be invariant across gender and age subgroups. The self-concept profiles were heterogeneous in nature with the component relating to self-concept in physics, being surprisingly positive in comparison to other aspects of science. This outcome is in stark contrast to data reported elsewhere and raises important issues about the nature of young learners' self-conceptions about science. The paper concludes with an analysis of the potential utility of the self-concept measurement instrument as a pedagogical device for science educators and learners of science.

Reflections on a vision for integrated research and monitoring after 15 years

USGS Publications Warehouse

Murdoch, Peter S.; McHale, Michael; Baron, Jill S.

2014-01-01

In May of 1998, Owen Bricker and his co-author Michael Ruggiero introduced a conceptual design for integrating the Nation’s environmental research and monitoring programs. The Framework for Integrated Monitoring and Related Research was an organizing strategy for relating data collected by various programs, at multiple spatial and temporal scales, and by multiple science disciplines to solve complex ecological issues that individual research or monitoring programs were not designed to address. The concept nested existing intensive monitoring and research stations within national and regional surveys, remotely sensed data, and inventories to produce a collaborative program for multi-scale, multi-network integrated environmental monitoring and research. Analyses of gaps in data needed for specific issues would drive decisions on network improvements or enhancements. Data contributions to the Framework from existing networks would help indicate critical research and monitoring programs to protect during budget reductions. Significant progress has been made since 1998 on refining the Framework strategy. Methods and models for projecting scientific information across spatial and temporal scales have been improved, and a few regional pilots of multi-scale data-integration concepts have been attempted. The links between science and decision-making are also slowly improving and being incorporated into science practice. Experiments with the Framework strategy since 1998 have revealed the foundational elements essential to its successful implementation, such as defining core measurements, establishing standards of data collection and management, integrating research and long-term monitoring, and describing baseline ecological conditions. They have also shown us the remaining challenges to establishing the Framework concept: protecting and enhancing critical long-term monitoring, filling gaps in measurement methods, improving science for decision support, and integrating the disparate integrated science efforts now underway. In the 15 years since the Bricker and Ruggiero (Ecol Appl 8(2):326–329, 1998) paper challenged us with a new paradigm for bringing sound and comprehensive science to environmental decisions, the scientific community can take pride in the progress that has been made, while also taking stock of the challenges ahead for completing the Framework vision.

Free Electrons to Molecular Bonds and Back: Closing the Energetic Oxygen Reduction (ORR)-Oxygen Evolution (OER) Cycle Using Core-Shell Nanoelectrocatalysts.

PubMed

Strasser, Peter

2016-11-15

Nanomaterial science and electrocatalytic science have entered a successful "nanoelectrochemical" symbiosis, in which novel nanomaterials offer new frontiers for studies on electrocatalytic charge transfer, while electrocatalytic processes give meaning and often practical importance to novel nanomaterial concepts. Examples of this fruitful symbiosis are dealloyed core-shell nanoparticle electrocatalysts, which often exhibit enhanced kinetic charge transfer rates at greatly improved atom-efficiency. As such, they represent ideal electrocatalyst architectures for the acidic oxygen reduction reaction to water (ORR) and the acidic oxygen evolution reaction from water (OER) that require scarce Pt- and Ir-based catalysts. Together, these two reactions constitute the "O-cycle", a key elemental process loop in the field of electrochemical energy interconversion between electricity (free electrons) and molecular bonds (H 2 O/O 2 ), realized in the combination of water electrolyzers and hydrogen/oxygen fuel cells. In this Account, we describe our recent efforts to design, synthesize, understand, and test noble metal-poor dealloyed Pt and Ir core-shell nanoparticles for deployment in acidic polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzers and PEM fuel cells. Spherical dealloyed Pt core-shell particles, derived from PtNi 3 precursor alloys, showed favorable ORR activity. More detailed size-activity correlation studies further revealed that the 6-8 nm diameter range is a most desirable initial particle size range in order to maximize the particle Ni content after ORR testing and to preserve performance stability. Similarly, dealloyed and oxidized IrO x core-shell particles derived from Ni-rich Ir-Ni precursor particles proved highly efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts in acidic conditions. In addition to the noble metal savings in the particle cores, the Pt core-shell particles are believed to benefit in terms of their mass-based electrochemical kinetics from surface lattice strain effects that tune the adsorption energies and barriers of elementary steps. The molecular mechanism of the kinetic benefit of the dealloyed IrO x particle needs more attention, but there is mounting evidence for ligand hole effects in defect-rich IrO x shells that generate preactive oxygen centers.

Teaching Cultural Competence to Psychiatry Residents: Seven Core Concepts and Their Implications for Therapeutic Technique.

PubMed

Pena, Jose M; Manguno-Mire, Gina; Kinzie, Erik; Johnson, Janet E

2016-04-01

The authors describe the Tulane Model for teaching cultural competence to psychiatry residents in order to outline an innovative approach to curricula development in academic psychiatry. The authors focus on the didactic experience that takes place during the first and second postgraduate years and present seven core concepts that should inform the emerging clinician's thinking in the formulation of every clinical case. The authors discuss the correspondence between each core concept and the Outline for Cultural Formulation, introduced in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV and updated in DSM-5. The authors illustrate how each of the core concepts is utilized as a guideline for teaching residents a process for eliciting culturally relevant information from their patients and their personal histories and how to apply that knowledge in the assessment and treatment of patients in clinical settings.

The moderate resolution imaging spectrometer (MODIS) science and data system requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ardanuy, Philip E.; Han, Daesoo; Salomonson, Vincent V.

1991-01-01

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) has been designated as a facility instrument on the first NASA polar orbiting platform as part of the Earth Observing System (EOS) and is scheduled for launch in the late 1990s. The near-global daily coverage of MODIS, combined with its continuous operation, broad spectral coverage, and relatively high spatial resolution, makes it central to the objectives of EOS. The development, implementation, production, and validation of the core MODIS data products define a set of functional, performance, and operational requirements on the data system that operate between the sensor measurements and the data products supplied to the user community. The science requirements guiding the processing of MODIS data are reviewed, and the aspects of an operations concept for the production of data products from MODIS for use by the scientific community are discussed.

Integrating Computational Science Tools into a Thermodynamics Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vieira, Camilo; Magana, Alejandra J.; García, R. Edwin; Jana, Aniruddha; Krafcik, Matthew

2018-01-01

Computational tools and methods have permeated multiple science and engineering disciplines, because they enable scientists and engineers to process large amounts of data, represent abstract phenomena, and to model and simulate complex concepts. In order to prepare future engineers with the ability to use computational tools in the context of their disciplines, some universities have started to integrate these tools within core courses. This paper evaluates the effect of introducing three computational modules within a thermodynamics course on student disciplinary learning and self-beliefs about computation. The results suggest that using worked examples paired to computer simulations to implement these modules have a positive effect on (1) student disciplinary learning, (2) student perceived ability to do scientific computing, and (3) student perceived ability to do computer programming. These effects were identified regardless of the students' prior experiences with computer programming.

Special Advanced Course for Core Sciences to Bring Up Project Leaders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inagaki, Kenji; Tabata, Nobuhisa; Gofuku, Akio; Harada, Isao; Takada, Jun

Special Advanced Course for Core Sciences has been introduced recently to Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, to bring up a project leader. The following points are key education goals in this program : (1) knowledge of core sciences, (2) communication ability by using English, and (3) wide viewpoints for researches. In order to accomplish these goals, several lectures for core sciences, patent systems and engineering ethics as well as long term internships by the collaboration with some regional companies have been put in practice. In this paper, we describe the outline of the program, educational effects, and our experiences. Then, we discuss how effective the program is for bringing up an engineer or a scientist who can lead sciences and technologies of their domains. This paper also describes current activities of the program.

Next Generation Science Partnerships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magnusson, J.

2016-02-01

I will provide an overview of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and demonstrate how scientists and educators can use these standards to strengthen and enhance their collaborations. The NGSS are rich in content and practice and provide all students with an internationally-benchmarked science education. Using these state-led standards to guide outreach efforts can help develop and sustain effective and mutually beneficial teacher-researcher partnerships. Aligning outreach with the three dimensions of the standards can help make research relevant for target audiences by intentionally addressing the science practices, cross-cutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas of the K-12 science curriculum that drives instruction and assessment. Collaborations between researchers and educators that are based on this science framework are more sustainable because they address the needs of both scientists and educators. Educators are better able to utilize science content that aligns with their curriculum. Scientists who learn about the NGSS can better understand the frameworks under which educators work, which can lead to more extensive and focused outreach with teachers as partners. Based on this model, the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) develops its education materials in conjunction with scientists and educators to produce accurate, standards-aligned activities and curriculum-based interactions with researchers. I will highlight examples of IODP's current, successful teacher-researcher collaborations that are intentionally aligned with the NGSS.

Bringing the Science of Climate Change to Elementary Students with new Classroom Activities from Elementary GLOBE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gardiner, L. S.; Hatheway, B.; Taylor, J.; Chambers, L. H.; Stanitski, D.

2016-12-01

To address the dearth of climate education resources at the elementary level, we have developed a new module of Elementary GLOBE to showcase the science of climate change for young learners. Elementary GLOBE builds K-4 student understanding of the science concepts and the practices of science research. At the heart of each Elementary GLOBE module is a fiction storybook, describing how three kids investigate a science question. Accompanying classroom activities allow students to explore the science concepts in the book in more depth and in a context appropriate for young learners. The book for the Elementary GLOBE climate module, "What in the World Is Happening to Our Climate?," is the account of an adventure to explore climate change, how it is affecting melting glacial ice and sea level rise, and how climate change is a problem that can be solved. Three hands-on activities, which will be presented at this session, allow students to explore the topics in greater depth including differences between weather and climate, how sea level rise affects coastal areas, and how they can shrink their carbon footprint to help address recent climate change. Each activity includes instructions for teachers, background information, and activity sheets for students, and is aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core Math and Language Arts Standards. The storybook and activities were field tested in classrooms and reviewed by climate and Earth system scientists as well as elementary education and climate education specialists and educators to ensure scientific accuracy and clear explanations, and that the resources are age appropriate and reflect the needs of the climate education community. Other Elementary GLOBE modules include the science of seasonal change, water, soil, clouds, aerosols, and Earth as a system. All Elementary GLOBE educational resources are freely available online (www.globe.gov/elementaryglobe).

Parker Solar Probe: A NASA Mission to Touch the Sun: Mission Status Update

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fox, N. J.

2017-12-01

The newly renamed, Parker Solar Probe (PSP) mission will be the first mission to fly into the low solar corona, revealing how the corona is heated and the solar wind and energetic particles are accelerated, solving fundamental mysteries that have been top priority science goals since such a mission was first proposed in 1958. The scale and concept of such a mission has been revised at intervals since that time, yet the core has always been a close encounter with the Sun. The primary science goal of the Parker Solar Probe mission is to determine the structure and dynamics of the Sun's coronal magnetic field, understand how the solar corona and wind are heated and accelerated, and determine what mechanisms accelerate and transport energetic particles. PSP uses an innovative mission design, significant technology development and a risk-reducing engineering development to meet the science objectives. In this presentation, we provide an update on the progress of the Parker Solar Probe mission as we prepare for the July 2018 launch.

The significance and scope of evolutionary developmental biology: a vision for the 21st century.

PubMed

Moczek, Armin P; Sears, Karen E; Stollewerk, Angelika; Wittkopp, Patricia J; Diggle, Pamela; Dworkin, Ian; Ledon-Rettig, Cristina; Matus, David Q; Roth, Siegfried; Abouheif, Ehab; Brown, Federico D; Chiu, Chi-Hua; Cohen, C Sarah; Tomaso, Anthony W De; Gilbert, Scott F; Hall, Brian; Love, Alan C; Lyons, Deirdre C; Sanger, Thomas J; Smith, Joel; Specht, Chelsea; Vallejo-Marin, Mario; Extavour, Cassandra G

2015-01-01

Evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) has undergone dramatic transformations since its emergence as a distinct discipline. This paper aims to highlight the scope, power, and future promise of evo-devo to transform and unify diverse aspects of biology. We articulate key questions at the core of eleven biological disciplines-from Evolution, Development, Paleontology, and Neurobiology to Cellular and Molecular Biology, Quantitative Genetics, Human Diseases, Ecology, Agriculture and Science Education, and lastly, Evolutionary Developmental Biology itself-and discuss why evo-devo is uniquely situated to substantially improve our ability to find meaningful answers to these fundamental questions. We posit that the tools, concepts, and ways of thinking developed by evo-devo have profound potential to advance, integrate, and unify biological sciences as well as inform policy decisions and illuminate science education. We look to the next generation of evolutionary developmental biologists to help shape this process as we confront the scientific challenges of the 21st century. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Solar Probe Plus: A NASA Mission to Touch the SunMission Status Update

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fox, N. J.

2016-12-01

Solar Probe Plus (SPP), currently in Phase D, will be the first mission to fly into the low solar corona, revealing how the corona is heated and the solar wind and energetic particles are accelerated, solving fundamental mysteries that have been top priority science goals since such a mission was first proposed in 1958. The scale and concept of such a mission has been revised at intervals since that time, yet the core has always been a close encounter with the Sun. The primary science goal of the Solar Probe Plus mission is to determine the structure and dynamics of the Sun's coronal magnetic field, understand how the solar corona and wind are heated and accelerated, and determine what mechanisms accelerate and transport energetic particles. SPP uses an innovative mission design, significant technology development and a risk-reducing engineering development to meet the SPP science objectives. In this presentation, we provide an update on the progress of the Solar Probe Plus mission as we prepare for the July 2018 launch.

Solar Probe Plus: A mission to touch the sun

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinnison, J.; Lockwood, M. K.; Fox, N.; Conde, R.; Driesman, A.

Solar Probe Plus (SPP), currently in Phase B, will be the first mission to fly into the low solar corona, revealing how the corona is heated and the solar wind is accelerated, solving two fundamental mysteries that have been top priority science goals since such a mission was first proposed in 1958. The scale and concept of such a mission has been revised at intervals since that time, yet the core has always been a close encounter with the Sun. SPP uses an innovative mission design, significant technology development and a risk-reducing engineering development to meet the SPP science objectives: 1) determine the structure and dynamics of the magnetic fields at the sources of the fast and slow solar wind, 2) trace the flow of energy that heats the corona and accelerates the solar wind. and 3) determine what mechanisms accelerate and transport energetic particles. In this paper, we present the Solar Probe Plus mission along with a brief comparison with some previous concepts for such a mission, and discuss the trade studies that led to the SPP implementation. We present a summary of the challenges associated with operation in the solar encounter environment and discuss the technology development and engineering trade studies to compose a mission that will not only survive this environment, but will provide the data needed to answer the science questions that have remained unanswered to date.

Innovative nuclear thermal propulsion technology evaluation - Results of the NASA/DOE task team study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howe, Steven D.; Borowski, Stanley; Motloch, Chet; Helms, Ira; Diaz, Nils; Anghaie, Samim; Latham, Thomas

1991-01-01

In response to findings from two NASA/DOE nuclear propulsion workshops, six task teams were created to continue evaluation of various propulsion concepts, from which evolved an innovative concepts subpanel to evaluate thermal propulsion concepts which did not utilize solid fuel. This subpanel endeavored to evaluate each concept on a level technology basis, and to identify critical issues, technologies, and early proof-of-concept experiments. Results of the concept studies including the liquid core fission, the gas core fission, the fission foil reactors, explosively driven systems, fusion, and antimatter are presented.

Developing a virtual community for health sciences library book selection: Doody's Core Titles

PubMed Central

Shedlock, James; Walton, Linda J.

2006-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to describe Doody's Core Titles in the Health Sciences as a new selection guide and a virtual community based on an effective use of online systems and to describe its potential impact on library collection development. Setting/Participants/Resources: The setting is the availability of health sciences selection guides. Participants include Doody Enterprise staff, Doody's Library Board of Advisors, content specialists, and library selectors. Resources include the online system used to create Doody's Core Titles along with references to complementary databases. Brief Description: Doody's Core Titles is described and discussed in relation to the literature of selection guides, especially in comparison to the Brandon/Hill selected lists that were published from 1965 to 2003. Doody's Core Titles seeks to fill the vacuum created when the Brandon/Hill lists ceased publication. Doody's Core Titles is a unique selection guide based on its method of creating an online community of experts to identify and score a core list of titles in 119 health sciences specialties and disciplines. Results/Outcome: The result is a new selection guide, now available annually, that will aid health sciences librarians in identifying core titles for local collections. Evaluation Method: Doody's Core Titles organizes the evaluation of core titles that are identified and recommended by content specialists associated with Doody's Book Review Service and library selectors. A scoring mechanism is used to create the selection of core titles, similar to the star rating system employed in other Doody Enterprise products and services. PMID:16404471

Characterizing College Science Assessments: The Three-Dimensional Learning Assessment Protocol

PubMed Central

Underwood, Sonia M.; Matz, Rebecca L.; Posey, Lynmarie A.; Carmel, Justin H.; Caballero, Marcos D.; Fata-Hartley, Cori L.; Ebert-May, Diane; Jardeleza, Sarah E.; Cooper, Melanie M.

2016-01-01

Many calls to improve science education in college and university settings have focused on improving instructor pedagogy. Meanwhile, science education at the K-12 level is undergoing significant changes as a result of the emphasis on scientific and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas. This framework of “three-dimensional learning” is based on the literature about how people learn science and how we can help students put their knowledge to use. Recently, similar changes are underway in higher education by incorporating three-dimensional learning into college science courses. As these transformations move forward, it will become important to assess three-dimensional learning both to align assessments with the learning environment, and to assess the extent of the transformations. In this paper we introduce the Three-Dimensional Learning Assessment Protocol (3D-LAP), which is designed to characterize and support the development of assessment tasks in biology, chemistry, and physics that align with transformation efforts. We describe the development process used by our interdisciplinary team, discuss the validity and reliability of the protocol, and provide evidence that the protocol can distinguish between assessments that have the potential to elicit evidence of three-dimensional learning and those that do not. PMID:27606671

Developing citizen science projects: Cut twigs for 'chilling' pupils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menzel, Annette; Matiu, Michael; Laube, Julia

2017-04-01

Citizen science projects mainly involve two aims, science and education. Depending on the setting, either the data delivery part for answering questions raised by scientists or the educating part e.g. on scientific practices, crosscutting concepts, application of core science contents or awareness for environmental problems prevails. In this respect, spring phenology is a grateful topic because it addresses both aspects nearly symmetrically. In science, it remains unresolved which factors besides spring warming also trigger spring bud development, namely chilling / photoperiod / humidity / nutrient availability. The appearance of fresh leaves in spring has been fascinating for humans; it is linked to cultural heritage, festivals and has always attracted nature lovers, from young children to senior citizens. In our study, we set up a twig experiment to study the chilling effect on bud burst of Corylus avellana L. which was conducted by trained citizen scientists at their home. We asked the scientific question if the effects of chilling can be analysed by the twig method, and how sampling and experimental setting should be designed. Furthermore we tested if the twig method is feasible for citizen scientist projects, and report minimum requirements, successes and drawbacks.

Characterizing College Science Assessments: The Three-Dimensional Learning Assessment Protocol.

PubMed

Laverty, James T; Underwood, Sonia M; Matz, Rebecca L; Posey, Lynmarie A; Carmel, Justin H; Caballero, Marcos D; Fata-Hartley, Cori L; Ebert-May, Diane; Jardeleza, Sarah E; Cooper, Melanie M

2016-01-01

Many calls to improve science education in college and university settings have focused on improving instructor pedagogy. Meanwhile, science education at the K-12 level is undergoing significant changes as a result of the emphasis on scientific and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas. This framework of "three-dimensional learning" is based on the literature about how people learn science and how we can help students put their knowledge to use. Recently, similar changes are underway in higher education by incorporating three-dimensional learning into college science courses. As these transformations move forward, it will become important to assess three-dimensional learning both to align assessments with the learning environment, and to assess the extent of the transformations. In this paper we introduce the Three-Dimensional Learning Assessment Protocol (3D-LAP), which is designed to characterize and support the development of assessment tasks in biology, chemistry, and physics that align with transformation efforts. We describe the development process used by our interdisciplinary team, discuss the validity and reliability of the protocol, and provide evidence that the protocol can distinguish between assessments that have the potential to elicit evidence of three-dimensional learning and those that do not.

Linking descriptive geology and quantitative machine learning through an ontology of lithological concepts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klump, J. F.; Huber, R.; Robertson, J.; Cox, S. J. D.; Woodcock, R.

2014-12-01

Despite the recent explosion of quantitative geological data, geology remains a fundamentally qualitative science. Numerical data only constitute a certain part of data collection in the geosciences. In many cases, geological observations are compiled as text into reports and annotations on drill cores, thin sections or drawings of outcrops. The observations are classified into concepts such as lithology, stratigraphy, geological structure, etc. These descriptions are semantically rich and are generally supported by more quantitative observations using geochemical analyses, XRD, hyperspectral scanning, etc, but the goal is geological semantics. In practice it has been difficult to bring the different observations together due to differing perception or granularity of classification in human observation, or the partial observation of only some characteristics using quantitative sensors. In the past years many geological classification schemas have been transferred into ontologies and vocabularies, formalized using RDF and OWL, and published through SPARQL endpoints. Several lithological ontologies were compiled by stratigraphy.net and published through a SPARQL endpoint. This work is complemented by the development of a Python API to integrate this vocabulary into Python-based text mining applications. The applications for the lithological vocabulary and Python API are automated semantic tagging of geochemical data and descriptions of drill cores, machine learning of geochemical compositions that are diagnostic for lithological classifications, and text mining for lithological concepts in reports and geological literature. This combination of applications can be used to identify anomalies in databases, where composition and lithological classification do not match. It can also be used to identify lithological concepts in the literature and infer quantitative values. The resulting semantic tagging opens new possibilities for linking these diverse sources of data.

The 'wayfinding' experience of family carers who learn to manage technical health procedures at home: a grounded theory study.

PubMed

McDonald, Janet; McKinlay, Eileen; Keeling, Sally; Levack, William

2017-12-01

With more care taking place in the home, family carers play an important role in supporting patients. Some family carers undertake technical health procedures generally managed by health professionals in hospital settings (e.g. managing a tracheostomy or enteral feeding). To explore how family carers learn to manage technical health procedures in order to help health professionals better understand and support this process. A grounded theory study using data from interviews with 26 New Zealand family carers who managed technical health procedures including nasogastric or gastrostomy feeding, stoma care, urinary catheterisation, tracheostomy management, intravenous therapy, diabetes management and complex wound dressings. Most (20 participants) were caring for their child and the remaining six for their spouse, parent or grandparent. Following grounded theory methods, each interview was coded soon after completion. Additional data were compared with existing material, and as analysis proceeded, initial codes were grouped into higher order concepts until a core concept was developed. Interviewing continued until no new ideas emerged and concepts were well defined. The core concept of 'wayfinding' indicates that the learning process for family carers is active, individualised and multi-influenced, developing over time as a response to lived experience. Health professional support was concentrated on the initial phase of carers' training, reducing and becoming more reactive as carers took responsibility for day-to-day management. Wayfinding involves self-navigation by carers, in contrast to patient navigator models which provide continuing professional assistance to patients receiving cancer or chronic care services. Wayfinding by carers raises questions about how carers should be best supported in their initial and ongoing learning as the management of these procedures changes over time. © 2017 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Opportunities and Challenges of Linking Scientific Core Samples to the Geoscience Data Ecosystem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noren, A. J.

2016-12-01

Core samples generated in scientific drilling and coring are critical for the advancement of the Earth Sciences. The scientific themes enabled by analysis of these samples are diverse, and include plate tectonics, ocean circulation, Earth-life system interactions (paleoclimate, paleobiology, paleoanthropology), Critical Zone processes, geothermal systems, deep biosphere, and many others, and substantial resources are invested in their collection and analysis. Linking core samples to researchers, datasets, publications, and funding agencies through registration of globally unique identifiers such as International Geo Sample Numbers (IGSNs) offers great potential for advancing several frontiers. These include maximizing sample discoverability, access, reuse, and return on investment; a means for credit to researchers; and documentation of project outputs to funding agencies. Thousands of kilometers of core samples and billions of derivative subsamples have been generated through thousands of investigators' projects, yet the vast majority of these samples are curated at only a small number of facilities. These numbers, combined with the substantial similarity in sample types, make core samples a compelling target for IGSN implementation. However, differences between core sample communities and other geoscience disciplines continue to create barriers to implementation. Core samples involve parent-child relationships spanning 8 or more generations, an exponential increase in sample numbers between levels in the hierarchy, concepts related to depth/position in the sample, requirements for associating data derived from core scanning and lithologic description with data derived from subsample analysis, and publications based on tens of thousands of co-registered scan data points and thousands of analyses of subsamples. These characteristics require specialized resources for accurate and consistent assignment of IGSNs, and a community of practice to establish norms, workflows, and infrastructure to support implementation.

