Education Commons^™

Toward A More Scientifically Literate Public, Michael Bass

UCF Forum

As a society we do a terrible job of educating our children to become scientifically literate. Sure, we have STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) programs throughout the country, and with some justification we can brag about the successes of students that are in or who have graduated from such learning experiences.

The Confluence Of Stem Education And Language Learning: Curriculum Integration To Benefit Language Learners, Christian Joseph Engelbret

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The number of elementary STEM schools has risen dramatically in the last decade. The national government has identified goals for preparing learners for the workforce in the STEM areas, while also decreasing the achievement gap between white students and their non-white peers. This research paper seeks to answer three central questions: 1) How can these various STEM disciplines be integrated in an effective and meaningful manner to improve both academic language and content area knowledge of English Learners? 2) What lesson design format best prepares teachers to implement a project-based or integrated curriculum? 3) How can partnerships between higher education …

You Kind Of Have To Prove It: Gender Microaggressions Within The Lived Experiences Of Women In Engineering, Crystal Rose Diaz-Espinoza

Doctoral Dissertations

This intrinsic case study explored the lived experiences of women within three engineering majors at a mid-sized institution in the Mid-Atlantic using gender microaggressions (Nadal, 2010; Sue, 2007) as a theoretical lens. Data included individual interviews with 28 participants as well as document review from Web pages and observations from physical spaces within the campus engineering building. Data analysis resulted in seven themes in congruence with Sue’s (2007) taxonomy of gender microaggressions and further established the three levels of gender microaggressions distinguished by Nadal (2010). Findings also revealed that barriers within engineering were less visible or outwardly sexist, and that …

Recipient Of The 2015 Alumni Titan Award, Michael Suh '97

Alumni Titan Award

Mr. Suh currently serves as the treasurer and chair of the Finance Committee for the IMSA Fund Board of Directors. Mr. Suh has been a loyal and generous donor to the IMSA Fund for 10 years. In 2006 he became an advocate for the IMSA Fund to establish an endowment program. His advocacy for “stability and investment” was a critical factor in influencing IMSA and the IMSA Fund to establish its first endowment. Mr. Suh graduated from the University of Chicago with a BA in Economics, Mathematics and Statistics and an Administration MBA from the University of Chicago in Analytic …

Recipient Of The 2015 Alumni Distinguished Leadership Award, Gabriel Demombynes '89

Alumni Distinguished Leadership Award

As an economist at the World Bank, Dr. Gabriel Demombynes works on issues of poverty and inequality in developing countries. He is best known for his work arguing for the greater use of the scientific method in evaluating international development programs. Together with co-author Michael A. Clemens, he published a groundbreaking critique of the Millennium Villages Project, a high-profile rural development project implemented in several communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Demombynes holds both a BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a BA from the Plan II Liberal Arts Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin, as well …

A Predictive Correlation Study: What Human Capital And Demographic Factors Relate To Credential Completion For Stem Students?, Rick Jenkins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examines the educational attainment of college STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) students in Arkansas in an attempt to identify the human capital factors that predict completion of a STEM degree or certificate. Students seeking STEM credentials (having STEM majors) were identified using the state higher education database from the state of Arkansas, including public four-year universities and two-year colleges. STEM students from 32 colleges and universities were included from three cohorts and tracked for six academic years. The criterion variable was STEM credential earned, whether or not the student earned any STEM undergraduate credentials. The predictor human …

Matched, Somewhat-Matched Or Mismatched? Predictors Of Degree-Job Match Among Stem Graduates, Taghreed Ahmed Alhaddab

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The current third-generation globalization caused structural, organizational and functional changes in the STEM workforce along with changes in human capital flow. The new globalization shift produced new world order causing the STEM workforce to adopt new frameworks, new skills, and new policy approaches to maintain economic strength and achieve growth and prosperity. Available data indicate that the U.S. secondary and postsecondary education system prepares and produce more than an adequate number of STEM graduates. The perceived crisis in the number of U.S. STEM graduates was not confirmed by any data or policy report. Thus, attention should not be caught simply …

Is Stem For All? Perspectives Of Black And Latino Students On Stem Motivation, Adrienne Coleman

Publications & Research

This presentation takes an intricate look at the factors that motivate gifted and talented Black and Latino students to engage in science, technology, engineering and mathematics(STEM). According to the literature, the U.S. workforce could employ as many as 140,000 additional Black and Latino college graduates in STEM fields annually if the gap in college completion by Blacks and Latinos closed to roughly match that of the White and Asian student graduation rates. Thus, the goal of this presentation is to inform administrators, educators, and programs of a 5-step motivation-based program that encourages Black and Latino students to engage in STEM.

