Provides a model that maps out five stages of relating library and scientific research: (1) establish an interest; (2) narrow a topic; (3) clarify the variables; (4) refine the procedures; and (5) interpret the unexpected. Provides a student questionnaire for selecting a topic and a format for general note taking. (MDH)

Describes a senior-level capstone experience that integrates various communication and research skills to prepare chemistry majors for entry into graduate school and professional life. Contains 12 references. (WRM)

Most people are frustrated with the current scientific method presented in textbooks. The scientific method--a simplistic model of the scientific inquiry process--fails in most cases to provide a successful guide to how science is done. This is not shocking, really. Many simple models used in science are quite useful within their limitations. When…

"Chronicle of Higher Education" presents an abundant source of news and information for college and university faculty members and administrators. This June 3, 2005 issue of "Chronicle of Higher Education" includes the following articles: (1) "The Miraculous Sighting of a Vanished Bird" (Furman, Andrew); (2) "In…

Scientific and technical jargon--specialized vocabulary, usually Latinate--plays a vital role in scientific and technical communication. But its proper use continues to be a point of discussion because of our concern with audience adaptation, rhetorical exigence, rhetorical purpose, and ethics. We've focused on teaching students--and on convincing…

Representing a dramatic shift in education thinking, converging evidence now supports a reliance on findings from rigorous scientific research to guide education policy initiatives in the United States. Particularly for early reading instruction, scientific research has provided the framework for establishing the most effective measures for the…

In this keynote address presented at the Mid-western Educational Research Association Annual Meeting in October, 2004, the author discusses the increasing interest of federal policy-makers in scientifically-based research. A comparison between education and other disciplines is offered, and a proposal for increased rigor in educational research is…

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) believes that fundamental change is possible in the tradition-bound world of college and university science education and recently announced new grants to empower individual scientist-educators--the HHMI Professors--to develop innovative approaches for changing the way they teach biology to…

Corporate practices, such as advertising, public relations, lobbying, litigation, and sponsoring scientific research, have a significant impact on the health of the people in the United States. Recently, health professionals and advocates have created a new scope of practice that aims to modify corporate practices that harm health. This article…

"Name That Gene" is a simple classroom activity that incorporates bioinformatics (available biological information) into the classroom using "Basic Logical Alignment Search Tool (BLAST)." An excellent classroom activity involving bioinformatics and "BLAST" has been previously explored using sequences from bacteria, but it is tailored for college…

New science shows that exposure to toxins prenatally or early in life can have a devastating and lifelong effect on the developing architecture of the brain. Exposures to many chemicals have much more severe consequences for embryos, fetuses, and young children, whose brains are still developing, than for adults. Substances that can have a truly…

This study examines the attitudes of Asian-born scholars and scientists who have settled in the United States and their role in the international scientific and educational community. It is based on interviews with 46 scientists and scholars born in China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Nine chapters focus on: (1) Asian scholars…

This volume analyzes data from a National Science Foundation survey on the financial and human resources devoted to research and development (R&D) in the United States, and compares U.S. performance to that of other nations. After some general notes about National Science Foundation surveys and performer-reported bases, the text: (1)…

Intended for students aged 11 to 13 years, this is the true story of an Antarctic exploration as told by one of the participants. In 1956, he and two companions, along with a team of huskies started from the Australian base at Mawson, Antarctica and journeyed across the sea ice to locate the Douglas Islands and fix them on the map. The story tells…

Detailed statistical tables on federal funds for research and development (R&D) are provided in this document. Tables are organized into the following sections: research, development, and R&D plant; R&D--agency, character of work, and performer; total research--agency, performer, and field of science; basic research--agency, performer,…