Conceptual understandings of biology in pre-service science educators and undergraduate biology students at Colorado institutions of higher education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Trenton John

Pre-service secondary science individuals, future middle or high school instructors training to become teachers, along with both Honors and general first year undergraduate biology students were investigated to determine how they reason about and understand two core topics in Biology: matter and energy flow through biological systems and evolution by natural selection. Diagnostic Question Clusters were used to assess student understanding of the processes by which matter and energy flow through biological systems over spatial scales, from the atomic-molecular to ecosystem levels. Key concepts and identified misconceptions were examined over topics of evolution by natural selection using the multiple-choice Concept Inventory of Natural Selection (CINS) and open-response Assessing COntextual Reasoning about Natural Selection (ACORNS). Pre-service teachers used more scientifically based reasoning than the undergraduate students over the topics of matter and energy flow. The Honors students used more scientific and less improper informal reasoning than the general undergraduates over matter and energy flow. Honors students performed best on both the CINS and ACORNS items over natural selection, while the general undergraduates scored the lowest on the CINS, and the pre-service instructors scored lowest on the ACORNS. Overall, there remain a large proportion of students not consistently using scientific reasoning about these two important concepts, even in future secondary science teachers. My findings are similar to those of other published studies using the same assessments. In general, very few biology students at the college level use scientific reasoning that exhibits deep conceptual understanding. A reason for this could be that instructors fail to recognize deficiencies in student reasoning; they assume their students use principle-based reasoning. Another reason could be that principle-based reasoning is very difficult and our teaching approaches in college promote memorization of content rather than conceptual change. My findings are significant to the work and progression of concept inventories in biology education, as well as to the instructors of students at all levels of biology curriculum, and those of future science teachers.

Learning of Core Disciplinary Ideas: Efficacy Comparison of Two Contrasting Modes of Science Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schuster, David; Cobern, William W.; Adams, Betty A. J.; Undreiu, Adriana; Pleasants, Brandy

2018-01-01

Science curricula and teaching methods vary greatly, depending in part on which facets of science are emphasized, e.g., core disciplinary ideas or science practices and process skills, and perspectives differ considerably on desirable pedagogies. Given the multi-faceted nature of science and the variety of teaching methods found in practice, it is…

From Prescribed Curriculum to Classroom Practice: An Examination of the Implementation of the New York State Earth Science Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Contino, Julie; Anderson, O. Roger

2013-01-01

In New York State (NYS), Earth science teachers use the "National Science Education Standards" (NSES), the NYS "Learning Standards for Mathematics, Science and Technology" (NYS Standards), and the "Physical Setting/Earth Science Core Curriculum" (Core Curriculum) to create local curricula and daily lessons. In this…

Environmental Science for All? Considering Environmental Science for Inclusion in the High School Core Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edelson, Daniel C.

2007-01-01

With the dramatic growth of environmental science as an elective in high schools over the last decade, educators have the opportunity to realistically consider the possibility of incorporating environmental science into the core high school curriculum. Environmental science has several characteristics that make it a candidate for the core…

Virtual Fieldwork and Critical Zone Observatories as Vehicles for Teaching "Three Dimensional" (NGSS) Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duggan-Haas, D.; Ross, R. M.; Derry, L. A.; White, T.

2014-12-01

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) offers a vision for K-12 science education that has important differences from common and long-standing classroom practice in many ways. NGSS's three dimensions (Scientific and Engineering Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Disciplinary Core Ideas), coupled with the recognition that it takes years to develop deep understandings of big ideas, do not mesh well with common K-12 (or K-16) teaching practices. NGSS also infuses systems and complexity into the K-12 curriculum. The Critical Zone lies between the bottom of the groundwater and the tops of the trees -- the layer of the Earth system where most life resides. Critical Zone Observatories (CZOs) are NSF-funded observatories in markedly varied ecosystems throughout the US, where interdisciplinary teams study the interplay of geological, biological, physical, and chemical sciences. The work being done in CZOs is three-dimensional science that is both deepening the scientific community's understandings of Earth systems and providing a cutting edge and highly relevant model for K-12 science education. Virtual Fieldwork Experiences (VFEs) are multi-media representations of actual field sites that are intended to mimic fieldwork by allowing for open-ended inquiry. The Paleontological Research Institution has developed tools and strategies to build VFEs of any site that use consistent formats, yet allow for inquiry to take multiple directions. Working together with CZO scientists, PRI staff are developing VFEs and accompanying curriculum materials for each CZO site. Ready-to-use VFEs act as models that teachers and students can use to create VFEs local to their schools. VFEs, like CZOs, facilitate use of interdisciplinary science to better understand the environment. A local VFE can be built up over time with contributions from students and teachers in middle school sciences, high school biology, Earth science, and environmental science -- classes where most curriculum units relate to processes outside the classroom door. A local VFE can also be used in chemistry and physics classes, where these sciences can be applied to understanding the environment. The Southern Sierra CZO draft VFE will be shown to demonstrate the concept and seek feedback.

Teaching Spatial Thinking in Undergraduate Geology Courses Using Tools and Strategies from Cognitive Science Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ormand, C. J.; Shipley, T. F.; Dutrow, B. L.; Goodwin, L. B.; Hickson, T. A.; Tikoff, B.; Atit, K.; Gagnier, K. M.; Resnick, I.

2015-12-01

Spatial visualization is an essential skill in the STEM disciplines, including the geological sciences. Undergraduate students, including geoscience majors in upper-level courses, bring a wide range of spatial skill levels to the classroom. Students with weak spatial skills may struggle to understand fundamental concepts and to solve geological problems with a spatial component. However, spatial thinking skills are malleable. Using strategies that have emerged from cognitive science research, we developed a set of curricular materials that improve undergraduate geology majors' abilities to reason about 3D concepts and to solve spatially complex geological problems. Cognitive science research on spatial thinking demonstrates that predictive sketching, making visual comparisons, gesturing, and the use of analogy can be used to develop students' spatial thinking skills. We conducted a three-year study of the efficacy of these strategies in strengthening the spatial skills of students in core geology courses at three universities. Our methodology is a quasi-experimental quantitative design, utilizing pre- and post-tests of spatial thinking skills, assessments of spatial problem-solving skills, and a control group comprised of students not exposed to our new curricular materials. Students taught using the new curricular materials show improvement in spatial thinking skills. Further analysis of our data, to be completed prior to AGU, will answer additional questions about the relationship between spatial skills and academic performance, spatial skills and gender, spatial skills and confidence, and the impact of our curricular materials on students who are struggling academically. Teaching spatial thinking in the context of discipline-based exercises has the potential to transform undergraduate education in the geological sciences by removing one significant barrier to success.

Information in Our World: Conceptions of Information and Problems of Method in Information Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ma, Lai

2012-01-01

Many concepts of information have been proposed and discussed in library and information science. These concepts of information can be broadly categorized as empirical and situational information. Unlike nomenclatures in many sciences, however, the concept of information in library and information science does not bear a generally accepted…

Exploring the development of novice unqualified graduate teachers' topic-specific PCK in teaching the particulate nature of matter in South Africa's classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pitjeng-Mosabala, Phihlo; Rollnick, Marissa

2018-05-01

This study investigates the development of Topic-Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TSPCK) of 14 novice uncertified graduate science teachers during a Professional Development Intervention (PDI) on teaching particulate nature of matter. TSPCK was defined in terms of five knowledge components: learner prior knowledge, curricular saliency, representations, what is difficult to teach and conceptual teaching strategies. Data sources consisted of validated pre- and post-TSPCK and content knowledge (CK) tests, teacher-constructed Content Representations (CoRes) before and after teaching and, for four teachers, video-recorded lessons, and field notes together with teacher interviews. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the teachers develop TSPCK through the process. The results provide an insight into how initial construction of CoRes enabled the entire group to start thinking about how to teach the topic. For the four case-study teachers, evidence of TSPCK development was observed in their teaching. These teachers showed greater improvement in TSPCK and CK than those who taught only the prerequisite concepts of the topic. The findings show that it is possible for uncertified teachers to develop PCK in the practice context with appropriate PDI. Some improvement in PCK was also observed for the larger group who taught only prerequisite concepts.

Seeking Humanizing Care in Patient-Centered Care Process: A Grounded Theory Study.

PubMed

Cheraghi, Mohammad Ali; Esmaeili, Maryam; Salsali, Mahvash

Patient-centered care is both a goal in itself and a tool for enhancing health outcomes. The application of patient-centered care in health care services globally however is diverse. This article reports on a study that sought to introduce patient-centered care. The aim of this study is to explore the process of providing patient-centered care in critical care units. The study used a grounded theory method. Data were collected on 5 critical care units in Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Purposive and theoretical sampling directed the collection of data using 29 semistructured interviews with 27 participants (nurses, patients, and physician). Data obtained were analyzed according to the analysis stages of grounded theory and constant comparison to identify the concepts, context, and process of the study. The core category of this grounded theory is "humanizing care," which consisted of 4 interrelated phases, including patient acceptance, purposeful patient assessment and identification, understanding patients, and patient empowerment. A core category of humanizing care integrated the theory. Humanizing care was an outcome and process. Patient-centered care is a dynamic and multifaceted process provided according to the nurses' understanding of the concept. Patient-centered care does not involve repeating routine tasks; rather, it requires an all-embracing understanding of the patients and showing respect for their values, needs, and preferences.

Polymer-and glass-based fluorescence standards for the near infrared (NIR) spectral region.

PubMed

Würth, Christian; Hoffmann, Katrin; Behnke, Thomas; Ohnesorge, Marius; Resch-Genger, Ute

2011-05-01

The widespread use and acceptance of fluorescence techniques especially in regulated areas like medical diagnostics is closely linked to standardization concepts that guarantee and improve the comparability and reliability of fluorescence measurements. At the core of such concepts are dependable fluorescence standards that are preferably certified. The ever rising interest in fluorescence measurements in the near-infrared (NIR) spectral region renders the availability of spectral and intensity standards for this wavelength region increasingly important. This encouraged us to develop approaches to solid NIR standards based upon dye-doped polymers and assess their application-relevant properties in comparison to metal ion-doped glasses. The overall goal is here to provide inexpensive, easily fabricated, and robust internal and external calibration tools for a broad variety of fluorescence instruments ranging e.g. from spectrofluorometers over fluorescence microscopes to miniaturized fluorescence sensors. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010

Engineering design in the primary school: applying stem concepts to build an optical instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, Donna; English, Lyn D.

2016-12-01

Internationally there is a need for research that focuses on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education to equip students with the skills needed for a rapidly changing future. One way to do this is through designing engineering activities that reflect real-world problems and contextualise students' learning of STEM concepts. As such, this study examined the learning that occurred when fifth-grade students completed an optical engineering activity using an iterative engineering design model. Through a qualitative methodology using a case study design, we analysed multiple data sources including students' design sketches from eight focus groups. Three key findings emerged: first, the collaborative process of the first design sketch enabled students to apply core STEM concepts to model construction; second, during the construction stage students used experimentation for the positioning of lenses, mirrors and tubes resulting in a simpler 'working' model; and third, the redesign process enabled students to apply structural changes to their design. The engineering design model was useful for structuring stages of design, construction and redesign; however, we suggest a more flexible approach for advanced applications of STEM concepts in the future.

Let's Get Physical: Teaching Physics Through Gymnastics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sojourner, Elena J.; Burgasser, Adam J.; Weise, Eric D.

2018-01-01

The concept of embodied learning—that we can learn with our bodies and with our minds—is a well-established concept in physics and math education research, and includes symbolic understanding (e.g., gestures that track how students think or facilitate learning to model complex systems of energy flow) as well as the literal experience of exploring physical phenomena through body movements. Sport has long served as a guide for both illustrating and experiencing physical concepts and phenomena, with a particularly relevant example being the sport of gymnastics. Here, the practitioner is subjected to a wide range of forces and torques, and experiences translational and rotational motions, all guided by control of body positioning, shape, strength, and leverage. Smith provides a comprehensive study of the mechanics used to analyze gymnastic movements, which includes core concepts such as force balance, leverage and torque, center of mass and stability, moment of inertia, ballistic motion, pendulum motion, and circular motion. For life science majors, gymnastics also provides relevant physical examples of biomechanics and the physical limits of biological materials (skin, bones, ligaments). The popularity of gymnastics—consider the phenomenon of Simone Biles—makes it broadly accessible and engaging, particularly across genders.

Exploring Sustainability Using images from Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Loris; Salmon, Jennifer; Burns, Courtney

2016-04-01

Sustainability is the integrating theme of grade 8 science at Dwight D. Eisenhower in Wyckoff, New Jersey. With a focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), sustainability establishes relevance for students, connects course work to current news topics, and ties together trimester explorations of earth science, physical science, and life science. Units are organized as problem-based learning units centered on disciplinary core ideas. Sustainability education empowers students to think about human and natural systems on a broader scale as they collaboratively seek solutions to scientific or engineering problems. The STEM-related sustainability issues encompass both global and local perspectives. Through problem solving, students acquire and demonstrate proficiency in the three-dimensions of Next Generation Science Standards (disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts). During the earth science trimester, students explore causes, effects, and mitigation strategies associated with urban heat islands and climate change. As a transition to a trimester of chemistry (physical science), students investigate the sustainability of mobile phone technology from raw materials mining to end-of-life disposal. Students explore natural resource conservation strategies in the interdisciplinary context of impacts on the economy, society, and environment. Sustainability creates a natural context for chemical investigations of ocean-atmosphere interactions such as ocean acidification. Students conclude the eighth grade with an investigation of heredity and evolution. Sustainability challenges embedded in genetics studies include endangered species management (California condors) and predicting the effects of climate change on populations in specific environments (Arctic and Antarctic regions). At Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School, science students have access to a variety of web-enabled devices (e.g., Chromebooks, laptops, iPads). As a result, web-based resources are incorporated into student learning on a daily basis. This has created a truly global classroom for students who, via the Internet, can and do access materials from any country in the world. Students work collaboratively using Google Classroom and a suite of Google apps. Teacher-created websites serve as the textbook with text, video, static images, interactive images, and external links designed to stimulate student growth in scientific literacy, language arts, and mathematics. Images of Earth's systems generated from data collected by Earth orbiting spacecraft are essential tools for understanding sustainability concepts at global, national, regional, and local scales. Images and supporting data from NASA (U.S.), ESA (Europe), and JAXA (Japan) are used to explore Earth's atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere. Simulations, time-lapses, and graphical representations of historical and real-time, remote-sensing data stimulate student questions and engage students in learning as they design and test models to explain complex interactions of Earth's systems and feedback loops between natural and human-made environments. As students make meaning of observations and communicate their perceptions and understandings to a variety of audiences, they gain mastery of scientific literacy, language arts skills, and mathematics skills.

Inspiring Inquiry: Scientists, science teachers, and GK-12 students learning climate science together

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stwertka, C.; Blonquist, J.; Feener, D.

2010-12-01

A major communication gap exists between climate scientists, educators, and society. As a result, findings from climate research, potential implications of climate change, and possible mitigation strategies are not fully understood and accepted outside of the climate science community. A good way to begin bridging the gap is to teach climate science to students in public schools. TGLL (Think Globally, Learn Locally) is an NSF GK-12 program based at the University of Utah, which partners graduate students in the biological, geological and atmospheric sciences with middle and high school teachers in the Salt Lake City School District to improve the communication skills of Fellows and enhance inquiry-based science teaching and learning in the classroom. Each TGLL Fellow works in the same classroom(s) throughout the year, developing his or her scientific communication skills while providing teachers with content knowledge, resources, classroom support, and enhancing the experience of students such that science becomes an interesting and accessible tool for acquiring knowledge. The TGLL Fellows work closely as a group to develop inquiry-based teaching modules (a series of lessons) and a field trip that involve students in doing authentic science. Lessons are designed to apply national and Utah core curriculum concepts to broader scientific issues such as habitat alteration, pollution and disturbance, invasive species, and infectious disease, with the focus of the 2010-2011 school year being climate change. The TGLL Global Climate Change module contains lesson plans on climate temporal and spatial scales, temperature variation, energy balance, the carbon cycle, the greenhouse effect, climate feedback loops, anthropogenic climate change indicators, climate change consequences and impacts, and actions students can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The capstone experience for the module is a “Backyard Climate Change” field trip to a local pristine canyon. Students will map and measure the carbon dioxide flux of various ecosystem components, measure the albedo of various surfaces, learn about micro-scale climates and atmospheric pollen transport, measure water and air quality, and observe habitat alteration. Through the module and fieldtrip, TGLL Fellows aim to build student and teacher knowledge about climate change and create lasting projects that are adapted into the core science curriculum.

Population Health Science: A Core Element of Health Science Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

PubMed Central

Engmann, Natalie J.; Ahmed, Mushtaq; Amarsi, Yasmin; Macharia, William M.; Macfarlane, Sarah B.; Ngugi, Anthony K.; Rabbani, Fauziah; Walraven, Gijs; Armstrong, Robert W.

2017-01-01

Sub-Saharan Africa suffers an inordinate burden of disease and does not have the numbers of suitably trained health care workers to address this challenge. New concepts in health sciences education are needed to offer alternatives to current training approaches. A perspective of integrated training in population health for undergraduate medical and nursing education is advanced, rather than continuing to take separate approaches for clinical and public health education. Population health science educates students in the social and environmental origins of disease, thus complementing disease-specific training and providing opportunities for learners to take the perspective of the community as a critical part of their education. Many of the recent initiatives in health science education in sub-Saharan Africa are reviewed, and two case studies of innovative change in undergraduate medical education are presented that begin to incorporate such population health thinking. The focus is on East Africa, one of the most rapidly growing economies in sub-Saharan Africa where opportunities for change in health science education are opening. The authors conclude that a focus on population health is a timely and effective way for enhancing training of health care professionals to reduce the burden of disease in sub-Saharan Africa. PMID:27508343

Checkerboard seed-blanket thorium fuel core concepts for heavy water moderated reactors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bromley, B.P.; Hyland, B.

2013-07-01

New reactor concepts to implement thorium-based fuel cycles have been explored to achieve maximum resource utilization. Pressure tube heavy water reactors (PT-HWR) are highly advantageous for implementing the use of thorium-based fuels because of their high neutron economy and on-line re-fuelling capability. The use of heterogeneous seed-blanket core concepts in a PT-HWR where higher-fissile-content seed fuel bundles are physically separate from lower-fissile-content blanket bundles allows more flexibility and control in fuel management to maximize the fissile utilization and conversion of fertile fuel. The lattice concept chosen was a 35-element bundle made with a homogeneous mixture of reactor grade Pu (aboutmore » 67 wt% fissile) and Th, and with a central zirconia rod to help reduce coolant void reactivity. Several checkerboard heterogeneous seed-blanket core concepts with plutonium-thorium-based fuels in a 700-MWe-class PT-HWR were analyzed, using a once-through thorium (OTT) cycle. Different combinations of seed and blanket fuel were tested to determine the impact on core-average burnup, fissile utilization, power distributions, and other performance parameters. It was found that various checkerboard core concepts can achieve a fissile utilization that is up to 26% higher than that achieved in a PT-HWR using more conventional natural uranium fuel bundles. Up to 60% of the Pu is consumed; up to 43% of the energy is produced from thorium, and up to 303 kg/year of Pa-233/U-233/U-235 are produced. Checkerboard cores with about 50% of low-power blanket bundles may require power de-rating (65% to 74%) to avoid exceeding maximum limits for channel and bundle powers and linear element ratings. (authors)« less

Annular seed-blanket thorium fuel core concepts for heavy water moderated reactors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bromley, B.P.; Hyland, B.

2013-07-01

New reactor concepts to implement thorium-based fuel cycles have been explored to achieve maximum resource utilization. Pressure tube heavy water reactors (PT-HWR) are highly advantageous for implementing the use of thorium-based fuels because of their high neutron economy and on-line re-fuelling capability. The use of heterogeneous seed-blanket core concepts in a PT-HWR where higher-fissile-content seed fuel bundles are physically separate from lower-fissile-content blanket bundles allows more flexibility and control in fuel management to maximize the fissile utilization and conversion of fertile fuel. The lattice concept chosen is a 35-element bundle made with a homogeneous mixture of reactor grade Pu andmore » Th, and with a central zirconia rod to help reduce coolant void reactivity. Several annular heterogeneous seed-blanket core concepts with plutonium-thorium-based fuels in a 700-MWe-class PT-HWR were analyzed, using a once-through thorium (OTT) cycle. Different combinations of seed and blanket fuel were tested to determine the impact on core-average burnup, fissile utilization, power distributions, and other performance parameters. It was found that the various core concepts can achieve a fissile utilization that is up to 30% higher than is currently achieved in a PT-HWR using conventional natural uranium fuel bundles. Up to 67% of the Pu is consumed; up to 43% of the energy is produced from thorium, and up to 363 kg/year of U-233 is produced. Seed-blanket cores with ∼50% content of low-power blanket bundles may require power de-rating (∼58% to 65%) to avoid exceeding maximum limits for peak channel power, bundle power and linear element ratings. (authors)« less

Professional Development of Elementary and Science Teachers in a Summer Science Camp: Changing Nature of Science Conceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karaman, Ayhan

2016-01-01

Many countries all over the world have recently integrated nature of science (NOS) concepts into their science education standards. Providing professional support to teachers about NOS concepts is crucially important for successful implementation of the standards. For this purpose, a summer science camp was offered to elementary and science…

Conceptions, Self-Regulation, and Strategies of Learning Science among Chinese High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Mang; Zheng, Chunping; Liang, Jyh-Chong; Zhang, Yun; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2018-01-01

This study explored the structural relationships among secondary school students' conceptions, self-regulation, and strategies of learning science in mainland China. Three questionnaires, namely conceptions of learning science (COLS), self-regulation of learning science (SROLS), and strategies of learning science (SLS) were developed for…

Conceptions of learning factors in postgraduate health sciences master students: a comparative study with non-health science students and between genders.

PubMed

Campos, Fernando; Sola, Miguel; Santisteban-Espejo, Antonio; Ruyffelaert, Ariane; Campos-Sánchez, Antonio; Garzón, Ingrid; Carriel, Víctor; de Dios Luna-Del-Castillo, Juan; Martin-Piedra, Miguel Ángel; Alaminos, Miguel

2018-06-07

The students' conceptions of learning in postgraduate health science master studies are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to compare the factors influencing conceptions of learning in health sciences and non-health sciences students enrolled in postgraduate master programs in order to obtain information that may be useful for students and for future postgraduate programs. A modified version of the Learning Inventory Conception Questionnaire (COLI) was used to compare students' conception learning factors in 131 students at the beginning of their postgraduate studies in health sciences, experimental sciences, arts and humanities and social sciences. The present study demonstrates that a set of factors may influence conception of learning of health sciences postgraduate students, with learning as gaining information, remembering, using, and understanding information, awareness of duty and social commitment being the most relevant. For these students, learning as a personal change, a process not bound by time or place or even as acquisition of professional competences, are less relevant. According to our results, this profile is not affected by gender differences. Our results show that the overall conceptions of learning differ among students of health sciences and non-health sciences (experimental sciences, arts and humanities and social sciences) master postgraduate programs. These finding are potentially useful to foster the learning process of HS students, because if they are metacognitively aware of their own conception or learning, they will be much better equipped to self-regulate their learning behavior in a postgraduate master program in health sciences.

NASA's Earth Observing Data and Information System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, Andrew E.; Behnke, Jeanne; Lowe, Dawn; Ramapriyan, H. K.

2009-01-01

NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) has been a central component of NASA Earth observation program for over 10 years. It is one of the largest civilian science information system in the US, performing ingest, archive and distribution of over 3 terabytes of data per day much of which is from NASA s flagship missions Terra, Aqua and Aura. The system supports a variety of science disciplines including polar processes, land cover change, radiation budget, and most especially global climate change. The EOSDIS data centers, collocated with centers of science discipline expertise, archive and distribute standard data products produced by science investigator-led processing systems. Key to the success of EOSDIS is the concept of core versus community requirements. EOSDIS supports a core set of services to meet specific NASA needs and relies on community-developed services to meet specific user needs. EOSDIS offers a metadata registry, ECHO (Earth Observing System Clearinghouse), through which the scientific community can easily discover and exchange NASA s Earth science data and services. Users can search, manage, and access the contents of ECHO s registries (data and services) through user-developed and community-tailored interfaces or clients. The ECHO framework has become the primary access point for cross-Data Center search-and-order of EOSDIS and other Earth Science data holdings archived at the EOSDIS data centers. ECHO s Warehouse Inventory Search Tool (WIST) is the primary web-based client for discovering and ordering cross-discipline data from the EOSDIS data centers. The architecture of the EOSDIS provides a platform for the publication, discovery, understanding and access to NASA s Earth Observation resources and allows for easy integration of new datasets. The EOSDIS also has developed several methods for incorporating socioeconomic data into its data collection. Over the years, we have developed several methods for determining needs of the user community including use of the American Customer Satisfaction Index and a broad metrics program.

Using the CLEAN educational resource collection for building three-dimensional lessons to teach the climate system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gold, A. U.; Sullivan, S. M.; Manning, C. L. B.; Ledley, T. S.; Youngman, E.; Taylor, J.; Niepold, F., III; Kirk, K.; Lockwood, J.; Bruckner, M. Z.; Fox, S.