Topic 6: Aristotelian Ethics: The Virtue Of Success, Lee Eysturlid

Considerations in Ethics

No abstract provided.

What I Taught My Stem Instructor About Teaching: What A Deaf Student Hears That Others Cannot, Annemarie Ross, Randy K. Yerrick

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Overall, science teaching at the university level has remained in a relatively static state. There is much research and debate among university faculty regarding the most effective methods of teaching science. But it remains largely rhetoric. The traditional lecture model in STEM higher education is limping along in its march toward inclusion and equity. The NGSS and Common Core reform efforts do little to help university science teachers to change their orientation from largely lecture-driven practice with laboratory supplements. While it is impossible to address all diverse student groups, the need for accommodations tend to be overlooked. As a Deaf …

Issues In Modern Genomics, Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll

Considerations in Ethics

Breaking News or Science Fiction?

• CRISPR technology, a way to use bacterial proteins to make precise, targeted changes to the DNA of living cells, is under development by multiple scientists.
• The subsequent release of the process and data surrounding it has scientists around the world proclaim that a “new era” of in Molecular Biology has begun.

Assessing Student Perceptions Of Indigenous Science Co-Educators, Interest In Stem, And Identity As A Scientist: A Pilot Study, Sarah Alkholy, Fidji Gendron, Tanya Dahms, Maria Pontes Ferreira

Nutrition and Food Science Faculty Research Publications

Minorities are underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce, post-secondary STEM education, and show high academic attrition rates. Academic performance and retention improve when culturally relevant support is provided. The interface of Western science and Indigenous science provides an opportunity for bridging this divide. We hypothesized that there would be regional (U.S.A. vs. Canada) differences amongst post-secondary students regarding these variables: perceptions of traditional Elders as STEM co-educators; interest in STEM; and self-identity as a scientist. We conducted a short-term longitudinal pilot study of an interdisciplinary, multi-institutional, and cross-cultural STEM course in the spring of 2013. This …

Big Ideas “Ted” Talk Session: Inspiring Innovation And Inquiry, Lawrence Bergie, Britta W. Mckenna

Lawrence Bergie

The day will begin with six stories from innovative school districts, told in a short, engaging, “TED” talk format. After each story, David Chan and Henry Thiele will lead a time of reflection, sharing ideas, thoughts and connections. School professionals will share their stories about themes including: Inspiring Innovation and Inquiry.

Undergraduate Research In Georgia Classrooms, Courtney Hartman, Jessica Davis, Meredith Eby, Meca Williams-Johnson, Yasar Bodur

Georgia Educational Research Association Conference

Despite considerable research describing the positive outcomes of including undergraduate students in research inquiry and investigations (Desai, Gatson, Stiles, Stewart, Laine, & Quick, 2008; Narayanan, 1999; Russell, Hancock, & McCullough, 2007), very little action is taken to include education majors in research endeavors. While universities are seeking to find ways to include students earlier and more often in research projects, students’ perspectives on conducting their own research is overwhelmingly overlooked. The purpose of this symposium is to introduce undergraduate research in education to GERA and to expose these students to conference presentations.

In recent years, the College of Education at …

Big Ideas “Ted” Talk Session: Inspiring Innovation And Inquiry, Lawrence Bergie, Britta W. Mckenna

Publications & Research

The day will begin with six stories from innovative school districts, told in a short, engaging, “TED” talk format. After each story, David Chan and Henry Thiele will lead a time of reflection, sharing ideas, thoughts and connections. School professionals will share their stories about themes including: Inspiring Innovation and Inquiry.

Moving Education In2 The Future: Creating The Next Generation Of Innovators, Lawrence Bergie, Britta W. Mckenna

Publications & Research

What started as planning for the next generation of inquiry-based learning led to an entirely new center for innovation and entrepreneurship! Hear how this innovative idea moved to the design of a physical innovation hub and see how IMSA has transformed a former computer lab IN2 a working prototype of their future space.

