Purpose: This paper describes a senior-level biomedical engineering course designed to educate students on primary literature analysis and effective scientific communication. The course integrates elements from both disciplines through in-class discussions of primary research articles and an innovative annotation project utilizing the Science in…

An important aspect of science education involves helping students learn to read and communicate scientific information and arguments. In this note, I would like to share a resource that I have come across which I have found to be a useful tool for helping students improve those skills, learn content material, and acquaint them with a great…

Over many years, the authors have inquired into the integration of science and literacy in primary grades. Students have used science notebooks as places to write and draw their scientific questions, predictions, observations, research notes, claims, reflections, and wonderings. At the same time, the authors have engaged their students in writers'…

As a chemistry teacher, Rosemary Davidson has found "infographics" (information graphics) successfully engage her students in science--not only in carrying out the research for classroom projects but also in presenting the results of their research to their peers. This article will help teachers integrate student-created infographics…

This paper reports on an innovative and action research project which focused on the use of the dictionary and the prior knowledge of Colombian high school students to improve their reading comprehension of short scientific texts. Data collection instruments included students' work gathered during two workshops, field notes, and a questionnaire.…

Scientifically literate citizens need to understand how scientists evaluate competing explanations. Likewise, students must learn to critically evaluate the quality of scientific knowledge and weigh alternative explanations. Regrettably, high school graduates often are not critically evaluative about scientific topics. To help remedy that, this…

Many federal agencies rely on print materials to convey important information to the public, and many of the materials are written at a 10th-grade reading level or above, further limiting those individuals with low literacy. As such, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) recommends the application of existing best practices for…

The utilization of biology research resources, coupled with a "learning by inquiry" approach, has great potential to aid students in gaining an understanding of fundamental biological principles. To help realize this potential, we have developed a Web portal for undergraduate biology education, WormClassroom.org, based on current research…

A summer program was created for undergraduates and graduate students that teaches bioinformatics concepts, offers skills in professional development, and provides research opportunities in academic and industrial institutions. We estimate that 34 of 38 graduates (89%) are in a career trajectory that will use bioinformatics. Evidence from…

Presents scientific and technical information related amateur radio operation, commonly called "ham" radios, and radio astronomy. (PR)

This report compiles scientific evidence and statistics on the health risks of weight loss interventions and is intended to help both professionals and consumers cope in healthful ways with the complex dilemmas of weight. The publication is organized into six chapters: (1) "Risks of Losing Weight"; (2) "Effectiveness of…

This manual, the second part of a guide to assist colleges in field-testing the survey instrument "Student Goals Exploration" (SGE), is a technical treatment for use by researchers. The SGE is a survey designed to measure student goals for attending college and for enrolling in specific courses. Section I, "About the Student Goals…

Traditionally engineers are not heaviest users of information resources. This can be traced to lack of emphasis on information sources in engineering education. Failure to use available knowledge leads to reinventing the wheel and losing the race for technological superiority. Few U.S. universities offer formal courses in information resources in…

Recently, three issues in particular have fueled controversies in environmental debate: ozone, dioxin, and global warming. This article examines how these issues have been characterized by journalists, scientists, and backlash authors. It is suggested that media backlash is threatening to undo public faith in scientific knowledge about global…