2017-12-01

The impacts of climate change are a critical societal challenge of the 21st century. Educating students about the globally connected climate system is key in supporting the development of mitigation and adaptation strategies. Systems thinking is required for students to understand the complex, dynamic climate systems and the role that humans play within them. The interdisciplinary nature of climate science challenges educators, who often don't have formal training in climate science, to identify resources that are scientifically accurate before weaving them together into units that teach about the climate system. The Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) supports this work by providing over 700 peer-reviewed, classroom-ready resources on climate and energy topics. The resource collection itself provide only limited instructional guidance, so educators need to weave the resources together to build multi-dimensional lessons that develop systems thinking skills. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) science standards encourage educators to teach science in a 3-dimensional approach that trains students in systems thinking. The CLEAN project strives to help educators design NGSS-style, three-dimensional lessons about the climate system. Two approaches are currently being modeled on the CLEAN web portal. The first is described in the CLEAN NGSS "Get Started Guide" which follows a step-by-step process starting with the Disciplinary Core Idea and then interweaves the Cross-Cutting Concepts (CCC) and the Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) based on the teaching strategy chosen for the lesson or unit topic. The second model uses a climate topic as a starting place and the SEP as the guide through a four-step lesson sequence called "Earth Systems Investigations". Both models use CLEAN reviewed lessons as the core activity but provide the necessary framework for classroom implementation. Sample lessons that were developed following these two approaches are provided on the CLEAN web portal (cleanet.org).

Ocean Sciences Sequence for Grades 6-8: Climate Change Curriculum Developed Through a Collaboration Between Scientists and Educators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halversen, C.; Weiss, E. L.; Pedemonte, S.

2016-02-01

Today's youth have been tasked with the overwhelming job of addressing the world's climate future. The students who will become the scientists, policy makers, and citizens of tomorrow must gain a robust understanding of the causes and effects of climate change, as well as possible adaptation strategies. Currently, few high quality curriculum materials exist that address climate change in a developmentally appropriate manner. The NOAA-funded Ocean Sciences Sequence for Grades 6-8: The Ocean-Atmosphere Connection and Climate Change (OSS) addresses this gap by providing teachers with scientifically accurate climate change curriculum that hits on some of the most salient points in climate science, while simultaneously developing students' science process skills. OSS was developed through a collaboration between some of the nation's leading ocean and climate scientists and the Lawrence Hall of Science's highly qualified curriculum development team. Scientists were active partners throughout the entire development process, from initial brainstorming of key concepts and creating the conceptual storyline for the curriculum to final review of the content and activities. The goal was to focus strategically and effectively on core concepts within ocean and climate sciences that students should understand. OSS was designed in accordance with the latest research from the learning sciences and provides numerous opportunities for students to develop facility with science practices by "doing" science.Through hands-on activities, technology, informational readings, and embedded assessments, OSS deeply addresses a significant number of standards from the Next Generation Science Standards and is being used by many teachers as they explore the shifts required by NGSS. It also aligns with the Ocean Literacy and Climate Literacy Frameworks. OSS comprises 33 45-minute sessions organized into three thematic units, each driven by an exploratory question: (1) How do the ocean and atmosphere interact?; (2) How does carbon flow through the ocean, land, and atmosphere?; and (3) What are the causes and effects of climate change? The curriculum deliberately explores the ocean and climate as global systems and challenges students to use scientific evidence to make explanations about climate change.

Constructing Concept Maps to Encourage Meaningful Learning in Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akcay, Hakan

2017-01-01

The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate science teaching and assessing what is learned via using concept maps. Concept mapping is a technique for visually representing the structure of information. Concept mapping allows students to understand the relationships between concepts of science by creating a visual map of the connections. Concept…

[Constructing climate. From classical climatology to modern climate research].

PubMed

Heymann, Matthias

2009-01-01

Both climate researchers and historians of climate science have conceived climate as a stable and well defined category. This article argues that such a conception is flawed. In the course of the 19th and 20th century the very concept of climate changed considerably. Scientists came up with different definitions and concepts of climate, which implied different understandings, interests, and research approaches. Understanding climate shifted from a timeless, spatial concept at the end of the 19th century to a spaceless, temporal concept at the end of the 20th. Climatologists in the 19th and early 20th centuries considered climate as a set of atmospheric characteristics associated with specific places or regions. In this context, while the weather was subject to change, climate remained largely stable. Of particular interest was the impact of climate on human beings and the environment. In modern climate research at the close of the 20th century, the concept of climate lost its temporal stability. Instead, climate change has become a core feature of the understanding of climate and a focus of research interests. Climate has also lost its immediate association with specific geographical places and become global. The interest is now focused on the impact of human beings on climate. The paper attempts to investigate these conceptual shifts and their origins and impacts in order to provide a more comprehensive perspective on the history of climate research.

Bio-psycho-social factors affecting sexual self-concept: A systematic review

PubMed Central

Potki, Robabeh; Ziaei, Tayebe; Faramarzi, Mahbobeh; Moosazadeh, Mahmood; Shahhosseini, Zohreh

2017-01-01

Background Nowadays, it is believed that mental and emotional aspects of sexual well-being are the important aspects of sexual health. Sexual self-concept is a major component of sexual health and the core of sexuality. It is defined as the cognitive perspective concerning the sexual aspects of ‘self’ and refers to the individual’s self-perception as a sexual creature. Objective The aim of this study was to assess the different factors affecting sexual self-concept. Methods English electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar as well as two Iranian databases including Scientific Information Database and Iranmedex were searched for English and Persian-language articles published between 1996 and 2016. Of 281 retrieved articles, 37 articles were finally included for writing this review article. Results Factors affecting sexual self-concept were categorized to biological, psychological and social factors. In the category of biological factors, age gender, marital status, race, disability and sexual transmitted infections are described. In the psychological category, the impact of body image, sexual abuse in childhood and mental health history are present. Lastly, in the social category, the roles of parents, peers and the media are discussed. Conclusion As the development of sexual self-concept is influenced by multiple events in individuals’ lives, to promotion of sexual self-concept, an integrated implementation of health policies is recommended. PMID:29038693

Creativity in gifted identification: increasing accuracy and diversity.

PubMed

Luria, Sarah R; O'Brien, Rebecca L; Kaufman, James C

2016-08-01

Many federal definitions and popular theories of giftedness specify creativity as a core component. Nevertheless, states rely primarily on measures of intelligence for giftedness identification. As minority and culturally diverse students continue to be underrepresented in gifted programs, it is reasonable to ask if increasing the prominence of creativity in gifted identification may help increase balance and equity. In this paper, we explore both layperson and psychometric conceptions of bias and suggest that adding creativity measures to the identification process alleviates both perceptions and the presence of bias. We recognize, however, the logistic and measurement-related challenges to including creativity assessments. © 2016 New York Academy of Sciences.

Secondary Physical Science Teachers' Conceptions of Science Teaching in a Context of Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Dale L.; Booth, Shirley

2015-05-01

Pre-service teachers enter initial teacher education programmes with conceptions of teaching gleaned from their own schooling. These conceptions, which include teachers' beliefs, may be resistant to change, which is a challenge in contexts where teacher educators hope that teachers will teach in ways different from their own schooling. Conceptions of teaching found in different cultural and disciplinary contexts have contextual differences but have resonances with the results of research into teacher beliefs. Our sample of eight South African secondary physical science teachers was schooled in a system which encouraged knowledge transmission, but they were prepared in their initial teacher education for a learner-centred approach. After they had taught for a few years, we explored their conceptions of science teaching, using phenomenographic interviews. Four conceptions emerged inductively from the analysis: transferring science knowledge from mind to mind; transferring problematic science knowledge from mind to mind; creating space for learning science knowledge and creating space for learning problematic science knowledge. Internally these conceptions are constituted by three dimensions of variation: the nature of the science knowledge to be learnt, the role of the students and the role of the teacher. Media and practical work play different roles in the external horizon of these conceptions. These conceptions reflect the disciplinary context as well as the emphases of the sample's initial teacher education programme. This suggests that initial teacher education can significantly shape teachers' conceptions of teaching.

Investigating the interrelationships among conceptions of, approaches to, and self-efficacy in learning science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Lanqin; Dong, Yan; Huang, Ronghuai; Chang, Chun-Yen; Bhagat, Kaushal Kumar

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relations between primary school students' conceptions of, approaches to, and self-efficacy in learning science in Mainland China. A total of 1049 primary school students from Mainland China participated in this study. Three instruments were adapted to measure students' conceptions of learning science, approaches to learning science, and self-efficacy. The exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were adopted to validate three instruments. The path analysis was employed to understand the relationships between conceptions of learning science, approaches to learning science, and self-efficacy. The findings indicated that students' lower level conceptions of learning science positively influenced their surface approaches in learning science. Higher level conceptions of learning science had a positive influence on deep approaches and a negative influence on surface approaches to learning science. Furthermore, self-efficacy was also a hierarchical construct and can be divided into the lower level and higher level. Only students' deep approaches to learning science had a positive influence on their lower and higher level of self-efficacy in learning science. The results were discussed in the context of the implications for teachers and future studies.

Teaching, Learning, and Planetary Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Robert A.

2002-01-01

This is the final report of a program that examined the fundamentals of education associated with space activities, promoted educational policy development in appropriate forums, and developed pathfinder products and services to demonstrate the utility of advanced communication technologies for space-based education. Our focus was on space astrophysics and planetary exploration, with a special emphasis on the themes of the Origins Program, with which the Principal Investigator (PI) had been involved from the outset. Teaching, Learning, and Planetary Exploration was also the core funding of the Space Telescope Science Institute's (ST ScI) Special Studies Office (SSO), and as such had provided basic support for such important NASA studies as the fix for Hubble Space Telescope (HST) spherical aberration, scientific conception of the HST Advanced Camera, specification of the Next-Generation Space Telescope (NGST), and the strategic plan for the second decade of the HST science program.

Compact Hyperspectral Mapper for Environmental Remote Sensing Applications (CHyMERA) End-of-phase Data Review Package

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Janz, Scott J.; Hilsenrath, Ernest; Mount, George; Heath, Donald

2000-01-01

CHYMERA is an Instrument Incubator concept to design, build, and test an instrument that will reduce size, mass, and cost and increase science potential and flexibility for future atmospheric remote sensing missions within the focus of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE). The primary effort of the development plan will be on high spatial resolution ozone, N02, S02, aerosol, and cloud measurements, but it is hoped that the techniques developed will prove useful for other measurements as well. The core design will involve a high performance, wide field-of-view (FOV) front end telescope which will illuminate a filter/focal plane array (FFPA) package. The use of a non-dispersive optical configuration will reduce size, mass and complexity. The wide FOV optics will permit short duration global coverage (1-2 days) without the need for a scanner.

The Impact of the Next Generation Science Standards on Future Professional Development and Astronomy Education Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buxner, Sanlyn

2013-06-01

The Next Generation Science Standards will have a profound impact on the future science education of students and professional development for teachers. The science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas laid out in the Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC, 2011) will change the focus and methods of how we prepare teachers to meet these new standards. Extending beyond just the use of inquiry in the classroom, teachers will need support designing and implementing integrated experiences for students that require them to apply knowledge of content and practices. Integrating the three dimensions central to the new standards will pose curricular challenges and create opportunities for innovative space science projects and instruction. The science research and technology community will have an important role in supporting authentic classroom practices as well as training and support of teachers in these new ways of presenting science and technology. These changes will require a new focus for teacher professional development and new ways to research impacts of teacher training and changes in classroom practice. In addition, new and innovative tools will be needed to assess mastery of students’ knowledge of practices and the ways teachers effectively help students achieve these new goals. The astronomy education community has much to offer as K-12 and undergraduate level science educators rethink and redefine what it means to be scientifically literate and figure out how to truly measure the success of these new ways of teaching science.

Academic Self-Concept: Modeling and Measuring for Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardy, Graham

2014-01-01

In this study, the author developed a model to describe academic self-concept (ASC) in science and validated an instrument for its measurement. Unlike previous models of science ASC, which envisage science as a homogenous single global construct, this model took a multidimensional view by conceiving science self-concept as possessing distinctive…

Proving or Improving Science Learning? Understanding High School Students' Conceptions of Science Assessment in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Min-Hsien; Lin, Tzung-Jin; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2013-01-01

Classroom assessment is a critical aspect of teaching and learning. In this paper, Taiwanese high school students' conceptions of science assessment and the relationship between their conceptions of science assessment and of science learning were investigated. The study used both qualitative and quantitative methods. First, 60 students were…

Minority Preservice Teachers' Conceptions of Teaching Science: Sources of Science Teaching Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Subramaniam, Karthigeyan

2013-01-01

This study explores five minority preservice teachers' conceptions of teaching science and identifies the sources of their strategies for helping students learn science. Perspectives from the literature on conceptions of teaching science and on the role constructs used to describe and distinguish minority preservice teachers from their mainstream…

Conceptions of Teaching Science Held by Novice Teachers in an Alternative Certification Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koballa, Thomas R.; Glynn, Shawn M.; Upson, Leslie

2005-01-01

Case studies to investigate the conceptions of teaching science held by three novice teachers participating in an alternative secondary science teacher certification program were conducted, along with the relationships between their conceptions of science teaching and their science teaching practice. Data used to build the cases included the…

Development concept for a small, split-core, heat-pipe-cooled nuclear reactor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lantz, E.; Breitwieser, R.; Niederauer, G. F.

1974-01-01

There have been two main deterrents to the development of semiportable nuclear reactors. One is the high development costs; the other is the inability to satisfy with assurance the questions of operational safety. This report shows how a split-core, heat-pipe cooled reactor could conceptually eliminate these deterrents, and examines and summarizes recent work on split-core, heat-pipe reactors. A concept for a small reactor that could be developed at a comparatively low cost is presented. The concept would extend the technology of subcritical radioisotope thermoelectric generators using 238 PuO2 to the evolution of critical space power reactors using 239 PuO2.

The Recruitment of Shifting and Inhibition in On-line Science and Mathematics Tasks.

PubMed

Vosniadou, Stella; Pnevmatikos, Dimitrios; Makris, Nikos; Lepenioti, Despina; Eikospentaki, Kalliopi; Chountala, Anna; Kyrianakis, Giorgos

2018-06-13

Prior research has investigated the recruitment of inhibition in the use of science/mathematics concepts in tasks that require the rejection of a conflicting, nonscientific initial concept. The present research examines if inhibition is the only EF skill recruited in such tasks and investigates whether shifting is also involved. It also investigates whether inhibition and/or shifting are recruited in tasks in which the use of science/mathematics concepts does not require the rejection of an initial concept, or which require only the use of initial concepts. One hundred and thirty-three third- and fifth-grade children participated in two inhibition and shifting tasks and two science and mathematics conceptual understanding and conceptual change (CU&C) tasks. All the tasks were on-line, and performance was measured in accuracy and RTs. The CU&C tasks involved the use of initial concepts and of science/mathematics concepts which required conceptual changes for their initial formation. Only in one of the tasks the use of the science/mathematics concepts required the concurrent rejection of an initial concept. The results confirmed that in this task inhibition was recruited and also showed that the speed of shifting was a significant predictor of performance. Shifting was a significant predictor of performance in all the tasks, regardless of whether they involved science/mathematics or initial concepts. It is argued that shifting is likely to be recruited in complex tasks that require multiple comparisons of stimuli and the entertainment of different perspectives. Inhibition seems to be a more selective cognitive skill likely to be recruited when the use of science/mathematics concepts requires the rejection of a conflicting initial concept. © 2018 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Assessment of the core learning objectives curriculum for the urology clerkship.

PubMed

Rapp, David E; Gong, Edward M; Reynolds, W Stuart; Lucioni, Alvaro; Zagaja, Gregory P

2007-11-01

The traditional approach to the surgical clerkship has limitations, including variability of clinical exposure. To optimize student education we developed and introduced the core learning objectives curriculum, which is designed to allow students freedom to direct their learning and focus on core concepts. We performed a prospective, randomized, controlled study to compare the efficacy of core learning objectives vs traditional curricula through objective and subjective measures. Medical students were randomly assigned to the core learning objectives or traditional curricula during the 2-week urology clerkship. Faculty was blinded to student assignment. Upon rotation completion all students were given a 20-question multiple choice examination covering basic urology concepts. In addition, students completed a questionnaire addressing subjective clerkship satisfaction, comprising 15 questions. Between June 2005 and January 2007, 10 core learning objectives students and 10 traditional students completed the urology clerkship. The average +/- SEM multiple choice examination score was 12.1 +/- 0.87 and 9.8 +/- 0.59 for students assigned to the core learning objectives and traditional curricula, respectively (p <0.05). Subjective scores were higher in the core learning objectives cohort, although this result did not attain statistical significance (124.9 +/- 3.72 vs 114.3 +/- 4.96, p = 0.1). Core learning objectives students reported higher satisfaction in all 15 assessed subjective end points. Our experience suggests that the core learning objectives model may be an effective educational tool to help students achieve a broad and directed exposure to the core urological concepts.

BioCore Guide: A Tool for Interpreting the Core Concepts of Vision and Change for Biology Majors

PubMed Central

Freeman, Scott; Wenderoth, Mary Pat; Crowe, Alison J.

2014-01-01

Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education outlined five core concepts intended to guide undergraduate biology education: 1) evolution; 2) structure and function; 3) information flow, exchange, and storage; 4) pathways and transformations of energy and matter; and 5) systems. We have taken these general recommendations and created a Vision and Change BioCore Guide—a set of general principles and specific statements that expand upon the core concepts, creating a framework that biology departments can use to align with the goals of Vision and Change. We used a grassroots approach to generate the BioCore Guide, beginning with faculty ideas as the basis for an iterative process that incorporated feedback from more than 240 biologists and biology educators at a diverse range of academic institutions throughout the United States. The final validation step in this process demonstrated strong national consensus, with more than 90% of respondents agreeing with the importance and scientific accuracy of the statements. It is our hope that the BioCore Guide will serve as an agent of change for biology departments as we move toward transforming undergraduate biology education. PMID:26086653

The Centrality of Philosophical Anthropology to (a Future) Environmental Ethics.

PubMed

Gare, Arran

2016-01-01

While environmental ethics has successfully established itself in philosophy, as presently conceived it is still largely irrelevant to grappling the global ecological crisis because, as Alasdair MacIntyre has argued, ethical philosophy itself is in grave disorder. MacIntyre's historically oriented recovery of virtue ethics is defended, but it is argued that even MacIntyre was too constrained by received assumptions to overcome this disorder. As he himself realized, his ideas need to be integrated and defended through philosophical anthropology. However, it is suggested that current defenders of philosophical anthropology have not done it justice. To appreciate its importance it is necessary accept that we are cultural beings in which the core of culture is the conception of what are humans. This is presupposed not only in thought but in social practices and forms of life. This was understood by Aristotle, but modernity has been straightjacketed by the Seventeenth Century scientific revolution and Hobbes' philosophical anthropology, identifying knowledge and with techno-science and eliminating any place for questioning this conception of humans. The only conception of humanity that could successfully challenge and replace Hobbes' philosophical anthropology, it is argued, is Hegel's philosophical anthropology reformulated and developed on naturalistic foundations. This involves subordinating science to a reconceived humanities with a fundamentally different role accorded to ethics, placing it at the center of social life, politics and economics and at the centre of the struggle to transform culture and society to create an ecologically sustainable civilization.

Adaptation of Conceptions of Learning Science Questionnaire into Turkish and Science Teacher Candidates' Conceptions of Learning Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bahçivan, Eralp; Kapucu, Serkan

2014-01-01

The purposes of this study were to (1) adapt an instrument "The Conceptions of Learning Science (COLS) questionnaire" into Turkish, and (2) to determine Turkish science teacher candidates' COLS. Adapting the instrument four steps were followed. Firstly, COLS questionnaire was translated into Turkish. Secondly, COLS questionnaire was…

The Conceptions of Learning Science by Laboratory among University Science-Major Students: Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chiu, Yu-Li; Lin, Tzung-Jin; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2016-01-01

Background: The sophistication of students' conceptions of science learning has been found to be positively related to their approaches to and outcomes for science learning. Little research has been conducted to particularly investigate students' conceptions of science learning by laboratory. Purpose: The purpose of this research, consisting of…

Investigating the Relationship between Teachers' Nature of Science Conceptions and Their Practice of Inquiry Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atar, Hakan Yavuz; Gallard, Alejandro

2011-01-01

In addition to recommending inquiry as the primary approach to teaching science, developers of recent reform efforts in science education have also strongly suggested that teachers develop a sound understanding of the nature of science. Most studies on teachers' NOS conceptions and inquiry beliefs investigated these concepts of teachers' NOS…

Some Core Contested Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chomsky, Noam

2015-01-01

Core concepts of language are highly contested. In some cases this is legitimate: real empirical and conceptual issues arise. In other cases, it seems that controversies are based on misunderstanding. A number of crucial cases are reviewed, and an approach to language is outlined that appears to have strong conceptual and empirical motivation, and…

75 FR 18170 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-09

... subject areas, such as mathematics, reading, writing, science, U.S. history, civics, geography, economics... 4, 8, and 12 core (demographic) and subject-specific (reading (4, 8), mathematics (4, 8), science (8..., reading, mathematics, and science components); and grades 4 and 8 school questionnaires (core, reading...

The impact of creative tendency, academic performance, and self-concept on creative science problem-finding.

PubMed

Liu, Mingxin; Hu, Weiping; Adey, Philip; Cheng, Li; Zhang, Xingli

2013-04-01

This study was designed to address the impacts of science performance, science self-concept, and creative tendency on the creative science problem-finding (CSPF) ability of a sample of Chinese middle-school students. Structural equation modeling was used to indicate that CSPF could be directly predicted by creative tendency and academic performance, and indirectly predicted by science self-concept. The findings strongly support the idea that curiosity, imagination, and domain-specific knowledge are important for CSPF, and science self-concept could be mediated by knowledge that affects CSPF. © 2012 The Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Evaluation of Students' Energy Conception in Environmental Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Mihwa; Johnson, Joseph A.

2016-01-01

While significant research has been conducted on students' conceptions of energy, alternative conceptions of energy have not been actively explored in the area of environmental science. The purpose of this study is to examine students' alternative conceptions in the environmental science discipline through the analysis of responses of first year…

The comparative effect of individually-generated vs. collaboratively-generated computer-based concept mapping on science concept learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwon, So Young

Using a quasi-experimental design, the researcher investigated the comparative effects of individually-generated and collaboratively-generated computer-based concept mapping on middle school science concept learning. Qualitative data were analyzed to explain quantitative findings. One hundred sixty-one students (74 boys and 87 girls) in eight, seventh grade science classes at a middle school in Southeast Texas completed the entire study. Using prior science performance scores to assure equivalence of student achievement across groups, the researcher assigned the teacher's classes to one of the three experimental groups. The independent variable, group, consisted of three levels: 40 students in a control group, 59 students trained to individually generate concept maps on computers, and 62 students trained to collaboratively generate concept maps on computers. The dependent variables were science concept learning as demonstrated by comprehension test scores, and quality of concept maps created by students in experimental groups as demonstrated by rubric scores. Students in the experimental groups received concept mapping training and used their newly acquired concept mapping skills to individually or collaboratively construct computer-based concept maps during study time. The control group, the individually-generated concept mapping group, and the collaboratively-generated concept mapping group had equivalent learning experiences for 50 minutes during five days, excepting that students in a control group worked independently without concept mapping activities, students in the individual group worked individually to construct concept maps, and students in the collaborative group worked collaboratively to construct concept maps during their study time. Both collaboratively and individually generated computer-based concept mapping had a positive effect on seventh grade middle school science concept learning but neither strategy was more effective than the other. However, the students who collaboratively generated concept maps created significantly higher quality concept maps than those who individually generated concept maps. The researcher concluded that the concept mapping software, Inspiration(TM), fostered construction of students' concept maps individually or collaboratively for science learning and helped students capture their evolving creative ideas and organize them for meaningful learning. Students in both the individual and the collaborative concept mapping groups had positive attitudes toward concept mapping using Inspiration(TM) software.

U.S. Geological Survey Water science strategy--observing, understanding, predicting, and delivering water science to the nation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Evenson, Eric J.; Orndorff, Randall C.; Blome, Charles D.; Böhlke, John Karl; Hershberger, Paul K.; Langenheim, V.E.; McCabe, Gregory J.; Morlock, Scott E.; Reeves, Howard W.; Verdin, James P.; Weyers, Holly S.; Wood, Tamara M.

2013-01-01

This report expands the Water Science Strategy that began with the USGS Science Strategy, “Facing Tomorrow’s Challenges—U.S. Geological Survey Science in the Decade 2007–2017” (U.S. Geological Survey, 2007). This report looks at the relevant issues facing society and develops a strategy built around observing, understanding, predicting, and delivering water science for the next 5 to 10 years by building new capabilities, tools, and delivery systems to meet the Nation’s water-resource needs. This report begins by presenting the vision of water science for the USGS and the societal issues that are influenced by, and in turn influence, the water resources of our Nation. The essence of the Water Science Strategy is built on the concept of “water availability,” defined as spatial and temporal distribution of water quantity and quality, as related to human and ecosystem needs, as affected by human and natural influences. The report also describes the core capabilities of the USGS in water science—the strengths, partnerships, and science integrity that the USGS has built over its 134-year history. Nine priority actions are presented in the report, which combine and elevate the numerous specific strategic actions listed throughout the report. Priority actions were developed as a means of providing the audience of this report with a list for focused attention, even if resources and time limit the ability of managers to address all of the strategic actions in the report.