Dive into the many aspects of creating innovation spaces: design process, STEM foundation and entrepreneurship cornerstone, Makerspace development through a student leadership and service initiative, collaboration potential with community partners and local/regional business entities, student inquiry and research potential and the ability to showcase area emerging technology …

Transforming Institutions: Undergraduate Stem Education For The 21st Century, Gabriela C. Weaver, Wilella D. Burgess, Amy L. Childress, Linda Slakey

Purdue University Press Books

Higher education is coming under increasing scrutiny, both publically and within academia, with respect to its ability to appropriately prepare students for the careers that will make them competitive in the 21^st-century workplace. At the same time, there is a growing awareness that many global issues will require creative and critical thinking deeply rooted in the technical STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines. However, the existing and ingrained structures of higher education, particularly in the STEM fields, are not set up to provide students with extensive skill development in communication, teamwork, and divergent thinking, which is needed …

Give Up, Catch Up, Or Keep Up With Innovation? An Educator's Dilemma, Britta W. Mckenna

Publications & Research

Don't look now, but your students want more than the three R's for their school experience. Innovation, technology, entrepreneurship and the Maker Movement are changing what our students want to do and be in the future beyond what we can imagine today. Schools and teachers need to figure out how to respond to the DIY generation of makers emerging and be prepared to reshape education. In an information-rich age of smart phones, online learning, coding, gamification, apps, Internet of Things and digital badges, are today's schools ready for tomorrow's students?

Evolution Practice 2, Imsa Biology Team

Evolution

Evolution Problems

Genetic Drift Simulation, Imsa Biology Team

Evolution

Genetic drift can be defined as a random fluctuation in gene frequency. More specifically, it tells us that different alleles may increase or decrease in a population in proportion to one another over time, just by chance, rather than due to any fitness advantage.

Mechanisms And Speciation 2: Evolution On The Web Questions, Imsa Biology Team

Evolution

The website below, sponsored by UC Berkeley, is a reliable source for information about evolution. This will give you the introductory information about the mechanisms of Evolution.

Mechanisms And Speciation 1: The Modern Synthesis, Imsa Biology Team

Evolution

The Modern Synthesis or Synthetic Theory of Evolution is an explanation of evolution that is based on modern genetic principles. According to the Modern Synthesis (a.k.a. Neo-Darwinism):

Evidence Of Evolution 2: Definitions For Evolutionary Evidence Lab, Imsa Biology Team

Evolution

This lab activity was designed to provide you with opportunities to make inferences and draw conclusions about evolution and the common ancestry of various animals based on their anatomical characteristics and comparative anatomy. You will be given tasks to accomplish or questions to answer at each of 11 stations. In order to do this successfully, you must make careful observations of the specimens on display. You must also know the following definitions before beginning this activity:

Evolution Practice 1, Imsa Biology Team

Evolution

Answer the following questions using information from the handouts, and examples from the LAB

Evidence Of Evolution 1: Structures, Imsa Biology Team

Evolution

In order to investigate linage, evolutionary history, and common ancestry, you need to be familiar with the following structures.

Essential Questions, Imsa Biology Team

Evolution

In order to understand the current state of biological life and how it has changed over time, the following questions must be addressed:

Evidence Of Evolution 3: Evolutionary Evidence And Inferences Lab: A Discussion Guide, Imsa Biology Team

Evolution

This lab activity was designed to provide you with opportunities to make inferences and draw conclusions about evolution and the common ancestry of various animals based on their anatomical characteristics and comparative anatomy. You will be given tasks to accomplish or questions to answer at each of 11 stations. In order to do this successfully, you must make careful observations of the specimens on display.

Sequencing Techniques: A Comparison Assignment, Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll

Sequencing & Genome Mining

With your partner, create some sort of visual (table, map, chart, other, ask me!) that compares the main types of sequencing that we discussed, as well as two of the techniques considered 'next generation'.

Discussion Questions: Genome Mining, Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll

Sequencing & Genome Mining

No abstract provided.

Alignment Information, Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll

Sequence Alignments

Pairwise DNA alignment is frequently used to identify similar regions that will show how two sequences have functional or structural similarities. It can also be used to show how exons and introns change between different sequences and whether they have an effect on the final structure of the RNA after the DNA is processed within a cell.