There is a pressing need to improve the sustainability of educational improvement efforts, but sustainability remains undertheorized in science education. In this article, we draw upon frameworks from organizational culture and sustainability to characterize change within a single undergraduate science department. This in-depth longitudinal case…

The University of Delaware Department of Biological Sciences is in a period of change. Pressures, both internally and externally, are driving towards a greater teaching demand. The University of Delaware itself is under a leadership directive that has all departments focusing on performance goals along the lines of peer institutions from the…

This report provides data on the size of degree-granting physics and astronomy departments by examining the number of bachelor's degrees awarded and the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) faculty members employed. The benchmarking data in this report is intended to allow physics and astronomy departments to see how they fit in the national…

Some soil and crop science university programs undergo curricula revision to maintain relevancy with their profession and/or to attract the best students to such programs. The Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M University completed a thorough data gathering process as part of its revision of the undergraduate curriculum and…

Describes benefits and sacrifices of an accreditation program to a department. Discusses some negative effects of accreditation on chemical engineering curricula and what might be done to make improvements. (YP)

In 1991, a survey questionnaire concerning undergraduate education in physics was sent to a nationally representative sample of 597 four-year colleges and universities. Of these, 475 had an undergraduate physics department or a department with a physics program, and met the criteria for inclusion in the study. Responses were received from 450 of…

In 1991, a survey questionnaire concerning undergraduate education in geology was sent to a nationally representative sample of 597 four-year colleges and universities. Of these, 275 had an undergraduate geology department or a department with a geology program, and met the criteria for inclusion in the study. Responses were received from 262 of…

This is a directory devoted to undergraduate research in geology at private and public colleges and universities of the United States. It has been compiled from the responses to a questionnaire sent in late 1987 to the geology or earth science departments of 375 institutions. These departments were selected on the basis of the following criteria:…

Examines programmatic effects of undergraduate chemistry research programs, focusing on internal research funding at Pomona College. The two-phase funding plan is described, accompanied by commentary on the reasoning and philosophy which lie behind these procedures. (JN)

Describes the chemical engineering program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, including history of the department, faculty research interests and professional activities, graduate and undergraduate programs, and research in nuclear engineering. (SK)

This book contains the proceedings of the Third Topical Conference of Department Chairs in Physics. Topics of the papers summarized include: (1) research centers sponsored by the National Science Foundation; (2) physics programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels; (3) the use of accelerators in education and research; (4) approaches to…