Understandings of Nature of Science and Multiple Perspective Evaluation of Science News by Non-science Majors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leung, Jessica Shuk Ching; Wong, Alice Siu Ling; Yung, Benny Hin Wai

2015-10-01

Understandings of nature of science (NOS) are a core component of scientific literacy, and a scientifically literate populace is expected to be able to critically evaluate science in the media. While evidence has remained inconclusive on whether better NOS understandings will lead to critical evaluation of science in the media, this study aimed at examining the correlation therein. Thirty-eight non-science majors, enrolled in a science course for non-specialists held in a local community college, evaluated three health news articles by rating the extent to which they agreed with the reported claims and providing as many justifications as possible. The majority of the participants were able to evaluate and justify their viewpoint from multiple perspectives. Students' evaluation was compared with their NOS conceptions, including the social and cultural embedded NOS, the tentative NOS, the peer review process and the community of practice. Results indicated that participants' understanding of the tentative NOS was significantly correlated with multiple perspective evaluation of science news reports of socioscientific nature (r = 0.434, p < 0.05). This moderate correlation suggested the association between understanding of the tentative NOS and multiple perspective evaluation of science in the media of socioscientific nature. However, the null result for other target NOS aspects in this study suggested a lack of evidence to assume that understanding the social dimensions of science would have significant influence on the evaluation of science in the media. Future research on identifying the reasons for why and why not NOS understandings are applied in the evaluation will move this field forward.

Education for a Green and Resilient Economy: An Educator Framework for Teaching Climate and Energy Literacy for K-12 Teachers Across the Curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niepold, F., III; Ledley, T. S.; Lockwood, J.; Youngman, E.; Manning, C. L. B.; Sullivan, S. M.

2015-12-01

The U.S. is embarking on a major transition to a green and resilient economy, a monumental change requiring all sectors and segments of the population to pull together. Transforming our nation's economic, energy, and environmental systems to in this way will require a sustained level of expertise, innovation, and cooperative effort unseen since the 1940s to meet the challenges involved. Education can - and must - help people understand the true connections, the linkages and interdependencies, between the environment, our energy sources and the economy which underpin and form the very foundation of the concept of a green and resilient economy. To produce such a literate future workforce and citizenry, the United States will need to make major new investments in our educational systems. Teachers across the nation are helping to increase science-based understanding and awareness of current and future climate change, enhancing climate and energy literacy in K-12 classrooms, on college and university campuses. There has been tremendous progress to date, but there is still more work to be done. The new academic standards in mathematics and science (the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)) represent a sea change from the nation's previous sets of standards. Addressing these standards in the currently over 40 percent of the nation's classrooms that have adopted or adapted the NGSS will demand that we prepare new and current teachers, who can effectively address the interdisciplinary nature of climate change and societal responses. To address this opportunity and need a collaboration between NOAA, TERC and CIRES has been established to develop an Educator Framework for Teaching Climate and Energy Literacy for K-12 teachers across the curriculum based on the NRC Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. This collaboration is developing an effective way to frame the use of resources and practices to help teachers address the NGSS using the CLEAN (Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network, cleanet.org) and Climate.gov products and models to engage students as citizens of a low-carbon and climate-resilient future. The results of this collaboration will be discussed in the session.

Exploring Prospective Teachers' Worldviews and Conceptions of Nature of Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Shiang-Yao; Lederman, Norman G.

2007-01-01

This study explores the relationship, if any, between an individual's culturally based worldviews and conceptions of nature of science. In addition, the implications of this relationship (or lack of relationship) for science teaching and learning are discussed. Participants were 54 Taiwanese prospective science teachers. Their conceptions of…

What concept analysis in philosophy of science should be (and why competing philosophical analyses of gene concepts cannot be tested by polling scientists).

PubMed

Waters, C Kenneth

2004-01-01

What should philosophers of science accomplish when they analyze scientific concepts and interpret scientific knowledge? What is concept analysis if it is not a description of the way scientists actually think? I investigate these questions by using Hans Reichenbach's account of the descriptive, critical, and advisory tasks of philosophy of science to examine Karola Stotz and Paul Griffiths' idea that poll-based methodologies can test philosophical analyses of scientific concepts. Using Reichenbach's account as a point of departure, I argue that philosophy of science should identify and clarify epistemic virtues and describe scientific knowledge in relation to these virtues. The role of concept analysis is to articulate scientific concepts in ways that help reveal epistemic virtues and limitations of particular sciences. This means an analysis of the gene concept(s) should help clarify the explanatory power and limitations of gene-based explanations, and should help account for the investigative utility and biases of gene-centered sciences. I argue that a philosophical analysis of gene concept(s) that helps achieve these critical aims should not be rejected on the basis of poll-based studies even if such studies could show that professional biologists don't actually use gene terminology in precise ways corresponding to the philosophical analysis.

Multi-Database Searching in the Behavioral Sciences--Part I: Basic Techniques and Core Databases.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Angier, Jennifer J.; Epstein, Barbara A.

1980-01-01

Outlines practical searching techniques in seven core behavioral science databases accessing psychological literature: Psychological Abstracts, Social Science Citation Index, Biosis, Medline, Excerpta Medica, Sociological Abstracts, ERIC. Use of individual files is discussed and their relative strengths/weaknesses are compared. Appended is a list…

The articulation of integration of clinical and basic sciences in concept maps: differences between experienced and resident groups.

PubMed

Vink, Sylvia; van Tartwijk, Jan; Verloop, Nico; Gosselink, Manon; Driessen, Erik; Bolk, Jan

2016-08-01

To determine the content of integrated curricula, clinical concepts and the underlying basic science concepts need to be made explicit. Preconstructed concept maps are recommended for this purpose. They are mainly constructed by experts. However, concept maps constructed by residents are hypothesized to be less complex, to reveal more tacit basic science concepts and these basic science concepts are expected to be used for the organization of the maps. These hypotheses are derived from studies about knowledge development of individuals. However, integrated curricula require a high degree of cooperation between clinicians and basic scientists. This study examined whether there are consistent variations regarding the articulation of integration when groups of experienced clinicians and basic scientists and groups of residents and basic scientists-in-training construct concept maps. Seven groups of three clinicians and basic scientists on experienced level and seven such groups on resident level constructed concept maps illuminating clinical problems. They were guided by instructions that focused them on articulation of integration. The concept maps were analysed by features that described integration. Descriptive statistics showed consistent variations between the two expertise levels. The concept maps of the resident groups exceeded those of the experienced groups in articulated integration. First, they used significantly more links between clinical and basic science concepts. Second, these links connected basic science concepts with a greater variety of clinical concepts than the experienced groups. Third, although residents did not use significantly more basic science concepts, they used them significantly more frequent to organize the clinical concepts. The conclusion was drawn that not all hypotheses could be confirmed and that the resident concept maps were more elaborate than expected. This article discusses the implications for the role that residents and basic scientists-in-training might play in the construction of preconstructed concept maps and the development of integrated curricula.

Organizational knowledge and capabilities in healthcare: Deconstructing and integrating diverse perspectives

PubMed Central

Evans, Jenna M; Brown, Adalsteinn; Baker, G Ross

2017-01-01

Diverse concepts and bodies of work exist in the academic literature to guide research and practice on organizational knowledge and capabilities. However, these concepts have largely developed in parallel with minimal cross-fertilization, particularly in the healthcare domain. This contributes to confusion regarding conceptual boundaries and relationships, and to a lack of application of potentially useful evidence. The aim of this article is to assess three concepts associated with organizational knowledge content—intellectual capital, organizational core competencies, and dynamic capabilities—and to propose an agenda for future research. We conducted a literature review to identify and synthesize papers that apply the concepts of intellectual capital, organizational core competencies, and dynamic capabilities in healthcare settings. We explore the meaning of these concepts, summarize and critique associated healthcare research, and propose a high-level framework for conceptualizing how the concepts are related to each other. To support application of the concepts in practice, we conducted a case study of a healthcare organization. Through document review and interviews with current and former leaders, we identify and describe the organization’s intellectual capital, organizational core competencies, and dynamic capabilities. The review demonstrates that efforts to identify, understand, and improve organizational knowledge have been limited in health services research. In the literature on healthcare, we identified 38 papers on intellectual capital, 4 on core competencies, and 5 on dynamic capabilities. We link these disparate fields of inquiry by conceptualizing the three concepts as distinct, but overlapping concepts influenced by broader organizational learning and knowledge management processes. To aid healthcare researchers in studying and applying a knowledge-based view of organizational performance, we propose an agenda for future research involving longitudinal comparative case studies. PMID:28620489

The PDS4 Information Model and its Role in Agile Science Data Curation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, J. S.; Crichton, D.

2017-12-01

PDS4 is an information model-driven service architecture supporting the capture, management, distribution and integration of massive planetary science data captured in distributed data archives world-wide. The PDS4 Information Model (IM), the core element of the architecture, was developed using lessons learned from 20 years of archiving Planetary Science Data and best practices for information model development. The foundational principles were adopted from the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) Reference Model (ISO 14721), the Metadata Registry Specification (ISO/IEC 11179), and W3C XML (Extensible Markup Language) specifications. These provided respectively an object oriented model for archive information systems, a comprehensive schema for data dictionaries and hierarchical governance, and rules for rules for encoding documents electronically. The PDS4 Information model is unique in that it drives the PDS4 infrastructure by providing the representation of concepts and their relationships, constraints, rules, and operations; a sharable, stable, and organized set of information requirements; and machine parsable definitions that are suitable for configuring and generating code. This presentation will provide an over of the PDS4 Information Model and how it is being leveraged to develop and evolve the PDS4 infrastructure and enable agile curation of over 30 years of science data collected by the international Planetary Science community.

Exploring Seventh-Grade Students' and Pre-Service Science Teachers' Misconceptions in Astronomical Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Korur, Fikret

2015-01-01

Pre-service science teachers' conceptual understanding of astronomical concepts and their misconceptions in these concepts is crucial to study since they will teach these subjects in middle schools after becoming teachers. This study aimed to explore both seventh-grade students' and the science teachers' understanding of astronomical concepts and…

Playing with Science: An Investigation of Young Children's Science Conceptions and Misconceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smolleck, Lori; Hershberger, Vanessa

2011-01-01

The purpose of this research was to investigate the conceptions and misconceptions of young children (ages 3-8) related to science concepts, skills, and phenomena. These conceptions and misconceptions were investigated within the framework of the Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards for Pre-Kindergarten and the Pennsylvania Standards for…

Otolaryngology Resident Education and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Core Competencies: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Faucett, Erynne A; Barry, Jonnae Y; McCrary, Hilary C; Saleh, Ahlam A; Erman, Audrey B; Ishman, Stacey L

2018-04-01

To date, there have been no reports in the current literature regarding the use of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competencies in otolaryngology residency training. An evaluation may help educators address these core competencies in the training curriculum. To examine the quantity and nature of otolaryngology residency training literature through a systematic review and to evaluate whether this literature aligns with the 6 core competencies. A medical librarian assisted in a search of all indexed years of the PubMed, Embase, Education Resources Information Center (via EBSCOhost), Cochrane Library (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Cochrane Methodology Register), Thomson Reuters Web of Science (Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index Expanded, Conference Proceedings Citation Index-Science, and Conference Proceedings Citation Index-Social Science and Humanities), Elsevier Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases to identify relevant English-language studies. Included studies contained original human data and focused on otolaryngology resident education. Data regarding study design, setting, and ACGME core competencies addressed were extracted from each article. Initial searches were performed on May 20, 2015, and updated on October 4, 2016. In this systematic review of 104 unique studies, interpersonal communication skills were reported 15 times; medical knowledge, 48 times; patient care, 44 times; practice-based learning and improvement, 31 times; professionalism, 15 times; and systems-based practices, 10 times. Multiple studies addressed more than 1 core competency at once, and 6 addressed all 6 core competencies. Increased emphasis on nonclinical core competencies is needed, including professionalism, interpersonal and communication skills, and systems-based practices in the otolaryngology residency training curriculum. A formal curriculum addressing nonclinical core competencies should be integrated into otolaryngology residency training.

A mixed state core for melancholia: an exploration in history, art and clinical science.

PubMed

Akiskal, H S; Akiskal, K K

2007-01-01

We argue for a mixed state core for melancholia comparing concepts of melancholia across centuries using examples from art, history and scientific literature. Literature reviews focusing on studies from Kraepelin onward, DSM-IV classification and view-points from clinical experience highlighting phenomenologic and biologic features as predictors of bipolar outcome in prospective studies of depression. Despite the implied chemical pathology in the term endogenous/melancholic depression, frequently reported glucocortical and sleep neurophysiologic abnormalities, there is little evidence that melancholia is inherited independently from more broadly defined depressions. Prospective follow-up of 'neurotic' depressions have shown melancholic outcomes in as many as a third; hypomania has also been observed in such follow-up. These findings and considerations overall do suggest that melancholia as defined today is more closely aligned with the depressive and/or mixed phase of bipolar disorder. Given the high suicidality from many of these patients the practice of treating them with antidepressant monotherapy needs re-evaluation.

Explaining Earths Energy Budget: CERES-Based NASA Resources for K-12 Education and Public Outreach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chambers, L. H.; Bethea, K.; Marvel, M. T.; Ruhlman, K.; LaPan, J.; Lewis, P.; Madigan, J.; Oostra, D.; Taylor, J.

2014-01-01

Among atmospheric scientists, the importance of the Earth radiation budget concept is well understood. Papers have addressed the topic for over 100 years, and the large Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) science team (among others), with its multiple on-orbit instruments, is working hard to quantify the details of its various parts. In education, Earth's energy budget is a concept that generally appears in middle school and Earth science curricula, but its treatment in textbooks leaves much to be desired. Students and the public hold many misconceptions, and very few people have an appreciation for the importance of this energy balance to the conditions on Earth. More importantly, few have a correct mental model that allows them to make predictions and understand the effect of changes such as increasing greenhouse gas concentrations. As an outreach element of the core CERES team at NASA Langley, a multi-disciplinary group of scientists, educators, graphic artists, writers, and web developers has been developing and refining graphics and resources to explain the Earth's Energy budget over the last few decades. Resources have developed through an iterative process involving ongoing use in front of a variety of audiences, including students and teachers from 3rd to 12th grade as well as public audiences.

A Comprehensive Analysis of High School Genetics Standards: Are States Keeping Pace with Modern Genetics?

PubMed Central

Dougherty, M.J.; Pleasants, C.; Solow, L.; Wong, A.; Zhang, H.

2011-01-01

Science education in the United States will increasingly be driven by testing and accountability requirements, such as those mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act, which rely heavily on learning outcomes, or “standards,” that are currently developed on a state-by-state basis. Those standards, in turn, drive curriculum and instruction. Given the importance of standards to teaching and learning, we investigated the quality of life sciences/biology standards with respect to genetics for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, using core concepts developed by the American Society of Human Genetics as normative benchmarks. Our results indicate that the states’ genetics standards, in general, are poor, with more than 85% of the states receiving overall scores of Inadequate. In particular, the standards in virtually every state have failed to keep pace with changes in the discipline as it has become genomic in scope, omitting concepts related to genetic complexity, the importance of environment to phenotypic variation, differential gene expression, and the differences between inherited and somatic genetic disease. Clearer, more comprehensive genetics standards are likely to benefit genetics instruction and learning, help prepare future genetics researchers, and contribute to the genetic literacy of the U.S. citizenry. PMID:21885828

Laboratory directed research and development program, FY 1996

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1997-02-01

The Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program FY 1996 report is compiled from annual reports submitted by principal investigators following the close of the fiscal year. This report describes the projects supported and summarizes their accomplishments. It constitutes a part of the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program planning and documentation process that includes an annual planning cycle, projection selection, implementation, and review. The Berkeley Lab LDRD program is a critical tool for directing the Laboratory`s forefront scientific research capabilities toward vital, excellent, and emerging scientific challenges. The program provides themore » resources for Berkeley Lab scientists to make rapid and significant contributions to critical national science and technology problems. The LDRD program also advances the Laboratory`s core competencies, foundations, and scientific capability, and permits exploration of exciting new opportunities. Areas eligible for support include: (1) Work in forefront areas of science and technology that enrich Laboratory research and development capability; (2) Advanced study of new hypotheses, new experiments, and innovative approaches to develop new concepts or knowledge; (3) Experiments directed toward proof of principle for initial hypothesis testing or verification; and (4) Conception and preliminary technical analysis to explore possible instrumentation, experimental facilities, or new devices.« less

Promoting Physical Understanding through Peer Mentoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nossal, S. M.; Huesmann, A.; Hooper, E.; Moore, C.; Watson, L.; Trestrail, A.; Weber, J.; Timbie, P.; Jacob, A.

2015-12-01

The Physics Learning Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison provides a supportive learning community for students studying introductory physics, as well as teaching and leadership experience for undergraduate Peer Mentor Tutors who receive extensive training and supervision. Many of our Peer Tutors were former Physics Learning Center participants. A central goal of the Physics Learning Center is to address achievement/equity gaps (e.g. race, gender, socio-economic status, disability, age, transfer status, etc.) for undergraduate students pursuing majors and coursework in STEM fields. Students meet twice a week in small learning teams of 3-8 students, facilitated by a trained Peer Mentor Tutor or staff member. These active learning teams focus on discussing core physical concepts and practicing problem-solving. The weekly training of the tutors addresses both teaching and mentoring issues in science education such as helping students to build confidence, strategies for assessing student understanding, and fostering a growth mindset. A second weekly training meeting addresses common misconceptions and strategies for teaching specific physics topics. For non-science majors we have a small Peer Mentor Tutor program for Physics in the Arts. We will discuss the Physics Learning Center's approaches to promoting inclusion, understanding, and confidence for both our participants and Peer Mentor Tutors, as well as examples from the geosciences that can be used to illustrate introductory physics concepts.

Keeping gay and bisexual men safe: The arena of HIV prevention science and praxis.

PubMed

Green, Adam Isaiah

2016-04-01

Abstract In this article, I draw from an ongoing ethnographic study of HIV prevention for gay, bisexual, and 'men who have sex with men' to develop an institutional analysis of HIV behavioral intervention science and praxis. I approach this analysis through the lens of the social worlds framework, focusing on the institutional arena in which HIV behavioral interventions are devised and executed. Toward this end, I focus on two fundamental points of contention that lie at the heart of the prevention enterprise and put its social organization in high relief: (1) conceptions of health and lifestyle practices and (2) attributions of expertise. These core contentions reveal less the steady advance of normal science than an arena of actors ensconced in boundary work and jurisdictional struggles over how to engineer behavior change and reduce the scale of the HIV epidemic. Their resolution, I argue, has occurred in a historically contingent process determined by the political economy of the US HIV prevention arena and the differential structural location of its social worlds.

Concept Inventory Development Reveals Common Student Misconceptions about Microbiology †

PubMed Central

Briggs, Amy G.; Hughes, Lee E.; Brennan, Robert E.; Buchner, John; Horak, Rachel E. A.; Amburn, D. Sue Katz; McDonald, Ann H.; Primm, Todd P.; Smith, Ann C.; Stevens, Ann M.; Yung, Sunny B.; Paustian, Timothy D.

2017-01-01

Misconceptions, or alternative conceptions, are incorrect understandings that students have incorporated into their prior knowledge. The goal of this study was the identification of misconceptions in microbiology held by undergraduate students upon entry into an introductory, general microbiology course. This work was the first step in developing a microbiology concept inventory based on the American Society for Microbiology’s Recommended Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Microbiology. Responses to true/false (T/F) questions accompanied by written explanations by undergraduate students at a diverse set of institutions were used to reveal misconceptions for fundamental microbiology concepts. These data were analyzed to identify the most difficult core concepts, misalignment between explanations and answer choices, and the most common misconceptions for each core concept. From across the core concepts, nineteen misconception themes found in at least 5% of the coded answers for a given question were identified. The top five misconceptions, with coded responses ranging from 19% to 43% of the explanations, are described, along with suggested classroom interventions. Identification of student misconceptions in microbiology provides a foundation upon which to understand students’ prior knowledge and to design appropriate tools for improving instruction in microbiology. PMID:29854046

Core Competence, Distinctive Competence, and Competitive Advantage: What Is the Difference?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mooney, Ann

2007-01-01

Core competence, distinctive competence, and competitive advantage are 3 of the most important business concepts that managers, researchers, and educators rely on for decision making, pedagogy, and research. However, little attention has been paid to defining these concepts. As a result, they have become buzzwords that are used so frequently that…

Learning Gains for Core Concepts in a Serious Game on Scientific Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forsyth, Carol; Pavlik, Philip, Jr.; Graesser, Arthur C.; Cai, Zhiqiang; Germany, Mae-lynn; Millis, Keith; Dolan, Robert P.; Butler, Heather; Halpern, Diane

2012-01-01

"OperationARIES!" is an Intelligent Tutoring System that teaches scientific inquiry skills in a game-like atmosphere. Students complete three different training modules, each with natural language conversations, in order to acquire deep-level knowledge of 21 core concepts of research methodology (e.g., correlation does not mean…

76 FR 21789 - ITS Joint Program Office; Vehicle to Infrastructure Core System Concept of Operations; Notice of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-18

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ITS Joint Program Office; Vehicle to Infrastructure Core System... Program Office (ITS JPO) will host a free public meeting to discuss the Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I... to work originally performed under the Vehicle Infrastructure Integration Proof of Concept (VII POC...

Why the Common Core Changes Math Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faulkner, Valerie N.

2013-01-01

The Common Core math standards promote several important differences in how math concepts are taught and should be talked about. These changes will make it easier for younger students to comprehend and adapt to more complex concepts in the later grades. This guide should help elementary teachers make changes and adaptations that are in line the…

Development of an Empirically Based Learning Performances Framework for Third-Grade Students' Model-Based Explanations about Plant Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zangori, Laura; Forbes, Cory T.

2016-01-01

To develop scientific literacy, elementary students should engage in knowledge building of core concepts through scientific practice (Duschl, Schweingruber, & Schouse, 2007). A core scientific practice is engagement in scientific modeling to build conceptual understanding about discipline-specific concepts. Yet scientific modeling remains…

Coilable Crystalline Fiber (CCF) Lasers and their Scalability

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-01

Fibers: Double-Clad Design Concept of Tm:YAG-Core Fiber and Mode Simulation. Proc. SPIE 2012, 8237 , 82373M. 8. Beach, R. J.; Mitchell, S. C...Dubinskii, M. True Crystalline Fibers: Double-Clad LMA Design Concept of Tm:YAG-Core Fiber and Mode Simulation. Proc. of SPIE 2012, 8237 , 82373M-1...Tm:YAG-Core Fiber and Mode Simulation. Proc. SPIE 8237 , 82373M, 2012. 8. Beach, R. J.; Mitchell, S. C.; Meissner, H. E.; Meissner, O. R.; Krupke, W

CosmoQuest: Training Educators and Engaging Classrooms in Citizen Science through a Virtual Research Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buxner, Sanlyn; Bracey, Georgia; Summer, Theresa; Cobb, Whitney; Gay, Pamela L.; Finkelstein, Keely D.; Gurton, Suzanne; Felix-Strishock, Lisa; Kruse, Brian; Lebofsky, Larry A.; Jones, Andrea J.; Tweed, Ann; Graff, Paige; Runco, Susan; Noel-Storr, Jacob; CosmoQuest Team

2016-10-01

CosmoQuest is a Citizen Science Virtual Research Facility that engages scientists, educators, students, and the public in analyzing NASA images. Often, these types of citizen science activities target enthusiastic members of the public, and additionally engage students in K-12 and college classrooms. To support educational engagement, we are developing a pipeline in which formal and informal educators and facilitators use the virtual research facility to engage students in real image analysis that is framed to provide meaningful science learning. This work also contributes to the larger project to produce publishable results. Community scientists are being solicited to propose CosmoQuest Science Projects take advantage of the virtual research facility capabilities. Each CosmoQuest Science Project will result in formal education materials, aligned with Next Generation Science Standards including the 3-dimensions of science learning; core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices. Participating scientists will contribute to companion educational materials with support from the CosmoQuest staff of data specialists and education specialists. Educators will be trained through in person and virtual workshops, and classrooms will have the opportunity to not only work with NASA data, but interface with NASA scientists. Through this project, we are bringing together subject matter experts, classrooms, and informal science organizations to share the excitement of NASA SMD science with future citizen scientists. CosmoQuest is funded through individual donations, through NASA Cooperative Agreement NNX16AC68A, and through additional grants and contracts that are listed on our website, cosmoquest.org.

Turkish Grade 10 Students' and Science Teachers' Conceptions of Nature of Science: A National Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dogan, Nihal; Abd-El-Khalick, Fouad

2008-01-01

This study aimed to assess grade 10 Turkish students' and science teachers' conceptions of nature of science (NOS) and whether these conceptions were related to selected variables. These variables included participants' gender, geographical region, and the socioeconomic status (SES) of their city and region; teacher disciplinary background, years…

Aerospace-Related Life Science Concepts for Use in Life Science Classes Grades 7-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Mary H.; Rademacher, Jean

The purpose of this guide is to provide the teacher of secondary school life science classes with resource materials for activities to familiarize students with recent discoveries in bioastronautics. Each section introduces a life science concept and a related aerospace concept, gives background information, suggested activities, and an annotated…

Connecting polar research to NGSS STEM classroom lessons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brinker, R.; Kast, D.

