Journal of College Science Teaching articles from July 2009

Journal of College Science Teaching archives from July 2009

Parting shot.(HEADLINE SCIENCE)(Brief article)
July 1, 2009... The Hubble community bids farewell to the soon-to-be decommissioned Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) onboard the Hubble Space Telescope. In tribute to Hubble's longest-running optical camera, a planetary nebula has been imaged as WFPC2's...

Light speed ahead?(HEADLINE SCIENCE)
July 1, 2009... Can traveling at warp speed ever become a reality? Two Baylor University physicists believe they have an idea that can turn traveling at the speed of light from science fiction to science, and their idea does not break any laws of physics. ...

Immune system has legs.(HEADLINE SCIENCE)
July 1, 2009... How do white blood cells get to the site of infection or injury? They must crawl swiftly along the lining of the blood vessel--gripping it tightly to avoid being swept away in the blood flow--all the while searching for temporary "road signs"...

Experimental population genetics in the introductory genetics laboratory using Drosophila as a model organism.(Report)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Population genetics is the interface of ecology and evolution. Historical and recent events (e.g., gene flow, population declines or expansions, selection, speciation) can be inferred from present allele frequencies...

Introducing scientific writing to students early in their academic careers.(Report)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The ability to effectively convey scientific concepts through writing is vital for the broad dissemination of new scientific discoveries. Recently, training of undergraduates in scientific writing has been...

Student-centered learning in an Earth science, preservice, teacher-education course.(Report)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Elementary education majors do not generally have the best attitudes toward science. In a poll of 70 students taken at the beginning of the semester for the last three semesters, 27 liked science, 23 did not, and 20...

Connecting mathematics and science: a learning community that helps math-phobic students.
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Five years ago, a survey of first-year students at a small liberal arts college in Maine revealed some very interesting results. The survey revealed that students really liked biology courses, yet they did not like...

Taking ownership of learning in a large class: group projects and a mini-conference.(Report)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Helping students take ownership of their learning is often a challenge in a large lecture course. Though research suggests that students must take an active role in knowledge construction to achieve true...

Current research: summer reading suggestions.(Recommended readings)
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To supplement your summer reading, NSTA's affiliates would like to suggest some recent articles on education research. These articles cover a variety of topics that include diversity, technology, and science teacher...

And the winners are ... award-winning science books of 2008.
July 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Most people are probably familiar with major literary awards such as the Nobel Prize for Literature, Pulitzer Prizes, National Book Awards, Booker Prizes, and the Caldecott and Newbery awards for children's...

Cats have nine lives, but only one liver: the effects of acetaminophen.(CASE STUDY)
July 1, 2009... One goal of undergraduate organic chemistry is to train students so that they can write mechanisms for reactions using curved arrows to indicate the flow of electrons. It is a challenge to motivate students to learn how to write reaction...

Scaffolding the unbelievable: understanding light and vision.(FAVORITE DEMONSTRATION)
July 1, 2009... Many of my students profess that they understand the law of reflection and can "prove" it by shining a light beam toward a mirror and demonstrating that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection (Meltzer and Espinoza 1997). My...

Bewilderment disorder.(Short story)
July 1, 2009... Once upon a time in a land far from here, there lived a farmer's son. Stu was a hard-working and pleasant lad, always willing to put his shoulder against any project. He was cheerful, friendly, strong, and obedient, happy to do as he was asked...

Creating hybrid communities using inquiry as professional development for college science faculty.(RESEARCH and TEACHING)(Report)
July 1, 2009... The Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education (CSMEE) has suggested that science faculty encourage graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to think seriously about quality teaching of undergraduates. The center also...

Student learning in a project-based molecular biology course.(RESEARCH and TEACHING)(Report)
July 1, 2009... Have you ever undertaken a major curriculum reform and later wondered whether it was worth the effort? This report seeks to answer that question for a molecular biology course by using long-term learning assessment to evaluate the effectiveness...

Wearing too many hats.(SCST: SOCIETY FOR COLLEGE SCIENCE TEACHERS)
July 1, 2009... Writing this column has taken me several starts--partly because I am new to the art of writing an editorial column and wasn't really sure what direction to take it, and partly because every time I start writing (including writing the first two...

A curious thing happened on the way to constructivism ...(POINT OF VIEW)
July 1, 2009... I worked closely with four graduate teaching assistants to design and deliver a biology laboratory program based on constructivist learning theory, specifically the incorporation of cooperative learning, guided-inquiry, and long-term group...