2016-12-01

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are designed to bring consistent, rigorous science teaching across the United States. Topics are categorized as Performance Expectations (PE), Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI), Cross-Cutting Concepts (CCC), and Science and Engineering Practices (SEP). NGSS includes a focus on environmental science and climate change across grade levels. Earth and planetary sciences are required at the high school level. Integrating polar science lessons into NGSS classrooms brings relevant, rigorous climate change curriculum across grade levels. Polar science provides opportunities for students to use current data during lessons, conduct their own field work, and collaborate with scientists. Polar science provides a framework of learning that is novel to most students. Inquiry and engagement are high with polar science lessons. Phenomenon related to polar science provide an excellent tool for science teachers to use to engage students in a lesson, stimulate inquiry, and promote critical thinking. When taught effectively, students see the connections between their community, polar regions and climate change, regardless of where on the planet students live. This presentation describes examples of how to effectively implement NGSS lessons by incorporating polar science lessons and field research. Examples of introductory phenomenon and aligned PEs, CCCs, DCIs, and SEPs are given. Suggested student activities, assessments, examples of student work, student research, labs, and PolarTREC fieldwork, use of current science data, and connections to scientists in the field are provided. The goals of the presentation are to give teachers a blueprint to follow when implementing NGSS lessons, and give scientists an understanding of the basics of NGSS so they may be better able to relate their work to U.S. science education and be more effective communicators of their science findings.

Evaluation of Online Teacher and Student Materials for the Framework for K-12 Science Education Science and Engineering Crosscutting Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwab, Patrick

2013-01-01

The National Research Council developed and published the "Framework for K-12 Science Education," a new set of concepts that many states were planning on adopting. Part of this new endeavor included a set of science and engineering crosscutting concepts to be incorporated into science materials and activities, a first in science…

A New Innovative Spherical Cermet Nuclear Fuel Element to Achieve an Ultra-Long Core Life for use in Grid-Appropriate LWRs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Senor, David J.; Painter, Chad L.; Geelhood, Ken J.

2007-12-01

Spherical cermet fuel elements are proposed for use in the Atoms For Peace Reactor (AFPR-100) concept. AFPR-100 is a small-scale, inherently safe, proliferation-resistant reactor that would be ideal for deployment to nations with emerging economies that decide to select nuclear power for the generation of carbon-free electricity. The basic concept of the AFPR core is a water-cooled fixed particle bed, randomly packed with spherical fuel elements. The flow of coolant within the particle bed is at such a low rate that the bed does not fluidize. This report summarizes an approach to fuel fabrication, results associated with fuel performance modeling,more » core neutronics and thermal hydraulics analyses demonstrating a ~20 year core life, and a conclusion that the proliferation resistance of the AFPR reactor concept is high.« less

A pragmatic conception of science: Implications for science teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sessoms, Deidre Bates

In this dissertation, I examine various philosophical conceptions of the nature of science---its goals, methods and products---and link those views to how science is taught. While the review begins in the 1600s, the focus is primarily on logical positivism. The logical positivist view of science prevailed for much of the twentieth century and has greatly influenced how science is taught. The review section culminates with current conceptions of science from the fields of philosophy, sociology, feminist studies and radical studies of science. These various conceptions of the nature of science are linked to how science is currently taught, at the K--12 level and at the university. In particular, the logical positivist conception has influenced the teaching of science by emphasizing the products of science (factual knowledge and theories) over the processes of science (the social methods of knowledge production). As a result of viewing science as the logical positivists did, teachers primarily focus on science as unchanging factual knowledge, at the expense of examining the social and cultural aspects of scientific practices. I develop a pragmatic conception of the method of science as reflective thinking that we effectively use in our everyday lives. Linking that conception with the aims that John Dewey outlined for schools in a democratic society points the way towards certain goals and methods for teaching science. Therefore, I explore the type of science teaching that might result when viewing science as a pragmatic activity conducted in a democracy. Teaching of this sort would involve students in working together on shared problems that arise in the context of daily life. For science students at the university, this would include participating in and critiquing scientific research in active research laboratories. Implementing this view of science teaching might result in modifications in the practices and goals of science. Lastly, the experiences of a group of under-represented minority students who studied the sciences at the university are used to illustrate both the promises and the pitfalls of attempting to incorporate a pragmatic view of science into science teaching.

The Development of an Integrated Science Core Curriculum for Allied Health Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sesney, John; And Others

1977-01-01

The article describes the development of BioMedical Sciences Core at Weber State College in Ogden, Utah for introductory level allied health students. The design of the "Core" curriculum is to integrate the disciplines of physics, chemistry, anatomy, physiology, and microbiology as they relate to the human body rather than teaching the traditional…

Representation and Analysis of Chemistry Core Ideas in Science Education Standards between China and the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wan, Yanlan; Bi, Hualin

2016-01-01

Chemistry core ideas play an important role in students' chemistry learning. On the basis of the representations of chemistry core ideas about "substances" and "processes" in the Chinese Chemistry Curriculum Standards (CCCS) and the U.S. Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), we conduct a critical comparison of chemistry…

The effects of three concept mapping strategies on seventh-grade students' science achievement at an urban middle school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dosanjh, Navdeep Kaur

2011-12-01

There is great concern over students' poor science achievement in the United States. Due to the lack of science achievement, students are not pursing science related careers resulting in an increase in outsourcing to other countries. Learning strategies such as concept mapping may ameliorate this situation by providing students with tools that encourage meaningful learning. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to measure the effects of three concept mapping learning strategies (concept identifying, proposition identifying, student generated) on urban middle school students' understanding of the circulatory system. Three intact classes of seventh-grade students were assigned to one of the three concept mapping strategies. The students were given a pretest on the circulatory system then learned and used their respective concept mapping strategies while learning about the circulatory system. At the conclusion of the study, students' science achievement was measured by performance on an achievement test and rubric scores of their respective concept identifying, proposition identifying, and student generated concept maps. The results of the study suggest that all three of the concept mapping strategies are effective in increasing students' science achievement. Additionally, the moderate significant correlations between the posttest and concept map scores of the current study established that concept maps are a useful measure of student knowledge. Lastly, the results of the current study also suggest that the concept identifying mapping strategy may be a useful scaffold in instructing students how to develop student generated concept maps.

The Core Avionics System for the DLR Compact-Satellite Series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montenegro, S.; Dittrich, L.

2008-08-01

The Standard Satellite Bus's core avionics system is a further step in the development line of the software and hardware architecture which was first used in the bispectral infrared detector mission (BIRD). The next step improves dependability, flexibility and simplicity of the whole core avionics system. Important aspects of this concept were already implemented, simulated and tested in other ESA and industrial projects. Therefore we can say the basic concept is proven. This paper deals with different aspects of core avionics development and proposes an extension to the existing core avionics system of BIRD to meet current and future requirements regarding flexibility, availability, reliability of small satellite and the continuous increasing demand of mass memory and computational power.

Rapid changes in ice core gas records - Part 1: On the accuracy of methane synchronisation of ice cores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Köhler, P.

2010-08-01

Methane synchronisation is a concept to align ice core records during rapid climate changes of the Dansgaard/Oeschger (D/O) events onto a common age scale. However, atmospheric gases are recorded in ice cores with a log-normal-shaped age distribution probability density function, whose exact shape depends mainly on the accumulation rate on the drilling site. This age distribution effectively shifts the mid-transition points of rapid changes in CH4 measured in situ in ice by about 58% of the width of the age distribution with respect to the atmospheric signal. A minimum dating uncertainty, or artefact, in the CH4 synchronisation is therefore embedded in the concept itself, which was not accounted for in previous error estimates. This synchronisation artefact between Greenland and Antarctic ice cores is for GRIP and Byrd less than 40 years, well within the dating uncertainty of CH4, and therefore does not calls the overall concept of the bipolar seesaw into question. However, if the EPICA Dome C ice core is aligned via CH4 to NGRIP this synchronisation artefact is in the most recent unified ice core age scale (Lemieux-Dudon et al., 2010) for LGM climate conditions of the order of three centuries and might need consideration in future gas chronologies.

What is mental health? Evidence towards a new definition from a mixed methods multidisciplinary international survey.

PubMed

Manwell, Laurie A; Barbic, Skye P; Roberts, Karen; Durisko, Zachary; Lee, Cheolsoon; Ware, Emma; McKenzie, Kwame

2015-06-02

Lack of consensus on the definition of mental health has implications for research, policy and practice. This study aims to start an international, interdisciplinary and inclusive dialogue to answer the question: What are the core concepts of mental health? 50 people with expertise in the field of mental health from 8 countries completed an online survey. They identified the extent to which 4 current definitions were adequate and what the core concepts of mental health were. A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted of their responses. The results were validated at a consensus meeting of 58 clinicians, researchers and people with lived experience. 46% of respondents rated the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC, 2006) definition as the most preferred, 30% stated that none of the 4 definitions were satisfactory and only 20% said the WHO (2001) definition was their preferred choice. The least preferred definition of mental health was the general definition of health adapted from Huber et al (2011). The core concepts of mental health were highly varied and reflected different processes people used to answer the question. These processes included the overarching perspective or point of reference of respondents (positionality), the frameworks used to describe the core concepts (paradigms, theories and models), and the way social and environmental factors were considered to act. The core concepts of mental health identified were mainly individual and functional, in that they related to the ability or capacity of a person to effectively deal with or change his/her environment. A preliminary model for the processes used to conceptualise mental health is presented. Answers to the question, 'What are the core concepts of mental health?' are highly dependent on the empirical frame used. Understanding these empirical frames is key to developing a useful consensus definition for diverse populations. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

What is mental health? Evidence towards a new definition from a mixed methods multidisciplinary international survey

PubMed Central

Manwell, Laurie A; Barbic, Skye P; Roberts, Karen; Durisko, Zachary; Lee, Cheolsoon; Ware, Emma; McKenzie, Kwame

2015-01-01

Objective Lack of consensus on the definition of mental health has implications for research, policy and practice. This study aims to start an international, interdisciplinary and inclusive dialogue to answer the question: What are the core concepts of mental health? Design and participants 50 people with expertise in the field of mental health from 8 countries completed an online survey. They identified the extent to which 4 current definitions were adequate and what the core concepts of mental health were. A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted of their responses. The results were validated at a consensus meeting of 58 clinicians, researchers and people with lived experience. Results 46% of respondents rated the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC, 2006) definition as the most preferred, 30% stated that none of the 4 definitions were satisfactory and only 20% said the WHO (2001) definition was their preferred choice. The least preferred definition of mental health was the general definition of health adapted from Huber et al (2011). The core concepts of mental health were highly varied and reflected different processes people used to answer the question. These processes included the overarching perspective or point of reference of respondents (positionality), the frameworks used to describe the core concepts (paradigms, theories and models), and the way social and environmental factors were considered to act. The core concepts of mental health identified were mainly individual and functional, in that they related to the ability or capacity of a person to effectively deal with or change his/her environment. A preliminary model for the processes used to conceptualise mental health is presented. Conclusions Answers to the question, ‘What are the core concepts of mental health?’ are highly dependent on the empirical frame used. Understanding these empirical frames is key to developing a useful consensus definition for diverse populations. PMID:26038353

Plants, Alike and Different

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trundle, Kathy Cabe; Mollohan, Katherine N; Smith, Mandy McCormick

2013-01-01

A Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC 2012) includes inheritance as a core idea within the life science framework. For example, life science core idea 3A states that by the end of second grade, children's knowledge should include the ability to recognize and investigate physical differences and similarities among the same kind of…

Charting a Course to Earth System Science Literacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karsten, J. L.; Koch, L.; Ridky, R.; Wei, M.; Ladue, N.

2008-12-01

Public literacy of fundamental ideas in Earth System Science (ESS) is immensely important, both because of its relevance to the daily lives of individual citizens and the role played by informed policy decisions related to water, energy, climate change, and hazards in securing our Nation's well-being and prosperity. The National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996) argued that topics which comprise ESS also have tremendous value in providing context and meaning for the teaching of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics concepts and their applications, thereby serving the goals of the America COMPETES Act. Yet, as documented in the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) results, the U.S. continues to lag significantly behind other developed nations in science literacy. A major obstacle to improving public ESS literacy, specifically, and strengthening science literacy, in general, is the fact that fewer than 30% of students in U.S. high schools take any courses related to ESS. Often, these courses are taught by teachers with limited preparation in this content area. A new grass-roots movement within the geoscience research and education communities, fueled by interagency collaboration, is seeking to overcome these obstacles and steer a new course for ESS education in the Nation. The Earth System Science Literacy Initiative (ESSLI) builds on recent efforts within portions of the geosciences community to reach consensus on what defines scientific literacy within their fields. Individual literacy frameworks now exist for the ocean, atmospheric science, Earth science, and climate topic areas, and others are under development. The essential principles and fundamental concepts articulated in these frameworks provide consistent core messages that can be delivered and reinforced not only through formal education channels, but also through informal education activities and the media, thereby avoiding the inherent obstacles of the formal education setting. Efforts underway to (1) integrate the individual literacy documents into a coherent, scientifically accurate ESS literacy framework that reflects the interactive complexity of Earth systems and (2) establish a new strategic plan for reforming ESS education in the U.S., in order to achieve such ESS literacy, will be described.

Defining core elements and outstanding practice in Nutritional Science through collaborative benchmarking.

PubMed

Samman, Samir; McCarthur, Jennifer O; Peat, Mary

2006-01-01

Benchmarking has been adopted by educational institutions as a potentially sensitive tool for improving learning and teaching. To date there has been limited application of benchmarking methodology in the Discipline of Nutritional Science. The aim of this survey was to define core elements and outstanding practice in Nutritional Science through collaborative benchmarking. Questionnaires that aimed to establish proposed core elements for Nutritional Science, and inquired about definitions of " good" and " outstanding" practice were posted to named representatives at eight Australian universities. Seven respondents identified core elements that included knowledge of nutrient metabolism and requirement, food production and processing, modern biomedical techniques that could be applied to understanding nutrition, and social and environmental issues as related to Nutritional Science. Four of the eight institutions who agreed to participate in the present survey identified the integration of teaching with research as an indicator of outstanding practice. Nutritional Science is a rapidly evolving discipline. Further and more comprehensive surveys are required to consolidate and update the definition of the discipline, and to identify the optimal way of teaching it. Global ideas and specific regional requirements also need to be considered.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center presents Enhancing Standards Based Science Curriculum through NASA Content Relevancy: A Model for Sustainable Teaching-Research Integration Dr. Robert Gabrys, Raquel Marshall, Dr. Evelina Felicite-Maurice, Erin McKinley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshall, R. H.; Gabrys, R.

2016-12-01

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has developed a systemic educator professional development model for the integration of NASA climate change resources into the K-12 classroom. The desired outcome of this model is to prepare teachers in STEM disciplines to be globally engaged and knowledgeable of current climate change research and its potential for content relevancy alignment to standard-based curriculum. The application and mapping of the model is based on the state education needs assessment, alignment to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and implementation framework developed by the consortium of district superintendents and their science supervisors. In this presentation, we will demonstrate best practices for extending the concept of inquiry-based and project-based learning through the integration of current NASA climate change research into curriculum unit lessons. This model includes a significant teacher development component focused on capacity development for teacher instruction and pedagogy aimed at aligning NASA climate change research to related NGSS student performance expectations and subsequent Crosscutting Concepts, Science and Engineering Practices, and Disciplinary Core Ideas, a need that was presented by the district steering committee as critical for ensuring sustainability and high-impact in the classroom. This model offers a collaborative and inclusive learning community that connects classroom teachers to NASA climate change researchers via an ongoing consultant/mentoring approach. As a result of the first year of implementation of this model, Maryland teachers are implementing NGSS unit lessons that guide students in open-ended research based on current NASA climate change research.

Teaching Concepts of Natural Sciences to Foreigners through Content-Based Instruction: The Adjunct Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Satilmis, Yilmaz; Yakup, Doganay; Selim, Guvercin; Aybarsha, Islam

2015-01-01

This study investigates three models of content-based instruction in teaching concepts and terms of natural sciences in order to increase the efficiency of teaching these kinds of concepts in realization and to prove that the content-based instruction is a teaching strategy that helps students understand concepts of natural sciences. Content-based…

A Concept for In-space, System-level Validation of Spacecraft Precision Formation Flying

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leitner, Jesse; Carpenter, J. Russell; Naasz, Bo J.; Scharf, Daniel P.; Hadaegh, Fred Y.; Ahmed, Asif

2007-01-01

A number of international space agencies and organizations, to include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), to name a few, have embraced the concept of spacecraft formation flying to revolutionize the capabilities of astronomy and Earth remote sensing from space. The concept has been around well over a decade and a wide array of technologies and capabilities have been developed to enable multiple spacecraft to collaborate in a highly-coupled manner as would be required for a formation flying mission. Furthermore, many relevant capabilities for formation flying have been demonstrated in the area of rendezvous and docking, loosely-controlled formations, and in missions with collaborating spacecraft with very precise metrology. .However, in considering the case of precision formation flying (PFF), i.e, when the relative geometry of multiple vehicles must be controlled on-board in a continuous and precise manner, there have been several missions proposed, but the realization in space has not yet occurred due to a range of issues. This paper will briefly examine those issues and present a concept for demonstrating a core capability for performing PFF, necessary for virtually any PFF mission concept, that will help to overcome the problems encountered in prior attempts and help to allay the risks to enable future PFF science missions.

The EvoDevoCI: A Concept Inventory for Gauging Students’ Understanding of Evolutionary Developmental Biology

PubMed Central

Perez, Kathryn E.; Hiatt, Anna; Davis, Gregory K.; Trujillo, Caleb; French, Donald P.; Terry, Mark; Price, Rebecca M.

2013-01-01

The American Association for the Advancement of Science 2011 report Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education encourages the teaching of developmental biology as an important part of teaching evolution. Recently, however, we found that biology majors often lack the developmental knowledge needed to understand evolutionary developmental biology, or “evo-devo.” To assist in efforts to improve evo-devo instruction among undergraduate biology majors, we designed a concept inventory (CI) for evolutionary developmental biology, the EvoDevoCI. The CI measures student understanding of six core evo-devo concepts using four scenarios and 11 multiple-choice items, all inspired by authentic scientific examples. Distracters were designed to represent the common conceptual difficulties students have with each evo-devo concept. The tool was validated by experts and administered at four institutions to 1191 students during preliminary (n = 652) and final (n = 539) field trials. We used student responses to evaluate the readability, difficulty, discriminability, validity, and reliability of the EvoDevoCI, which included items ranging in difficulty from 0.22–0.55 and in discriminability from 0.19–0.38. Such measures suggest the EvoDevoCI is an effective tool for assessing student understanding of evo-devo concepts and the prevalence of associated common conceptual difficulties among both novice and advanced undergraduate biology majors. PMID:24297293

Feasibility Study for a Combined Radiation Environment in the ACRR-FRECII Cavity.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Parma, Edward J.

The objective of this report is to determine the feasibility of a combined pulsed - power accelerator machine, similar to HERMES - III, with the Annular Core Research Reactor (ACRR) Fueled - Ring External Cavity (FREC - II) in a new facility. The document is conceptual in nature, and includes some neutronic analysis that i llustrates that that the physics of such a concept would be feasible. There would still be many engineering design considerations and issues that would need to be investigated in order to determine the true viability of such a concept. This report does n ot addressmore » engineering design details, the cost of such a facility, or what would be required to develop the safety authorization of the concept. The radiation requirements for the "on - target" gamma - ray dose and dose rate are not addressed in this report . It is assumed that if the same general on - target specifications for a HERMES - III type machine could be met with the proposed concept, that the machine would b e considered highly useful as a radiation effects sciences platform. In general, the combined accelerator/ACRR reactor concept can be shown to be feasible with no major issues that would preclude the usefulness of such a facility. The new facility would provide a capability that currently does not exist in the radiation testing complex.« less

Update on the Ares V to Support Heavy Lift for U.S. Space Exploration Policy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Creech, Steve

2008-01-01

The focus of design efforts in the near future will be on the primary Lunar mission. We are currently just beginning to integrate the design functions from the various centers for this mission. We appreciate all thoughts and ideas for different ways to use the Ares V platform. The Ares V can support an order of magnitude more science instrumentation for outer planetary exploration missions. It can also reach outer planets such as Neptune and other high energy insertion destinations. Current Ares V Point-of-Departure (51.00.48) exceeds Saturn mass capability by approx.40%. Ares V Lunar Capabilities Concept Review analysis focused on meeting lunar requirements and developing margin. Ares V is sensitive to Loiter, Attitude, Power, and Altitude requirements in addition to payload performance. LCCR-approved 51.00.48 POD 5.5-segment steel case booster/6 engine core) Ares V can meet current Human Lunar Return requirements with approx.6 mT of Margin. LCCR-approved 51.00.47 option maintained (5 segment HTPB composite case booster/6 engine core) can meet HLR requirement with more than 9 mT Margin. Ares V team is actively reaching out to external organizations during this early concept phase to ensure that the Ares V vehicle can be leveraged for national security, scientific and commercial development needs.

Students' Energy Understanding Across Biology, Chemistry, and Physics Contexts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Opitz, S. T.; Neumann, K.; Bernholt, S.; Harms, U.

2017-07-01

Energy is considered both as a disciplinary core idea and as a concept cutting across science disciplines. Most previous approaches studied progressing energy understanding in specific disciplinary contexts, while disregarding the relation of understanding across them. Hence, this study provides a systematic analysis of cross-disciplinary energy learning. On the basis of a cross-sectional study with n = 742 students from grades 6, 8, and 10, we analyze students' progression in understanding energy across biology, chemistry, and physics contexts. The study is guided by three hypothetical scenarios that describe how the connection between energy understanding in the three disciplinary contexts changes across grade levels. These scenarios are compared using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The results suggest that, from grade 6 to grade 10, energy understanding in the three disciplinary contexts is highly interrelated, thus indicating a parallel progression of energy understanding in the three disciplinary contexts. In our study, students from grade 6 onwards appeared to have few problems to apply one energy understanding across the three disciplinary contexts. These findings were unexpected, as previous research concluded that students likely face difficulties in connecting energy learning across disciplinary boundaries. Potential reasons for these results and the characteristics of the observed cross-disciplinary energy understanding are discussed in the light of earlier findings and implications for future research, and the teaching of energy as a core idea and a crosscutting concept are addressed.

Current and emerging basic science concepts in bone biology: implications in craniofacial surgery.

PubMed

Oppenheimer, Adam J; Mesa, John; Buchman, Steven R

2012-01-01

Ongoing research in bone biology has brought cutting-edge technologies into everyday use in craniofacial surgery. Nonetheless, when osseous defects of the craniomaxillofacial skeleton are encountered, autogenous bone grafting remains the criterion standard for reconstruction. Accordingly, the core principles of bone graft physiology continue to be of paramount importance. Bone grafts, however, are not a panacea; donor site morbidity and operative risk are among the limitations of autologous bone graft harvest. Bone graft survival is impaired when irradiation, contamination, and impaired vascularity are encountered. Although the dura can induce calvarial ossification in children younger than 2 years, the repair of critical-size defects in the pediatric population may be hindered by inadequate bone graft donor volume. The novel and emerging field of bone tissue engineering holds great promise as a limitless source of autogenous bone. Three core constituents of bone tissue engineering have been established: scaffolds, signals, and cells. Blood supply is the sine qua non of these components, which are used both individually and concertedly in regenerative craniofacial surgery. The discerning craniofacial surgeon must determine the proper use for these bone graft alternatives, while understanding their concomitant risks. This article presents a review of contemporary and emerging concepts in bone biology and their implications in craniofacial surgery. Current practices, areas of controversy, and near-term future applications are emphasized.

Core and Off-Core Processes in Systems Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Breidenthal, Julian; Forsberg, Kevin

2010-01-01

An emerging methodology of organizing systems-engineering plans is based on a concept of core and off-core processes or activities. This concept has emerged as a result of recognition of a risk in the traditional representation of systems-engineering plans by a Vee model alone, according to which a large system is decomposed into levels of smaller subsystems, then integrated through levels of increasing scope until the full system is constructed. Actual systems-engineering activity is more complicated, raising the possibility that the staff will become confused in the absence of plans which explain the nature and ordering of work beyond the traditional Vee model.

Turbulence coefficients and stability studies for the coaxial flow or dissimiliar fluids. [gaseous core nuclear reactors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weinstein, H.; Lavan, Z.

1975-01-01

Analytical investigations of fluid dynamics problems of relevance to the gaseous core nuclear reactor program are presented. The vortex type flow which appears in the nuclear light bulb concept is analyzed along with the fluid flow in the fuel inlet region for the coaxial flow gaseous core nuclear reactor concept. The development of numerical methods for the solution of the Navier-Stokes equations for appropriate geometries is extended to the case of rotating flows and almost completes the gas core program requirements in this area. The investigations demonstrate that the conceptual design of the coaxial flow reactor needs further development.

Building, using, and maximizing the impact of concept inventories in the biological sciences: report on a National Science Foundation sponsored conference on the construction of concept inventories in the biological sciences.

PubMed

Garvin-Doxas, Kathy; Klymkowsky, Michael; Elrod, Susan

2007-01-01

The meeting "Conceptual Assessment in the Biological Sciences" was held March 3-4, 2007, in Boulder, Colorado. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation and hosted by University of Colorado, Boulder's Biology Concept Inventory Team, the meeting drew together 21 participants from 13 institutions, all of whom had received National Science Foundation funding for biology education. Topics of interest included Introductory Biology, Genetics, Evolution, Ecology, and the Nature of Science. The goal of the meeting was to organize and leverage current efforts to develop concept inventories for each of these topics. These diagnostic tools are inspired by the success of the Force Concept Inventory, developed by the community of physics educators to identify student misconceptions about Newtonian mechanics. By working together, participants hope to lessen the risk that groups might develop competing rather than complementary inventories.

U.S. Geological Survey core science systems strategy: characterizing, synthesizing, and understanding the critical zone through a modular science framework

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bristol, R. Sky; Euliss, Ned H.; Booth, Nathaniel L.; Burkardt, Nina; Diffendorfer, Jay E.; Gesch, Dean B.; McCallum, Brian E.; Miller, David M.; Morman, Suzette A.; Poore, Barbara S.; Signell, Richard P.; Viger, Roland J.

2013-01-01

Core Science Systems is a new mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that resulted from the 2007 Science Strategy, "Facing Tomorrow's Challenges: U.S. Geological Survey Science in the Decade 2007-2017." This report describes the Core Science Systems vision and outlines a strategy to facilitate integrated characterization and understanding of the complex Earth system. The vision and suggested actions are bold and far-reaching, describing a conceptual model and framework to enhance the ability of the USGS to bring its core strengths to bear on pressing societal problems through data integration and scientific synthesis across the breadth of science. The context of this report is inspired by a direction set forth in the 2007 Science Strategy. Specifically, ecosystem-based approaches provide the underpinnings for essentially all science themes that define the USGS. Every point on Earth falls within a specific ecosystem where data, other information assets, and the expertise of USGS and its many partners can be employed to quantitatively understand how that ecosystem functions and how it responds to natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Every benefit society obtains from the planet-food, water, raw materials to build infrastructure, homes and automobiles, fuel to heat homes and cities, and many others, are derived from or affect ecosystems. The vision for Core Science Systems builds on core strengths of the USGS in characterizing and understanding complex Earth and biological systems through research, modeling, mapping, and the production of high quality data on the Nation's natural resource infrastructure. Together, these research activities provide a foundation for ecosystem-based approaches through geologic mapping, topographic mapping, and biodiversity mapping. The vision describes a framework founded on these core mapping strengths that makes it easier for USGS scientists to discover critical information, share and publish results, and identify potential collaborations that transcend all USGS missions. The framework is designed to improve the efficiency of scientific work within USGS by establishing a means to preserve and recall data for future applications, organizing existing scientific knowledge and data to facilitate new use of older information, and establishing a future workflow that naturally integrates new data, applications, and other science products to make interdisciplinary research easier and more efficient. Given the increasing need for integrated data and interdisciplinary approaches to solve modern problems, leadership by the Core Science Systems mission will facilitate problem solving by all USGS missions in ways not formerly possible. The report lays out a strategy to achieve this vision through three goals with accompanying objectives and actions. The first goal builds on and enhances the strengths of the Core Science Systems mission in characterizing and understanding the Earth system from the geologic framework to the topographic characteristics of the land surface and biodiversity across the Nation. The second goal enhances and develops new strengths in computer and information science to make it easier for USGS scientists to discover data and models, share and publish results, and discover connections between scientific information and knowledge. The third goal brings additional focus to research and development methods to address complex issues affecting society that require integration of knowledge and new methods for synthesizing scientific information. Collectively, the report lays out a strategy to create a seamless connection between all USGS activities to accelerate and make USGS science more efficient by fully integrating disciplinary expertise within a new and evolving science paradigm for a changing world in the 21st century.

Science strategy for Core Science Systems in the U.S. Geological Survey, 2013-2023

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bristol, R. Sky; Euliss, Ned H.; Booth, Nathaniel L.; Burkardt, Nina; Diffendorfer, Jay E.; Gesch, Dean B.; McCallum, Brian E.; Miller, David M.; Morman, Suzette A.; Poore, Barbara S.; Signell, Richard P.; Viger, Roland J.

2012-01-01

Core Science Systems is a new mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that grew out of the 2007 Science Strategy, “Facing Tomorrow’s Challenges: U.S. Geological Survey Science in the Decade 2007–2017.” This report describes the vision for this USGS mission and outlines a strategy for Core Science Systems to facilitate integrated characterization and understanding of the complex earth system. The vision and suggested actions are bold and far-reaching, describing a conceptual model and framework to enhance the ability of USGS to bring its core strengths to bear on pressing societal problems through data integration and scientific synthesis across the breadth of science.The context of this report is inspired by a direction set forth in the 2007 Science Strategy. Specifically, ecosystem-based approaches provide the underpinnings for essentially all science themes that define the USGS. Every point on earth falls within a specific ecosystem where data, other information assets, and the expertise of USGS and its many partners can be employed to quantitatively understand how that ecosystem functions and how it responds to natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Every benefit society obtains from the planet—food, water, raw materials to build infrastructure, homes and automobiles, fuel to heat homes and cities, and many others, are derived from or effect ecosystems.The vision for Core Science Systems builds on core strengths of the USGS in characterizing and understanding complex earth and biological systems through research, modeling, mapping, and the production of high quality data on the nation’s natural resource infrastructure. Together, these research activities provide a foundation for ecosystem-based approaches through geologic mapping, topographic mapping, and biodiversity mapping. The vision describes a framework founded on these core mapping strengths that makes it easier for USGS scientists to discover critical information, share and publish results, and identify potential collaborations that transcend all USGS missions. The framework is designed to improve the efficiency of scientific work within USGS by establishing a means to preserve and recall data for future applications, organizing existing scientific knowledge and data to facilitate new use of older information, and establishing a future workflow that naturally integrates new data, applications, and other science products to make it easier and more efficient to conduct interdisciplinary research over time. Given the increasing need for integrated data and interdisciplinary approaches to solve modern problems, leadership by the Core Science Systems mission will facilitate problem solving by all USGS missions in ways not formerly possible.The report lays out a strategy to achieve this vision through three goals with accompanying objectives and actions. The first goal builds on and enhances the strengths of the Core Science Systems mission in characterizing and understanding the earth system from the geologic framework to the topographic characteristics of the land surface and biodiversity across the nation. The second goal enhances and develops new strengths in computer and information science to make it easier for USGS scientists to discover data and models, share and publish results, and discover connections between scientific information and knowledge. The third goal brings additional focus to research and development methods to address complex issues affecting society that require integration of knowledge and new methods for synthesizing scientific information. Collectively, the report lays out a strategy to create a seamless connection between all USGS activities to accelerate and make USGS science more efficient by fully integrating disciplinary expertise within a new and evolving science paradigm for a changing world in the 21st century.

The CYGNSS flight segment; A major NASA science mission enabled by micro-satellite technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rose, R.; Ruf, C.; Rose, D.; Brummitt, M.; Ridley, A.

While hurricane track forecasts have improved in accuracy by ~50% since 1990, there has been essentially no improvement in the accuracy of intensity prediction. This lack of progress is thought to be caused by inadequate observations and modeling of the inner core due to two causes: 1) much of the inner core ocean surface is obscured from conventional remote sensing instruments by intense precipitation in the inner rain bands and 2) the rapidly evolving stages of the tropical cyclone (TC) life cycle are poorly sampled in time by conventional polar-orbiting, wide-swath surface wind imagers. NASA's most recently awarded Earth science mission, the NASA EV-2 Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) has been designed to address these deficiencies by combining the all-weather performance of GNSS bistatic ocean surface scatterometry with the sampling properties of a satellite constellation. This paper provides an overview of the CYGNSS flight segment requirements, implementation, and concept of operations for the CYGNSS constellation; consisting of 8 microsatellite-class spacecraft (<; 100kg) each hosting a GNSS receiver, operating in a 500 km orbit, inclined at 35° to provide 70% coverage of the historical TC track. The CYGNSS mission is enabled by modern electronic technology; it is an example of how nanosatellite technology can be applied to replace traditional "old school" solutions at significantly reduced cost while providing an increase in performance. This paper provides an overview of how we combined a reliable space-flight proven avionics design with selected microsatellite components to create an innovative, low-cost solution for a mainstream science investigation.

The Analysis of Nine Process-Concepts in Elementary Science. Technical Report No. 428.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klausmeier, Herbert J.; And Others

Theory and research background regarding the teaching of concepts are presented. Procedures are given in detail on how a concept can be analyzed in order to aid in teaching and preparing instructional materials. Nine processes of science drawn from a published elementary science curriculum ("Science: A Process Approach") are treated as concepts…

Space Science Education: An Experimental Study. Report of the Study Commission on Space Science Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vick, Raymond

The implications of space science terminology and concepts for elementary science teaching are explored. Twenty-two concepts were identified which elementary and junior high school teachers were invited to introduce in their teaching. Booklets explaining the concepts were distributed together with report forms for teacher feedback. The numbers of…

Accuracy of Scale Conceptions in Science: Mental Maneuverings across Many Orders of Spatial Magnitude

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tretter, Thomas R.; Jones, M. Gail; Minogue, James

2006-01-01

The use of unifying themes that span the various branches of science is recommended to enhance curricular coherence in science instruction. Conceptions of spatial scale are one such unifying theme. This research explored the accuracy of spatial scale conceptions of science phenomena across a spectrum of 215 participants: fifth grade, seventh…

Study on Ultra-Long Life,Small U-Zr Metallic Fuelled Core With Burnable Poison

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kenji Tsuji; Hiromitsu Inagaki; Akira Nishikawa

2002-07-01

A conceptual design for a 50 MWe sodium cooled, U-Pu-Zr metallic fuelled, fast reactor core, which aims at a core lifetime of 30 years, has been performed [1]. As for the compensation for a large burn-up reactivity through 30 years, an axially movable reflector, which is located around the core, carries the major part of it and a burnable poison does the rest. This concept has achieved not only a long core lifetime but also a high discharged burn-up. On this study, a conceptual design for a small fast reactor loading U-Zr metallic fuelled core instead of U-Pu-Zr fuelled coremore » has been conducted, based on the original core arrangement of 4S reactor [2]. Within the range of this study including safety requirements, adopting the burnable poison would be effective to construct a core concept that achieves both a long lifetime and a high discharged burn-up. (authors)« less

Addressing Nature of Science Core Tenets with the History of Science: An Example with Sickle-Cell Anemia & Malaria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howe, Erica M.

2007-01-01

The history of science (HOS) has proven to be a useful pedagogical tool to help students learn about what has come to be regarded as an agreed upon set of core nature of science (NOS) tenets. The following article illustrates an example of how teachers can instrumentally use the history of research on heterozygote protection in sickle-cell anemia…

Origins Space Telescope: HEterodyne Receiver for OST (HERO)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergin, Edwin; Wiedner, Martina; Laurens, Andre; Gerin, Maryvonne; HERO team, Origins Space Telescope Science and Technology Definition Team

2018-01-01

The Origins Space Telescope (OST) is a mission concept for the Far-Infrared Surveyor, one of the four science and technology definition studies selected by NASA HQ for the 2020 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal survey. The OST study will encompass two mission concepts (poster by A. Cooray). Concept 1 is an extremely versatile observatory with 5 science instruments, of which the HEterodyne Receivers for OST (HERO) is one.HERO’s main targets are high spectral resolution observations (Dl/l up to 107 or Dv = 0.03km/s) of water to follow its trail from cores to YSOs as well as H2O and HDO observations on comets to explore the origins of water. HERO will probe all neutral ISM phases using cooling lines ([CII], [OI]) and hydrides as probes of CO-dark H2 (CH, HF). HERO will reveal how molecular clouds and filaments form in the local ISM up to nearby galaxies. HERO will enable detailed understanding of feedback mechanisms : shocks, cosmic rays, UV induced feedback and will provide a map of the cosmic ray ionization rate in the Galaxy and nearby galaxies using molecular ions (ArH+, OH+, H3O+).In order to achieve these observational goals, HERO will cover an extremely wide frequency range from 468 to 2700 GHz (641 to 111microns) and a window around the OI line at 4563 to 4752GHz (66 to 63 microns). It will consist of very large focal plane arrays of 128 pixels between 900 - 2700 GHz and at 4.7 THz, and 32 pixels for the 468 to 900 GHz range. The instrument is exploiting Herschel/HIFI heritage, but will go well beyond HIFIs capacities. HERO’s large arrays require low dissipation and low power components. The HERO concept makes use of the latest cryogenic SiGe amplifier technology, as well as CMOS technology for the backends with 2 orders of magnitude lower power. Advances in Local Oscillator technology have also been taken into account and ambitious, but realistic assumptions have been made for future amplifier multiplier chains going up to 4.7 THz.Origins will enable flagship-quality general observing programs led by the astronomical community in the 2030s. We welcome you to contact the Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) with your science needs and ideas by emailing us at ost_info@lists.ipac.caltech.edu

Technology Maturity for the Habitable-zone Exoplanet Imaging Mission (HabEx) Concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgan, Rhonda; Warfield, Keith R.; Stahl, H. Philip; Mennesson, Bertrand; Nikzad, Shouleh; nissen, joel; Balasubramanian, Kunjithapatham; Krist, John; Mawet, Dimitri; Stapelfeldt, Karl; warwick, Steve

2018-01-01

HabEx Architecture A is a 4m unobscured telescope optimized for direct imaging and spectroscopy of potentially habitable exoplanets, and also enables a wide range of general astrophysics science. The exoplanet detection and characterization drives the enabling core technologies. A hybrid starlight suppression approach of a starshade and coronagraph diversifies technology maturation risk. In this poster we assess these exoplanet-driven technologies, including elements of coronagraphs, starshades, mirrors, jitter mitigation, wavefront control, and detectors. By utilizing high technology readiness solutions where feasible, and identifying required technology development that can begin early, HabEx will be well positioned for assessment by the community in 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey.

Proceedings of the 7th International Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics NURETH-7. Volume 3, Sessions 12-16

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Block, R.C.; Feiner, F.

This document, Volume 3, includes papers presented at the 7th International Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics (NURETH-7) September 10--15, 1995 at Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The following subjects are discussed: Progress in analytical and experimental work on the fundamentals of nuclear thermal-hydraulics, the development of advanced mathematical and numerical methods, ad the application of advancements in the field in the development of novel reactor concepts. Also combined issues of thermal-hydraulics and reactor/power-plant safety, core neutronics and/or radiation. Selected abstracts have been indexed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database.

Economic Concepts at the Core of Civic Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vanfossen, Phillip

2005-01-01

The focus of this article is on the role that content and concepts drawn from the field of economics should play in education for self-government. How important is economic knowledge for the practice of effective citizenship in a democratic society such as the United States, and what core economic knowledge is required for effective civic…

The Curriculum-Faculty-Reinforcement Alignment and Its Effect on Learning Retention of Core Marketing Concepts of Marketing Capstone Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raska, David; Keller, Eileen Weisenbach; Shaw, Doris

2014-01-01

Curriculum-Faculty-Reinforcement (CFR) alignment is an alignment between fundamental marketing concepts that are integral to the mastery of knowledge expected of our marketing graduates, their perceived importance by the faculty, and their level of reinforcement throughout core marketing courses required to obtain a marketing degree. This research…

Validating a Conceptual Framework for the Core Concept of "Cell-Cell Communication"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michael, Joel; Martinkova, Patricia; McFarland, Jenny; Wright, Ann; Cliff, William; Modell, Harold; Wenderoth, Mary Pat

2017-01-01

We have created and validated a conceptual framework for the core physiology concept of "cell-cell communication." The conceptual framework is composed of 51 items arranged in a hierarchy that is, in some instances, four levels deep. We have validated it with input from faculty who teach at a wide variety of institutional types. All…

Thinking Connections: Concept Maps for Life Science. Book B.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burggraf, Frederick

The concept maps contained in this book (for grades 7-12) span 35 topics in life science. Topics were chosen using the National Science Education Standards as a guide. The practice exercise in concept mapping is included to give students an idea of what the tasks ahead will be in content rich maps. Two levels of concept maps are included for each…

A Case Study of the Alignment between Curriculum and Assessment in the New York State Earth Science Standards-Based System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Contino, Julie

2013-02-01

In a standards-based system, it is important for all components of the system to align in order to achieve the intended goals. No Child Left Behind law mandates that assessments be fully aligned with state standards, be valid, reliable and fair, be reported to all stakeholders, and provide evidence that all students in the state are meeting the standards. This study reports an analysis of the alignment between the National Science Education Standards (NSES), New York State Physical Setting/Earth Science Core Curriculum (Core Curriculum) and New York State Physical Setting/Earth Science Regents Examination (Regents Exam)—the sources teachers use for creating Earth Science curricula in New York State. The NSES were found to have a 49 % overlap with the Core Curriculum and a 27 % overlap with the Regents Exam. The Core Curriculum and Regents Exam, represented by matrices consisting of performance indicators and cognitive demands, were compared using the Porter Alignment Index. The alignment was 0.35, categorized as slightly aligned, due to the different emphases on cognitive levels. The Core focused on cognitive skills of Understand and Apply while the Regents concentrated more on Apply followed by Understand and Remember. It is suggested that the NSES be revised and the Core updated to include quantifiable emphasis on the major understandings such as percentage of time.

Re-Presenting the Social Construction of Science in Light of the Propositions of Bruno Latour: For a Renewal of the School Conception of Science in Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richard, Vincent; Bader, Barbara

2010-01-01

Current opinion holds that school science has not been producing the expected outcomes. Highlighted by a considerable body of research, one of the concerns is that young people still mobilize a naive conception of science. Consequently, we must pursue the reflection process concerning ways of renewing the school conception of science so as to…

The development and interaction of terrorist and fanatic groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camacho, Erika T.

2013-11-01

Through the mathematical study of two models we quantify some of the theories of co-development and co-existence of focused groups in the social sciences. This work attempts to develop the mathematical framework behind the social sciences of community formation. By using well developed theories and concepts from ecology and epidemiology we hope to extend the theoretical framework of organizing and self-organizing social groups and communities, including terrorist groups. The main goal of our work is to gain insight into the role of recruitment and retention in the formation and survival of social organizations. Understanding the underlining mechanisms of the spread of ideologies under competition is a fundamental component of this work. Here contacts between core and non-core individuals extend beyond its physical meaning to include indirect interaction and spread of ideas through phone conversations, emails, media sources and other similar mean. This work focuses on the dynamics of formation of interest groups, either ideological, economical or ecological and thus we explore the questions such as, how do interest groups initiate and co-develop by interacting within a common environment and how do they sustain themselves? Our results show that building and maintaining the core group is essential for the existence and survival of an extreme ideology. Our research also indicates that in the absence of competitive ability (i.e., ability to take from the other core group or share prospective members) the social organization or group that is more committed to its group ideology and manages to strike the right balance between investment in recruitment and retention will prevail. Thus under no cross interaction between two social groups a single trade-off (of these efforts) can support only a single organization. The more efforts that an organization implements to recruit and retain its members the more effective it will be in transmitting the ideology to other vulnerable individuals and thus converting them to believers.

The Nexus between Science Literacy & Technical Literacy: A State by State Analysis of Engineering Content in State Science Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koehler, Catherine M.; Faraclas, Elias; Giblin, David; Moss, David M.; Kazerounian, Kazem

2013-01-01

This study explores how engineering concepts are represented in secondary science standards across the nation by examining how engineering and technical concepts are infused into these frameworks. Secondary science standards from 49 states plus the District of Columbia were analyzed and ranked based on how many engineering concepts were found.…

The Assessment of Taiwanese College Students' Conceptions of and Approaches to Learning Computer Science and Their Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liang, Jyh-Chong; Su, Yi-Ching; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore Taiwanese college students' conceptions of and approaches to learning computer science and then explore the relationships between the two. Two surveys, Conceptions of Learning Computer Science (COLCS) and Approaches to Learning Computer Science (ALCS), were administered to 421 college students majoring in…

Comparison of Science-Technology-Society Approach and Textbook Oriented Instruction on Students' Abilities to Apply Science Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kapici, Hasan Ozgur; Akcay, Hakan; Yager, Robert E.

2017-01-01

It is important for students to learn concepts and using them for solving problems and further learning. Within this respect, the purpose of this study is to investigate students' abilities to apply science concepts that they have learned from Science-Technology-Society based approach or textbook oriented instruction. Current study is based on…

A behavioral science/behavioral medicine core curriculum proposal for Japanese undergraduate medical education.

PubMed

Tsutsumi, Akizumi

2015-01-01

Behavioral science and behavioral medicine have not been systematically taught to Japanese undergraduate medical students. A working group under the auspices of Japanese Society of Behavioral Medicine developed an outcome-oriented curriculum of behavioral science/behavioral medicine through three processes: identifying the curriculum contents, holding a joint symposium with related societies, and defining outcomes and proposing a learning module. The behavioral science/behavioral medicine core curriculum consists of 11 units of lectures and four units of practical study. The working group plans to improve the current core curriculum by devising formative assessment methods so that students can learn and acquire attitude as well as the skills and knowledge necessary for student-centered clinical practice.

Social Science Concepts and the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fancett, Verna S.; And Others

Intended to introduce teachers to the concept approach in teaching social studies materials, the five chapters of this publication discuss (1) a definition of "concept" and the term's relationship to facts and generalizations, (2) the function of concepts in the social sciences, (3) how concepts develop, (4) how concepts are related to inquiry and…

The trans-species core SELF: the emergence of active cultural and neuro-ecological agents through self-related processing within subcortical-cortical midline networks.

PubMed

Panksepp, Jaak; Northoff, Georg

2009-03-01

The nature of "the self" has been one of the central problems in philosophy and more recently in neuroscience. This raises various questions: (i) Can we attribute a self to animals? (ii) Do animals and humans share certain aspects of their core selves, yielding a trans-species concept of self? (iii) What are the neural processes that underlie a possible trans-species concept of self? (iv) What are the developmental aspects and do they result in various levels of self-representation? Drawing on recent literature from both human and animal research, we suggest a trans-species concept of self that is based upon what has been called a "core-self" which can be described by self-related processing (SRP) as a specific mode of interaction between organism and environment. When we refer to specific neural networks, we will here refer to the underlying system as the "core-SELF." The core-SELF provides primordial neural coordinates that represent organisms as living creatures-at the lowest level this elaborates interoceptive states along with raw emotional feelings (i.e., the intentions in action of a primordial core-SELF) while higher medial cortical levels facilitate affective-cognitive integration (yielding a fully-developed nomothetic core-self). Developmentally, SRP allows stimuli from the environment to be related and linked to organismic needs, signaled and processed within core-self structures within subcorical-cortical midline structures (SCMS) that provide the foundation for epigenetic emergence of ecologically framed, higher idiographic forms of selfhood across different individuals within a species. These functions ultimately operate as a coordinated network. We postulate that core SRP operates automatically, is deeply affective, and is developmentally and epigenetically connected to sensory-motor and higher cognitive abilities. This core-self is mediated by SCMS, embedded in visceral and instinctual representations of the body that are well integrated with basic attentional, emotional and motivational functions that are apparently shared between humans, non-human mammals, and perhaps in a proto-SELF form, other vertebrates. Such a trans-species concept of organismic coherence is thoroughly biological and affective at the lowest levels of a complex neural network, and culturally and ecologically molded at higher levels of neural processing. It allows organisms to selectively adapt to and integrate with physical and social environments. Such a psychobiologically universal, but environmentally diversified, concept may promote novel trans-species studies of the core-self across mammalian species.

[Conception of the history of science in the interpretation of Bogdan Suchodolski].

PubMed

Lietz, Natalia

2011-01-01

In the article is presented the conception of the history of science in the interpretation of Bogdan Suchodolski. Having described the conception of the history of science created by George Sarton (1884-1956), whose thought was influenced by positivistic philosophy of August Comte, the idea of the history of science of Johan Nordstr6m (1891-1967), who was inspired by the system of Wilhelm Dilthey, and the materialistic conception of the history of science, which was represented, among others, by John Desmond Bernal (1901-1971), the author is making an attempt at revealing to what extent Bogdan Suchodolski was inspired by the above-mentioned visions of the history of science. Having defined the history of science as the history of scientific activity of people and their consciousness formed by the activity, Bogdan Suchodolski applied in the field of his own conception of the history of science the ideas that were put forward by German thinkers and philosophers, and were connected with a way of understanding culture as the constant development of national awareness, which can be exemplified with different dimensions of culture. Undoubtedly, identifying the history of Polish science with constitutive element of the history of national culture and paying attention to the conceptions tending not only to explaining, but also understanding phenomena, B. Suchodolski was influenced by Alfred Vierkandt's and Wilhelm Dilthey's thought. The present article includes several reflections on the conception of the history of science, which was created by B. Suchodolski. Among others, we can find here detailed information on how B. Suchodolski understood: the history of science, its subject, aim and methodology; its status in modern social consciousness and as the history of truth; relations between history of science and theory of science and scientific policy, history of science and the problem of unity and diversity of scientific thinking, history of science and ideas, history of culture and technology, and sources of scientific progress.

Solar Thermal Energy Exploitation: An Opportunity to Enhance Conceptual Learning in Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodrigues, M. A.; Cravino, J. P.; Liberato, M. L. R.

2010-05-01

In a society mainly driven by Science and Technology it is becoming consensual the idea that scientific education should include three components: Education in Science, Education about Science and Education through Science. Some authors suggest that, in education, everyday objects should be used to illustrate scientific issues (e.g. Andrée, 2005). Thus the goal of this study is two-fold: first, to develop a teaching and learning strategy, in the framework of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), concerning the renewable energy issue, while showing the importance of using everyday situations in the improvement of students' motivation in Physics learning. Energy is the core concept in this study. Energy conservation includes the concepts applied to sustainable balance between environment and the energy availability and use. Dias et al. (2004) stress that education is one of the best ways to transform the human behavior for the rational use of energy, which represents a long-term investment. In this work students become aware and recognize the importance and value of energy in everyday life, they identify energy transfer and transformation processes, confirm energy availability, relating these topics to present human needs and climate change issues. A didactic model of a solar thermal panel has thus been built, using cheap, common materials, by 15-16 year-old Physics students, from a Portuguese secondary school. Students had to plan the experiments, in small groups, to identify and estimate physical magnitudes and to explore how to maximize the solar thermal panel efficiency. The experimental activities took place in the school's playground, in a place where there were no obstacles to capturing solar radiation. Finally, students had to deal with experimental data acquisition and analysis, they had to prepare a report, as well as to answer a survey, to evaluate their learning success. Results show that students appreciated the proposed themes and activities, while having significant learning,namely in terms of conceptual evolution on concepts such as thermodynamic systems and energy transfer. We believe that these kinds of proposals contribute to improve students' literacy and knowledge in Science, to strengthen the student-teacher relationship, while contributing to raising conscious citizens. References Andrée, M. (2005). Ways of Using ‘Everyday Life' in the Science Classroom. Research and the Quality of Science Education 107-116. Dias, R. A., Mattos, C. R., & Balestieri, J. A. P. (2004). Energy education: breaking up the rational energy use barriers. Energy Policy, 32(11), 1339-1347.

Integration of NASA Research into Undergraduate Education in Math, Science, Engineering and Technology at North Carolina A&T State University

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Monroe, Joseph; Kelkar, Ajit

2003-01-01

The NASA PAIR program incorporated the NASA-Sponsored research into the undergraduate environment at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. This program is designed to significantly improve undergraduate education in the areas of mathematics, science, engineering, and technology (MSET) by directly benefiting from the experiences of NASA field centers, affiliated industrial partners and academic institutions. The three basic goals of the program were enhancing core courses in MSET curriculum, upgrading core-engineering laboratories to compliment upgraded MSET curriculum, and conduct research training for undergraduates in MSET disciplines through a sophomore shadow program and through Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs. Since the inception of the program nine courses have been modified to include NASA related topics and research. These courses have impacted over 900 students in the first three years of the program. The Electrical Engineering circuit's lab is completely re-equipped to include Computer controlled and data acquisition equipment. The Physics lab is upgraded to implement better sensory data acquisition to enhance students understanding of course concepts. In addition a new instrumentation laboratory in the department of Mechanical Engineering is developed. Research training for A&T students was conducted through four different programs: Apprentice program, Developers program, Sophomore Shadow program and Independent Research program. These programs provided opportunities for an average of forty students per semester.

Increasing Diversity at the PhD Level in Astronomy: The Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters-to-PhD Bridge Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stassun, Keivan; Holley-Bockelmann, K.; Berlind, A. A.

2013-01-01

We briefly review the current status of underrepresented minorities in the physical sciences: The underrepresentation of Black-, Hispanic-, and Native-Americans is an order of magnitude problem. We then describe the Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters-to-PhD Bridge program as a successful model for effective partnerships with minority-serving institutions toward addressing this problem. Since 2004 the program has admitted 60 students, 54 of them underrepresented minorities (60% female), with a retention rate of 92%. The program leads the nation in master’s degrees in physics for African Americans, is one of the top ten producers of physics master’s degrees among all US citizens in general, and has become the nation’s top producer of underrepresented minority PhDs in physics, astronomy, and materials science. We summarize the main features of the program including two of its core strategies: (1) partnering a minority-serving institution and a major research university through collaborative research, and (2) using the master’s degree as a deliberate stepping stone to the PhD. We also specifically discuss one of the emerging core theories of the program: the concept of properly identifying students with 'unrealized or unrecognized potential'. We discuss our methods to recognize and select for unrealized potential during the admissions process, and how we cultivate that unrealized potential toward development of successful scientists and leaders.

Alternative Framings, Countervailing Visions: Locating the "P" in Professional Identity Formation.

PubMed

Hafferty, Frederic W; Michalec, Barret; Martimianakis, Maria Athina Tina; Tilburt, Jon C

2016-02-01

Professional identity formation in medical education is referenced increasingly as an object for educational reform. The authors introduce core concepts from two largely untapped literatures on identity and formation, contrasting framings on occupational preparation from within the organizational socialization literature with issues of socialization and professional acculturation from a military sciences perspective.The organizational sciences literature emphasizes socializing a workforce to "fit in," raising questions about how organization values might clash with core professional values concerning patient primary and social justice. The military literature, in turn, advances the notions of professional identity as a collective property, and that a particular social other (the public) must participate in shaping the group's identity as a profession.The authors extrapolate from these reviews that the training of physicians-as-professionals, and thus issues of socialization and identity formation, require intentionality and specificity around these contrasting issues. In turn, they argue that medical educators must attend to socializing trainees to a professional group identity while at the same time producing health care professionals who retain the capacity to resist the bureaucratic application of standardized solutions to contemporary problems. Educators must thus strive to identify the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary that will allow physicians-qua-professionals to function as a quasi-subversive work force and to disrupt the very system that helped to shape their identity, so that they may fulfill their mission to their patients.

Science Teachers' Use of a Concept Map Marking Guide as a Formative Assessment Tool for the Concept of Energy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Won, Mihye; Krabbe, Heiko; Ley, Siv Ling; Treagust, David F.; Fischer, Hans E.

2017-01-01

In this study, we investigated the value of a concept map marking guide as an alternative formative assessment tool for science teachers to adopt for the topic of energy. Eight high school science teachers marked students' concept maps using an itemized holistic marking guide. Their marking was compared with the researchers' marking and the scores…

Supporting students in building interdisciplinary connections across physics and biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turpen, Chandra

2014-03-01

Our research team has been engaged in the iterative redesign of an Introductory Physics course for Life Science (IPLS) majors to explicitly bridge biology and physics in ways that are authentic to the disciplines. Our interdisciplinary course provides students opportunities to examine how modeling decisions (e.g. knowing when and how to use different concepts, identifying implicit assumptions, making and justifying assumptions) may differ depending on canonical disciplinary aims and interests. Our focus on developing students' interdisciplinary reasoning skills requires 1) shifting course topics to focus on core ideas that span the disciplines, 2) shifting epistemological expectations, and 3) foregrounding typically tacit disciplinary assumptions. In working to build an authentic interdisciplinary course that bridges physics and biology, we pay careful attention to supporting students in constructing these bridges. This course has been shown to have important impacts: a) students seek meaningful connections between the disciplines, b) students perceive relevance and utility of ideas from different disciplines, and c) students reconcile challenging disciplinary ideas. Although our focus has been on building interdisciplinary coherence, we have succeeded in maintaining strong student learning gains on fundamental physics concepts and allowed students to deepen their understanding of challenging concepts in thermodynamics. This presentation will describe the shifts in course content and the modern pedagogical approaches that have been integrated into the course, and provide an overview of key research results from this project. These results may aid physicists in reconsidering how they can meaningfully reach life-science students. This work is supported by NSF-TUES DUE 11-22818, the HHMI NEXUS grant, and a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (DGE 0750616).

Use of concept mapping to characterize relationships among implementation strategies and assess their feasibility and importance: results from the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) study.

PubMed

Waltz, Thomas J; Powell, Byron J; Matthieu, Monica M; Damschroder, Laura J; Chinman, Matthew J; Smith, Jeffrey L; Proctor, Enola K; Kirchner, JoAnn E

2015-08-07

Poor terminological consistency for core concepts in implementation science has been widely noted as an obstacle to effective meta-analyses. This inconsistency is also a barrier for those seeking guidance from the research literature when developing and planning implementation initiatives. The Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) study aims to address one area of terminological inconsistency: discrete implementation strategies involving one process or action used to support a practice change. The present report is on the second stage of the ERIC project that focuses on providing initial validation of the compilation of 73 implementation strategies that were identified in the first phase. Purposive sampling was used to recruit a panel of experts in implementation science and clinical practice (N = 35). These key stakeholders used concept mapping sorting and rating activities to place the 73 implementation strategies into similar groups and to rate each strategy's relative importance and feasibility. Multidimensional scaling analysis provided a quantitative representation of the relationships among the strategies, all but one of which were found to be conceptually distinct from the others. Hierarchical cluster analysis supported organizing the 73 strategies into 9 categories. The ratings data reflect those strategies identified as the most important and feasible. This study provides initial validation of the implementation strategies within the ERIC compilation as being conceptually distinct. The categorization and strategy ratings of importance and feasibility may facilitate the search for, and selection of, strategies that are best suited for implementation efforts in a particular setting.

Teaching for Conceptual Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kang, Nam-Hwa; Howren, Carrie

2004-01-01

One of the most difficult jobs of elementary school teachers is teaching science for conceptual understanding. Conceptual understanding requires students to organize facts and ideas into a meaningful concept in science. Facts and concepts form webs that can help students make connections between the concepts of science and their experiences.…

High School Science Teachers' Receptivity to the Next Generation Science Standards: An Examination of Discipline Specific Factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shapiro, Lesley Jacqueline

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), are the biggest change to American science education since the National Science Education Standards (NSES) were published. While inquiry was central to the NSES, science assessment largely addressed factual knowledge acquisition. The NGSS represent a significant practical change for teachers as they mark a return to the ideals specified in the National Science Education Standards (NSES) and Benchmarks for Science Literacy. The purpose of this explanatory sequential, mixed-methods study was to identify and compare the factors that influenced high school science teachers' receptivity to the curricular shifts necessitated by the adoption of the NGSS. The survey data identified three factors as significant predictors of teacher receptivity: teachers' non-monetary cost-benefit analysis, alignment between the NGSS and their current teaching style, and concerns about student readiness. To understand how these factors operate in the classroom, both receptive and non-receptive teachers were interviewed. In terms of cost-benefit analysis, all teachers agree that time is a significant cost. This includes the time it takes to adapt lessons to the NGSS, and the time it takes to teach in a way that integrates the three parts of the NGSS which are the practices of science and engineering, the crosscutting concepts, and the disciplinary core ideas. In terms of alignment between their teaching style and the NGSS, teachers talked about the lack of examples of what NGSS-aligned instruction looks like and the dearth of accessible high quality professional development. Finally, concerns about students' readiness focused on both inadequate preparation for college-level science coursework and deficits in science instruction in the lower grades.

Excellence and evidence in staffing: a data-driven model for excellence in staffing (2nd edition).

PubMed

Baggett, Margarita; Batcheller, Joyce; Blouin, Ann Scott; Behrens, Elizabeth; Bradley, Carol; Brown, Mary J; Brown, Diane Storer; Bolton, Linda Burnes; Borromeo, Annabelle R; Burtson, Paige; Caramanica, Laura; Caspers, Barbara A; Chow, Marilyn; Christopher, Mary Ann; Clarke, Sean P; Delucas, Christine; Dent, Robert L; Disser, Tony; Eliopoulos, Charlotte; Everett, Linda Q; Garcia, Amy; Glassman, Kimberly; Goodwin, Susan; Haagenson, Deb; Harper, Ellen; Harris, Kathy; Hoying, Cheryl L; Hughes-Rease, Marsha; Kelly, Lesly; Kiger, Anna J; Kobs-Abbott, Ann; Krueger, Janelle; Larson, Jackie; March, Connie; Martin, Deborah Maust; Mazyck, Donna; Meenan, Penny; McGaffigan, Patricia; Myers, Karen K; Nell, Kate; Newcomer, Britta; Cathy, Rick; O'Rourke, Maria; Rosa, Billy; Rose, Robert; Rudisill, Pamela; Sanford, Kathy; Simpson, Roy L; Snowden, Tami; Strickland, Bob; Strohecker, Sharon; Weems, Roger B; Welton, John; Weston, Marla; Valentine, Nancy M; Vento, Laura; Yendro, Susan

2014-01-01

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA, 2010) and the Institute of Medicine's (IOM, 2011) Future of Nursing report have prompted changes in the U.S. health care system. This has also stimulated a new direction of thinking for the profession of nursing. New payment and priority structures, where value is placed ahead of volume in care, will start to define our health system in new and unknown ways for years. One thing we all know for sure: we cannot afford the same inefficient models and systems of care of yesterday any longer. The Data-Driven Model for Excellence in Staffing was created as the organizing framework to lead the development of best practices for nurse staffing across the continuum through research and innovation. Regardless of the setting, nurses must integrate multiple concepts with the value of professional nursing to create new care and staffing models. Traditional models demonstrate that nurses are a commodity. If the profession is to make any significant changes in nurse staffing, it is through the articulation of the value of our professional practice within the overall health care environment. This position paper is organized around the concepts from the Data-Driven Model for Excellence in Staffing. The main concepts are: Core Concept 1: Users and Patients of Health Care, Core Concept 2: Providers of Health Care, Core Concept 3: Environment of Care, Core Concept 4: Delivery of Care, Core Concept 5: Quality, Safety, and Outcomes of Care. This position paper provides a comprehensive view of those concepts and components, why those concepts and components are important in this new era of nurse staffing, and a 3-year challenge that will push the nursing profession forward in all settings across the care continuum. There are decades of research supporting various changes to nurse staffing. Yet little has been done to move that research into practice and operations. While the primary goal of this position paper is to generate research and innovative thinking about nurse staffing across all health care settings, a second goal is to stimulate additional publications. This includes a goal of at least 20 articles in Nursing Economic$ on best practices in staffing and care models from across the continuum over the next 3 years.

Portsmouth Atmospheric Science School (PASS) Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coleman, Clarence D.; Hathaway, Roger (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The Portsmouth Atmospheric Science School Project (PASS) Project was granted a one-year no cost extension for 2001-2002. In year three of the project, objectives and strategies were modified based on the previous year-end evaluation. The recommendations were incorporated and the program was replicated within most of the remaining elementary schools in Portsmouth, Virginia and continued in the four middle schools. The Portsmouth Atmospheric Science School Project is a partnership, which includes Norfolk State University, Cooperating Hampton Roads Organizations for Minorities in Engineering (CHROME), NASA Langley Research Center, and the City of Portsmouth, Virginia Public Schools. The project seeks to strengthen the knowledge of Portsmouth Public Schools students in the field of atmospheric sciences and enhance teacher awareness of hands on activities in the atmospheric sciences. The project specifically seeks to: 1) increase the interest and participation of elementary and middle school students in science and mathematics; 2) strengthen existing science programs; and 3) facilitate greater achievement in core subjects, which are necessary for math, science, and technical careers. Emphasis was placed on providing training activities, materials and resources for elementary students (grades 3 - 5) and middle school students (grades 6 - 8), and teachers through a CHROME club structure. The first year of the project focused on introducing elementary students to concepts and activities in atmospheric science. Year two of the project built on the first year's activities and utilizes advanced topics and activities appropriate for middle school students. During the third year of the project, in addition to the approaches used in years one and two, emphasis was placed on activities that enhanced the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL).

An analysis of the New York State Earth Science Curriculum with respect to standards, classroom practices, and the Regents Examination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Contino, Julie Anna

In a standards-based system, it is important for all components of the system to align in order to achieve the intended goals. In New York State, standards are provided to the teachers who then create individual curricula that will lead to student success on the state assessment. This mixed methods study presents an analysis of the alignment between the National Science Education Standards (NSES), New York State Physical Setting/Earth Science Core Curriculum (Core Curriculum), and New York State Earth Science Regents Examination (Regents)---the sources teachers use for creating Earth Science curricula in New York State. The NSES were found to have a 49% overlap with the Core Curriculum and a 27% overlap with the Regents. The Core Curriculum and Regents, represented by matrices consisting of performance indicators and cognitive demands, were compared using the Porter alignment index. The alignment was 0.35, categorized as slightly aligned, due to the different emphases on cognitive levels (the Core Curriculum focused on Understand and Apply while the Regents focused on Apply followed by Understand and Remember). Additionally, a purposeful sample of experienced and innovative teachers were surveyed and interviewed to gain insight on how NYS Earth Science teachers organize their scope and sequences, align their lessons with the Core Curriculum, establish internal lesson coherence, and prepare their students for the Regents Exam. Teachers' scope and sequences were well-aligned with the Core Curriculum and Regents but misalignment was found between their lessons and the Core Curriculum as well as between the stated objectives for their students and evaluation of those objectives. Based on the findings, it is suggested that the NSES be revised and the Core Curriculum updated to include quantifiable emphasis on the major understandings such as percentage of time, as well as an emphasis on alignment principles. Teacher professional development focused on alignment issues relative to the state standards and enhancing internal lesson coherence should also be provided. The insights gained from this analysis of the NYS system may be helpful to other states as they move toward standards-based systems.

Shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy: principle and applications (Presentation Recording)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jian-Feng; Tian, Zhong-Qun

2015-08-01

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a powerful technique that yields fingerprint vibrational information with ultra-high sensitivity. However, only roughened Ag, Au and Cu surfaces can generate strong SERS effect. The lack of materials and morphology generality has severely limited the breadth of SERS practical applications on surface science, electrochemistry and catalysis. Shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS) was therefore invented to break the long-standing limitation of SERS. In SHINERS, Au@SiO2 core-shell nanoparticles were rationally designed. The gold core acts as plasmonic antenna and encapsulated by an ultra-thin, uniform and pinhole-free silica shell, can provide high electromagnetic field to enhance the Raman signals of probed molecules. The inert silica shell acts as tunneling barrier prevents the core from interacting with the environment. SHINERS has already been applied to a number of challenging systems, such as hydrogen and CO on Pt(hkl) and Rh(hkl), which can't be realized by traditional SERS. Combining with electrochemical methods, we has investigated the adsorption processes of pyridine at the Au(hkl) single crystal/solution interface, and in-situ monitored the surface electro-oxidation at Au(hkl) electrodes. These pioneering studies demonstrate convincingly the ability of SHINERS in exploring correlations between structure and reactivity as well as in monitoring intermediates at the interfaces. SHINERS was also explored from semiconductor surface for industry, to living bacteria for life science, and to pesticide residue detection for food safety. The concept of shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhancement is being applied to other spectroscopies such as infrared absorption, sum frequency generation and fluorescence. Jian-Feng Li et al., Nature, 2010, 464, 392-395.

Investigating inquiry beliefs and nature of science (NOS) conceptions of science teachers as revealed through online learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atar, Hakan Yavuz

Creating a scientifically literate society appears to be the major goal of recent science education reform efforts (Abd-El-Khalick, Boujaoude, Dushl, Lederman, Hofstein, Niaz, Tregust, & Tuan, 2004). Recent national reports in the U.S, such as Shaping the Future, New Expectations for Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (NSF,1996), Inquiry in Science and In Classroom, Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 2001), Pursuing excellence: Comparison of international eight-grade mathematics and science achievement from a U.S. perspective (NCES, 2001), and Standards for Science Teacher Preparation (NSTA 2003) appear to agree on one thing: the vision of creating a scientifically literate society. It appears from science education literature that the two important components of being a scientifically literate individual are developing an understanding of nature of science and ability to conduct scientific inquiries. Unfortunately, even though teaching science through inquiry has been recommended in national reports since the 1950's, it has yet to find its way into many science classrooms (Blanchard, 2006; Yerrick, 2000). Science education literature identfies several factors for this including: (1) lack of content knowledge (Anderson, 2002; Lee, Hart Cuevas, & Enders, 2004; Loucks-Horsely, Hewson, Love, & Stiles, 1998; Moscovici, 1999; Smith & Naele, 1989; Smith, 1989); (2) high stake tests (Aydeniz, 2006); (3) teachers' conflicting beliefs with inquiry-based science education reform (Blanchard, 2006; Wallace & Kang, 2004); and, (4) lack of collaboration and forums for communication (Anderson, 2002; Davis, 2003; Loucks-Horsely, Hewson, Love, & Stiles, 1998; Wallace & Kang, 2004). In addition to the factors stated above this study suggest that some of the issues and problems that have impeded inquiry instruction to become the primary approach to teaching science in many science classrooms might be related to teachers NOS conceptions. Developing desired understanding of nature of science conceptions and having an adequate experience with inquiry learning is especially important for science teachers because science education literature suggests that the development of teachers' nature of science conceptions is influenced by their experiences with inquiry science (Akerson et. al. 2000) and implementation of science lessons reflect teachers' NOS conceptions (Abd-EL-Khalick & Boujaoude, 1997; Matson & Parsons, 1998; Rosenthal, 1993; Trowbridge, Bybee & Powell, 2000; Turner & Sullenger, 1999). Furthermore, the impediments to successful integration of inquiry based science instruction from teachers' perspective are particularly important, as they are the implementers of inquiry based science education reform. The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between the teachers' NOS conceptions and their inquiry beliefs and practices in their classrooms and how this relationship impedes or contributes to the implementation of inquiry based science education reform efforts. The participants of this study were in-service teachers who were accepted into the online Masters Program in science education program at a southern university. Three online courses offered in the summer semester of 2005 constituted the research setting of this study: (1) Special Problems in the Teaching of Secondary School Science: Nature of Science & Science Teaching, (2) Curriculum in Science Education, and (3) Colloquium. Multiple data sources were used for data triangulation (Miles & Huberman, 1984; Yin, 1994) in order to understand the relationship between participants' NOS views and their conceptions and beliefs about inquiry-based science teaching. The study revealed that the relationship between the teachers' NOS conceptions and their inquiry beliefs and practices is far from being simple and linear. Data suggests that the teachers' sophistication of NOS conceptions influence their perception of inquiry science instruction in variety of ways. In a nutshell, these include: (1) The teachers become more confident in their ability to implement inquiry-based science classes; (2) Better understanding of NOS conceptions assists the teachers develop a higher appreciation of inquiry science instruction; (3) The teachers' misconceptions about nature of science appear to be connected to their misconceptions about inquiry science instruction; (4) A better understanding of NOS concepts seems to have stimulate the teachers to put more emphasis on some aspects of inquiry more than others; and (5) Sophistication of teachers' NOS conceptions influences their decisions about the type of inquiry they plan to incorporate in their instruction. This study also suggests that enhancing teachers' NOS conceptions should be among the main objectives of inquiry-based professional development programs and courses that are taught in science education programs. This study reveals that enhancing NOS conceptions helps teachers in their efforts to integrate inquiry into their instruction by boosting their confidence in their abilities to teach science through inquiry. This study reveals that especially teachers who lack strong science backgrounds and prior experience with inquiry science are at risk. Not having a strong background in science and lacking extensive experience with inquiry science negatively influences the teachers' confidence and thus delays their efforts to implement inquiry-based science lessons. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Reasoning strategies used by students to solve stoichiometry problems and its relationship to alternative conceptions, prior knowledge, and cognitive variables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Astudillo, Luisa Rojas; Niaz, Mansoor

1996-06-01

Achievement in science depends on a series of factors that characterize the cognitive abilities of the students and the complex interactions between these factors and the environment that intervenes in the formation of students' background. The objective of this study is to: a) investigate reasoning strategies students use in solving stoichiometric problems; b) explore the relation between these strategies and alternative conceptions, prior knowledge and cognitive variables; and c) interpret the results within an epistemological framework. Results obtained show how stoichiometric relations produce conflicting situations for students, leading to conceptual misunderstanding of concepts, such as mass, atoms and moles. The wide variety of strategies used by students attest to the presence of competing and conflicting frameworks (progressive transitions, cf. Lakatos, 1970), leading to greater conceptual understanding. It is concluded that the methodology developed in this study (based on a series of closely related probing questions, generally requiring no calculations, that elicit student conceptual understanding to varying degrees within an intact classroom context) was influential in improving student performance. This improvement in performance, however, does not necessarily affect students' hard core of beliefs.

Case for Building Informal Ontology of a Subject Matter at School Level Science Education with Community Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Datt, Sachin

2015-01-01

School science textbooks are an amalgamation of concepts collected from different fields of Science like Physics, Chemistry and Biology. The actual number of concepts in the different domains of science are enormous. Educationists have to make a decision of choosing some concept that they think are necessary for students to know at a certain age.…

Improvements to an Electrical Engineering Skill Audit Exam to Improve Student Mastery of Core EE Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parent, D. W.

2011-01-01

The San Jose State University Electrical Engineering (EE) Department implemented a skill audit exam for graduating seniors in 1999 with the purpose of assessing the teaching and the students' mastery of core concepts in EE. However, consistent low scores for the first years in which the test was administered suggested that students had little…

The effects of Roundhouse diagram construction and use on meaningful science learning in the middle school classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ward, Robin Eichel

This research explored the effects of Roundhouse diagram construction and use on meaningful learning of science concepts in a 6th-grade science classroom. This investigation examined the transformation of students' science concepts as they became more proficient in constructing Roundhouse diagrams, what problems students encountered while constructing Roundhouse diagrams, and how choices of iconic images affected their progress in meaningfully learning science concepts as they constructed a series of Roundhouse diagrams. The process of constructing a Roundhouse diagram involved recognizing the learner's relevant existing concepts, evaluating the central concepts for a science lesson and breaking them down into their component parts, reconstructing the learner's conceptual framework by reducing the amount of detail efficiently, reviewing the reconstruction process, and linking each key concept to an iconic image. The researcher collected and analyzed qualitative and quantitative data to determine the effectiveness of the Roundhouse diagram. Data included field notes, observations, students' responses to Roundhouse diagram worksheets, students' perceptions from evaluation sheets, students' mastery of technique sheets, tapes and transcripts of students' interviews, student-constructed Roundhouse diagrams, and documentation of science grades both pre- and post-Roundhouse diagramming. This multiple case study focused on six students although the whole class was used for statistical purposes. Stratified purposeful sampling was used to facilitate comparisons as well as week-by-week comparisons of students' science grades and Roundhouse diagram scores to gain additional insight into the effectiveness of the Roundhouse diagramming method. Through participation in constructing a series of Roundhouse diagrams, middle school students gained a greater understanding of science concepts. Roundhouse diagram scores improved over time during the 10-week Roundhouse diagramming session. Students' science scores improved as they became more proficient in constructing the Roundhouse diagrams. The major problems associated with constructing Roundhouse diagrams were extracting the main ideas from the textbook, understanding science concepts in terms of whole/part relationships, paraphrasing sentences effectively, and sequencing events in an accurate order. A positive relationship existed for the case study group based on students' choices and drawings of iconic images and the meaningful learning of science concepts.

The development of a digital logic concept inventory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herman, Geoffrey Lindsay

Instructors in electrical and computer engineering and in computer science have developed innovative methods to teach digital logic circuits. These methods attempt to increase student learning, satisfaction, and retention. Although there are readily accessible and accepted means for measuring satisfaction and retention, there are no widely accepted means for assessing student learning. Rigorous assessment of learning is elusive because differences in topic coverage, curriculum and course goals, and exam content prevent direct comparison of two teaching methods when using tools such as final exam scores or course grades. Because of these difficulties, computing educators have issued a general call for the adoption of assessment tools to critically evaluate and compare the various teaching methods. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education researchers commonly measure students' conceptual learning to compare how much different pedagogies improve learning. Conceptual knowledge is often preferred because all engineering courses should teach a fundamental set of concepts even if they emphasize design or analysis to different degrees. Increasing conceptual learning is also important, because students who can organize facts and ideas within a consistent conceptual framework are able to learn new information quickly and can apply what they know in new situations. If instructors can accurately assess their students' conceptual knowledge, they can target instructional interventions to remedy common problems. To properly assess conceptual learning, several researchers have developed concept inventories (CIs) for core subjects in engineering sciences. CIs are multiple-choice assessment tools that evaluate how well a student's conceptual framework matches the accepted conceptual framework of a discipline or common faulty conceptual frameworks. We present how we created and evaluated the digital logic concept inventory (DLCI).We used a Delphi process to identify the important and difficult concepts to include on the DLCI. To discover and describe common student misconceptions, we interviewed students who had completed a digital logic course. Students vocalized their thoughts as they solved digital logic problems. We analyzed the interview data using a qualitative grounded theory approach. We have administered the DLCI at several institutions and have checked the validity, reliability, and bias of the DLCI with classical testing theory procedures. These procedures consisted of follow-up interviews with students, analysis of administration results with statistical procedures, and expert feedback. We discuss these results and present the DLCI's potential for providing a meaningful tool for comparing student learning at different institutions.

Efficient Design and Analysis of Lightweight Reinforced Core Sandwich and PRSEUS Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bednarcyk, Brett A.; Yarrington, Phillip W.; Lucking, Ryan C.; Collier, Craig S.; Ainsworth, James J.; Toubia, Elias A.

2012-01-01

Design, analysis, and sizing methods for two novel structural panel concepts have been developed and incorporated into the HyperSizer Structural Sizing Software. Reinforced Core Sandwich (RCS) panels consist of a foam core with reinforcing composite webs connecting composite facesheets. Boeing s Pultruded Rod Stitched Efficient Unitized Structure (PRSEUS) panels use a pultruded unidirectional composite rod to provide axial stiffness along with integrated transverse frames and stitching. Both of these structural concepts are ovencured and have shown great promise applications in lightweight structures, but have suffered from the lack of efficient sizing capabilities similar to those that exist for honeycomb sandwich, foam sandwich, hat stiffened, and other, more traditional concepts. Now, with accurate design methods for RCS and PRSEUS panels available in HyperSizer, these concepts can be traded and used in designs as is done with the more traditional structural concepts. The methods developed to enable sizing of RCS and PRSEUS are outlined, as are results showing the validity and utility of the methods. Applications include several large NASA heavy lift launch vehicle structures.

Crossing the Threshold: Bringing Biological Variation to the Foreground

PubMed Central

Batzli, Janet M.; Knight, Jennifer K.; Hartley, Laurel M.; Maskiewicz, April Cordero; Desy, Elizabeth A.

2016-01-01

Threshold concepts have been referred to as “jewels in the curriculum”: concepts that are key to competency in a discipline but not taught explicitly. In biology, researchers have proposed the idea of threshold concepts that include such topics as variation, randomness, uncertainty, and scale. In this essay, we explore how the notion of threshold concepts can be used alongside other frameworks meant to guide instructional and curricular decisions, and we examine the proposed threshold concept of variation and how it might influence students’ understanding of core concepts in biology focused on genetics and evolution. Using dimensions of scientific inquiry, we outline a schema that may allow students to experience and apply the idea of variation in such a way that it transforms their future understanding and learning of genetics and evolution. We encourage others to consider the idea of threshold concepts alongside the Vision and Change core concepts to provide a lens for targeted instruction and as an integrative bridge between concepts and competencies. PMID:27856553

ICT and Constructivist Strategies Instruction for Science and Mathematics Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kong, Ng Wai; Lai, Kong Sow

2005-01-01

Concept learning in science and mathematics had often times been taught based on assumptions of alternative concepts or even in some instances based on misconceptions. Some educational researchers favour a constructivist approach in teaching science and mathematics. The constructivist literature existing makes use of alternative conceptions as…

Teaching Science for Understanding: Implications of Spontaneous Conceptions and the History of Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacDonald, Dougal

This study explored the usefulness of an approach to science instruction which specifically considered children's spontaneous conceptions about natural phenomena. The aim of the instruction was the development of conceptual understanding. The instructional approach involved diagnosing children's spontaneous conceptions, making them aware of their…

Relationships between Prospective Elementary Teachers' Classroom Practice and Their Conceptions of Biology and of Teaching Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Helen; Tabachnick, B. Robert; Hewson, Peter W.; Lemberger, John; Park, Hyun-Ju

1999-01-01

Discusses three prospective elementary teachers' conceptions of teaching science and selected portions of their knowledge base in life science. Explores how these teachers' conceptions, along with their teaching actions, developed during the course of a teacher-education program. Contains 21 references. (Author/WRM)

Turkish Preservice Elementary Science Teachers' Conceptions of Learning Science and Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs: Is There a Relationship?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bahcivan, Eralp; Kapucu, Serkan

2014-01-01

This study has been conducted to investigate conceptions of learning science (COLS) and personal science teaching efficacy belief (PSTE) of Turkish preservice elementary science teachers (PSTs) and to explore the relationship between these variables. Two instruments COLS questionnaire and PSTE subscale of Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs…

Understanding Science and Technology Interactions Through Ocean Science Exploration: A Summer Course for Science Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baldauf, J.; Denton, J.

2003-12-01

In order to replenish the national supply of science and mathematics educators, the National Science Foundation has supported the formation of the Center for Applications of Information Technology in the Teaching and Learning of Science (ITS) at Texas A&M University. The center staff and affiliated faculty work to change in fundamental ways the culture and relationships among scientists, educational researchers, and teachers. ITS is a partnership among the colleges of education, science, geosciences, agriculture and life science at Texas A&M University. Participants (teachers and graduate students) investigate how science is done and how science is taught and learned; how that learning is assessed, and how scholarly networks among all engaged in this work can be encouraged. While the center can offer graduate degrees most students apply as non-degree seekers. ITS participants are schooled on classroom technology applications, experience working on project teams, and access very current research work being conducted by scientists. ITS offers a certificate program consisting of two summer sessions over two years that results in 12 hours of graduate credit that can be applied to a degree. Interdisciplinary project teams spend three intense weeks connecting current research to classroom practices. During the past summer with the beginning of the two-year sequence, a course was implemented that introduced secondary teachers to Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) contributions to major earth science themes, using core and logging data, engineering (technology) tools and processes. Information Technology classroom applications were enhanced through hands-on laboratory exercises, web resources and online databases. The course was structured around the following objectives. 1. Distinguish the purpose and goals of the Ocean Drilling Program from the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program and describe the comparable science themes (ocean circulation, marine sedimentation, climate history, sea level change and geological time). This objective will be achieved by correctly answering 8 of 10 multiple choice items on course posttest on science themes of ODP/IODP. 2. Describe the technical tools and processes for determining sea level history by preparing and presenting a multimedia presentation on coring. 3. Describe the processes for describing a drill core and apply those processes to core samples from Leg 194 by developing a laboratory analysis report on core samples based on protocol for analyzing cores. 4. Explain the distinguishing features of scientific from industrial coring processes by developing a paper that contrasts scientific from industrial coring processes. 5. Describe the substructure of the ocean basin and the scientific tools (equipment and processes) used to explore this substructure by preparing and presenting a multimedia presentation on bore hole data interpretation. 6. Analyze and interpret data sets from a bore hole by developing a laboratory analysis report on bore-hole data. Student performance data for objectives indicate a 16% average positive change on the science themes addressed in instruction related to objective one occurred. Similarly, a 12% average positive change occurred on science education topics related to earth science among the students in this class. Ongoing contact between faculty members during the academic year is planned as these summer participants engage in implementing IT interventions and professional development experiences based on ocean science data experienced in the summer experience.

A Comparative Study of Hawaii Middle School Science Student Academic Achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Askew Cain, Peggy

The problem was middle-grade students with specific learning disabilities (SWDs) in reading comprehension perform less well than their peers on standardized assessments. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to examine the effect of electronic concept maps on reading comprehension of eighth grade students with SWD reading comprehension in a Hawaii middle school Grade 8 science class on the island of Oahu. The target population consisted of Grade 8 science students for school year 2015-2016. The sampling method was a purposeful sampling with a final sample size of 338 grade 8 science students. De-identified archival records of grade 8 Hawaii standardized science test scores were analyzed using a one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) in SPSS. The finding for hypothesis 1 indicated a significant difference in student achievement between SWDs and SWODs as measured by Hawaii State Assessment (HSA) in science scores (p < 0.05), and for hypothesis 2, a significant difference in instructional modality for SWDs who used concept maps and does who did not as measured by the Hawaii State Assessment in science (p < 0.05). The implications of the findings (a) SWDs performed less well in science achievement than their peers and consequently, and (b) SWODs appeared to remember greater degrees of science knowledge, and answered more questions correctly than SWDs as a result of reading comprehension. Recommendations for practice were for educational leadership and noted: (a) teachers should practice using concept maps with SWDs as a specific reading strategy to support reading comprehension in science classes, (b) involve a strong focus on vocabulary building and concept building during concept map construction because the construction of concept maps sometimes requires frontloading of vocabulary, and (c) model for teachers how concept maps are created and to explain their educational purpose as a tool for learning. Recommendations for future research were to conduct (a) a quantitative comparative study between groups for academic achievement of subtests mean scores of SWDs and SWODs in physical science, earth science, and space science, and (b) a quantitative correlation study to examine relationships and predictive values for academic achievement of SWDs and concept map integration on standardized science assessments.

Starchitect: Building Worlds and Learning Astronomy on Facebook and Beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harold, J. B.; Hines, D. C.

2014-12-01

Our team at the National Center for Interactive Learning at the Space Science Institute has developed Starchitect, an end-to-end stellar and planetary evolution game available both on Facebook and externally. Supported by NSF and NASA, the game uses the "sporadic play" model of games such as Farmville, where players might only take actions a few times a day, but continue playing for months. This framework is an excellent fit for teaching about the evolution of stars and planets. Players select regions of the galaxy to build their systems, and watch as they evolve in scaled real time (a million years to the minute). Massive stars will supernova within minutes, while lower mass stars like our sun will live for weeks, possibly evolving life before passing through a red giant stage and ending their lives as white dwarfs. Starchitect provides a wide variety of opportunities for communicating astronomy concepts, targeting known misconceptions, and encouraging players to dig deeper through external sites. The game directly addresses stellar lifecycles, habitable zones, and the roles of giant worlds in creating habitable solar systems as part of its core design. Meanwhile minigames can focus on additional concepts. For instance, the game's solar system visualization engine allows players to "fake" planetary scales to create more attractive images of their systems (which can then be posted to their Facebook wall), but this ability must be unlocked through completion of a minigame that looks at the relative scales of planets, moons, and solar system distances. Starchitect also incorporates current science through links to external content, science "Factlets", all-sky maps generated by missions, and more. Finally, the game is heavily instrumented to allow us to analyze the resulting gameplay in conjunction with Facebook's demographic data. This presentation will focus on the release, evaluation, and ongoing refinement of the game as well as its overall goals, which include reaching a broad audience with basic astronomy concepts as well as current science results; exploring the potential of social, "sporadic play" games in education; and determining if platforms such as Facebook allow us to reach significantly different demographics than are generally targeted by educational games.

The Nature of Paradigmatic Shifts and the Goals of Science Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, Paul A.

1983-01-01

Explains cognitive basis for change in science paradigms using Watson-Crick DNA model to illustrate concepts of "normal" versus "revolutionary" science. Examines these concepts in light of teacher preception of science, and discusses implications for the practice of science education. (JM)

Mastery of Content Representation (CoRes) Related TPACK High School Biology Teacher

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasution, W. R.; Sriyati, S.; Riandi, R.; Safitri, M.

2017-09-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the mastery of Content Representation (CoRes) teachers related to the integration of technology and pedagogy in teaching Biology (TPACK). This research uses a descriptive method. The data were taken using instruments CoRes as the primary data and semi-structured interviews as supporting data. The subjects were biology teacher in class X MIA from four schools in Bandung. Teachers raised CoRes was analyzed using a scoring rubric CoRes with coding 1-3 then categorized into a group of upper, middle, or lower. The results showed that the two teachers in the lower category. This results means that the control of teachers in defining the essential concept in the CoRes has not been detailed and specific. Meanwhile, two other teachers were in the middle category. This means that the ability of teachers to determine the essential concepts in the CoRes are still inadequate so that still needs to be improved.

Identity crisis - am I a librarian or a geologist? Why not both.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramdeen, S.

2015-12-01

As a doctoral candidate, in the 'early stages' of my professional career, I constantly have to remind people I actually already had a career. I am still in the early stages of my career as an academic and information scientist. But before starting my doctoral program, I worked as a geologist for 7 years. During that time I've worked on a drill rig and collected data in the field. I've described cores and cuttings in order to map aquifers. I wrote grants and worked on teams. Now, as an information scientist I look at how researchers access, discover and reuse existing data sets. It involves understanding how data is used, created, and how scientists think about finding data. It hasn't been an easy change, but lately the two domains are converging in the form of data scientists. The change in my career happened organically. The needs of my organization dictated the skills I developed. I thought these needs were just issues in my organization but then I found many other organizations asking the same question. Through the United States Geological Survey's National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program (NGGDPP), I met other geologists working with physical data, and dealing with access, discoverability, and data usage. I found a number of member communities within groups such as the Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP), the Research Data Alliance (RDA), EarthCube, and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) working to on similar questions related to earth science data. Most importantly, I have found that ideas and concepts from my experience with data curation, archives, reference, metadata, organization of information and other library science topics have prepared me to help find solutions to these questions. As the concept of libraries change, so too must the role of the librarian. With this presentation I will discuss my unique career path and how I believe domain sciences and information science can benefit from each other.

DSMS science operations concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Connally, M. J.; Kuiper, T. B.

2001-01-01

The Deep Space Mission System (DSMS) Science Operations Concept describes the vision for enabling the use of the DSMS, particularly the Deep Space Network (DSN) for direct science observations in the areas of radio astronomy, planetary radar, radio science and VLBI.

The influence of role-specific self-concept and sex-role identity on career choices in science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, Dale R.

Despite much effort on the part of educators the number of females who choose science careers remains low. This research focuses on two factors which may be influencing females in their choice of careers. These factors are role-specific self-concept in science and self perception in terms of stereotypical masculine and feminine characteristics. In addition logical ability and mathematics and science courses were also examined as factors in career choice. Females preferring science related careers and females preferring nontraditional careers such as police, military and trades were found to have a positive role-specific self-concept and a masculine perception of themselves. Females preferring traditional careers such as teacher or hairdresser had a poor role-specific self-concept and a more feminine perception of themselves. Males as a group were found to have a more positive role-specific self-concept than females. Logical ability was also related to a science career preference for both males and females. Males expected to take more higher level math courses than females, while females preferring science careers expected to take the most higher level science courses.

Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

The Microgravity Science Glovebox is a facility for performing microgravity research in the areas of materials, combustion, fluids and biotechnology science. The facility occupies a full ISPR, consisting of: the ISPR rack and infrastructure for the rack, the glovebox core facility, data handling, rack stowage, outfitting equipment, and a video subsystem. MSG core facility provides the experiment developers a chamber with air filtering and recycling, up to two levels of containment, an airlock for transfer of payload equipment to/from the main volume, interface resources for the payload inside the core facility, resources inside the airlock, and storage drawers for MSG support equipment and consumables.

Undergraduate students' earth science learning: relationships among conceptions, approaches, and learning self-efficacy in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Kuan-Ming; Lee, Min-Hsien; Tsai, Chin-Chung; Chang, Chun-Yen

2016-06-01

In the area of science education research, studies have attempted to investigate conceptions of learning, approaches to learning, and self-efficacy, mainly focusing on science in general or on specific subjects such as biology, physics, and chemistry. However, few empirical studies have probed students' earth science learning. This study aimed to explore the relationships among undergraduates' conceptions of, approaches to, and self-efficacy for learning earth science by adopting the structural equation modeling technique. A total of 268 Taiwanese undergraduates (144 females) participated in this study. Three instruments were modified to assess the students' conceptions of, approaches to, and self-efficacy for learning earth science. The results indicated that students' conceptions of learning made a significant contribution to their approaches to learning, which were consequently correlated with their learning self-efficacy. More specifically, students with stronger agreement that learning earth science involves applying the knowledge and skills learned to unknown problems were prone to possess higher confidence in learning earth science. Moreover, students viewing earth science learning as understanding earth science knowledge were more likely to adopt meaningful strategies to learn earth science, and hence expressed a higher sense of self-efficacy. Based on the results, practical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

An Analysis of Prospective Science Teachers' Understanding of the Nature of Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogunniyi, M. B.

1982-01-01

An instrument was developed to measure conceptions of the language of science held by prospective Nigerian science teachers (N=106) relative to conceptions held by seven selected science philosophers (Carnap, Frank, Hempel, Kemeny, Nagel, Nash, and Popper). Subjects did not endorse the language of science associated with a particular philosopher.…

Identification of Emerging Science Competencies in Agriculture. Vocational Education Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge. School of Vocational Education.

A research project identified new and emerging science concepts that should be taught in high school vocational agriculture. Agricultural scientists on an advisory panel identified the emerging science concepts. The majority were in the areas of plant science and animal science. Animal science was completely reorganized with greater emphasis on…

Using the core curriculum on childhood trauma to strengthen clinical knowledge in evidence-based practitioners.

PubMed

Layne, Christopher M; Strand, Virginia; Popescu, Marciana; Kaplow, Julie B; Abramovitz, Robert; Stuber, Margaret; Amaya-Jackson, Lisa; Ross, Leslie; Pynoos, Robert S

2014-01-01

The high prevalence of trauma exposure in mental health service-seeking populations, combined with advances in evidence-based practice, competency-based training, common-elements research, and adult learning make this an opportune time to train the mental health workforce in trauma competencies. The Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma (CCCT) utilizes a five-tiered conceptual framework (comprising Empirical Evidence, Core Trauma Concepts, Intervention Objectives, Practice Elements, and Skills), coupled with problem-based learning, to build foundational trauma knowledge and clinical reasoning skills. We present findings from three studies: Study 1 found that social work graduate students' participation in a CCCT course (N = 1,031) was linked to significant pre-post increases in self-reported confidence in applying core trauma concepts to their clinical work. Study 2 found significant pre-post increases in self-reported conceptual readiness (N = 576) and field readiness (N = 303) among social work graduate students participating in a "Gold Standard Plus" educational model that integrated classroom instruction in core trauma concepts, training in evidence-based trauma treatment (EBTT), and implementation of that EBTT in a supervised field placement. Students ranked the core concepts course as an equivalent or greater contributor to field readiness compared to standard EBTT training. Study 3 used qualitative methods to "distill" common elements (35 intervention objectives, 59 practice elements) from 26 manualized trauma interventions. The CCCT is a promising tool for educating "next-generation" evidence-based practitioners who possess competencies needed to implement modularized, individually tailored trauma interventions by strengthening clinical knowledge, clinical reasoning, and familiarity with common elements.

A systematic review of implementation frameworks of innovations in healthcare and resulting generic implementation framework.

PubMed

Moullin, Joanna C; Sabater-Hernández, Daniel; Fernandez-Llimos, Fernando; Benrimoj, Shalom I

2015-03-14

Implementation science and knowledge translation have developed across multiple disciplines with the common aim of bringing innovations to practice. Numerous implementation frameworks, models, and theories have been developed to target a diverse array of innovations. As such, it is plausible that not all frameworks include the full range of concepts now thought to be involved in implementation. Users face the decision of selecting a single or combining multiple implementation frameworks. To aid this decision, the aim of this review was to assess the comprehensiveness of existing frameworks. A systematic search was undertaken in PubMed to identify implementation frameworks of innovations in healthcare published from 2004 to May 2013. Additionally, titles and abstracts from Implementation Science journal and references from identified papers were reviewed. The orientation, type, and presence of stages and domains, along with the degree of inclusion and depth of analysis of factors, strategies, and evaluations of implementation of included frameworks were analysed. Frameworks were assessed individually and grouped according to their targeted innovation. Frameworks for particular innovations had similar settings, end-users, and 'type' (descriptive, prescriptive, explanatory, or predictive). On the whole, frameworks were descriptive and explanatory more often than prescriptive and predictive. A small number of the reviewed frameworks covered an implementation concept(s) in detail, however, overall, there was limited degree and depth of analysis of implementation concepts. The core implementation concepts across the frameworks were collated to form a Generic Implementation Framework, which includes the process of implementation (often portrayed as a series of stages and/or steps), the innovation to be implemented, the context in which the implementation is to occur (divided into a range of domains), and influencing factors, strategies, and evaluations. The selection of implementation framework(s) should be based not solely on the healthcare innovation to be implemented, but include other aspects of the framework's orientation, e.g., the setting and end-user, as well as the degree of inclusion and depth of analysis of the implementation concepts. The resulting generic structure provides researchers, policy-makers, health administrators, and practitioners a base that can be used as guidance for their implementation efforts.

The Development of Science Concept in Turkey and Effects of Constructivism on 2004 Primary Science Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Öztürk, Faruk

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to examine the development of science concept in Turkey. It is seen that the historical process of science concept in Turkey has developed within two stages. The first setting is the later stages of the Ottoman State and the Republican Era, at which time positivism was prevalent as noted in the objectives of the national…

Small Science: Infants and Toddlers Experiencing Science in Everyday Family Life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sikder, Shukla; Fleer, Marilyn

2015-06-01

Vygotsky (1987) stated that the restructured form of everyday concepts learned at home and in the community interact with scientific concepts introduced in formal school settings, leading to a higher level of scientific thinking for school-aged children. But, what does this mean for the scientific learning of infants and toddlers? What kinds of science learning are afforded at home during this early period of life? The study reported in this paper sought to investigate the scientific development of infants-toddlers (10 to 36 months) growing up in Bangladeshi families living in Australia and Singapore. Four families were studied over 2 years. Digital video observations were made of everyday family life and analysed using Vygotsky's theoretical framework of everyday concepts and scientific concepts (51 h of digital observations). While there are many possibilities for developing scientific concepts in infants-toddlers' everyday life, our study found four categories of what we have called small science: multiple possibilities for science; discrete science; embedded science and counter intuitive science. The findings of this study contribute to the almost non-existent literature into infants and toddlers' scientific development and advance new understandings of early childhood science education.

Parental influences on students' self-concept, task value beliefs, and achievement in science.

PubMed

Senler, Burcu; Sungur, Semra

2009-05-01

The aim of this study was twofold: firstly, to investigate the grade level (elementary and middle school) and gender effect on students' motivation in science (perceived academic science self-concept and task value) and perceived family involvement, and secondly to examine the relationship among family environment variables (fathers' educational level, mothers' educational level, and perceived family involvement), motivation, gender and science achievement in elementary and middle schools. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) showed that elementary school students have more positive science self-concept and task value beliefs compared to middle school students. Moreover, elementary school students appeared to perceive more family involvement in their schooling. Path analyses also suggested that family involvement was directly linked to elementary school students' task value and achievement. Also, in elementary school level, significant relationships were found among father educational level, science self-concept, task value and science achievement. On the other hand, in middle school level, family involvement, father educational level, and mother educational level were positively related to students' task value which is directly linked to students' science achievement. Moreover, mother educational level contributed to science achievement through its effect on self-concept.