Journal of College Science Teaching articles from November 2005

Journal of College Science Teaching archives from November 2005

No time for complacency.(fewer U.S. citizens choosing scientific and engineering careers)(Editorial)
November 1, 2005... Have you ever considered writing a film script to supplement your salary? If not, it may be a good time to begin. The Air Force Office of Scientific Research funds a project enabling the American Film Institute in Los Angeles to try to teach a...

A new era for NSTA conventions: a message from the NSTA president.(National Science Teachers Association)
November 1, 2005... For more than 53 years, NSTA conventions have been a hallmark of the association. Our first convention was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1952 and consisted of 617 teacher participants and a handful of presentations. We've visited scores...

Students, butterflies, and cancer.
November 1, 2005... It isn't always easy for me to relate to my students. While many of my students are not yet 20 years old, they often have spouses, children, and full-time jobs--things that were beyond my experience when I was their age. At the same time, most...

The business end of cases.(case studies in business education)
November 1, 2005... No, this isn't an article on how to make a fortune writing case studies. And it isn't a financial analysis of what would happen if you suddenly gave up lecturing in favor of the case study approach or wanted to be a poster child for active...

Unsafe air.(air pollution leads to early death)
November 1, 2005... We may be significantly underestimating air pollution's role in causing early death, says a team of researchers who just finished analyzing 20 years of data from locales around Los Angeles. Taking in 260 L.A. neighborhoods, the epidemiologists...

The ER and the Red Sox.(medical emergency)
November 1, 2005... When is a medical emergency really an emergency? Not during key Boston Red Sox games, report investigators from Children's Hospital Boston in a letter published in the October issue of Annals of Emergency Medicine. Although previous studies...

Warming oceans.(Headline Science)
November 1, 2005... Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) say the number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes (called typhoons or cyclones in other parts of the world) worldwide has nearly doubled...

Moving from content knowledge to engagement.(National Science Education Standards)
November 1, 2005... Combining service learning with environmental and science issues allows students to move beyond awareness toward engagement. The action team service project requires students to build in-depth knowledge, apply skills directly related to taking...

Throwing paper wads in the chemistry classroom: really active student learning.
November 1, 2005... It is well-known that too many students learn to "plug and chug" formulas while gaining very little concomitant understanding of the underlying concepts. Active engagement in the classroom is one of the best tools available for overcoming...

Effectiveness of a lab manual delivered on CD-ROM.
November 1, 2005... Although electronic instructional media are becoming increasingly prevalent in science classrooms, their worth remains unproven. We assessed student perceptions and performance using CD-ROM delivery of lab materials and discovered numerous...

LabWrite: transforming lab reports from busy work to meaningful learning opportunities.
November 1, 2005... Lab reports are the dreaded assignments of the laboratory course. Students dislike them, because they can be tedious and time-consuming. Instructors dislike them, because they significantly increase the grading load. For this reason, lab...

Changing the learning environment in large general education astronomy classes.
November 1, 2005... The gradual, ongoing transformation of a large general education astronomy class is presented. Emphasis is on student reaction to and academic impact of changes in the teaching/learning environment introduced over a five-year period. In-class,...

The ESA21 project: a model for civic engagement.
November 1, 2005... Making the content of a course interesting to students can be quite a challenge for an instructor. Making the content of a required general education science course interesting to nonscience majors can be near to impossible. A lack of interest...

MOS: the critical elements of doing effective classroom demonstrations.(Favorite Demonstration)(Minds-On-Science)
November 1, 2005... The basis of the JCST Favorite Demonstration Column is to promote the use of classroom demonstrations in college science teaching. Demonstrations can be an integral component of a student's classroom experience. Plus, they are an entertaining...

Is academic freedom a threat to teaching introductory science?
November 1, 2005... Recently, Graves (2005) suggested that academic freedom might impede efforts to improve institutional performance and achieve the goals set for learning outcomes, cost efficiency, and preparing students for the workplace. My initial response to...

Guide to the Seashells of the World.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... Guide to the Seashells of the World A.P.H. Oliver. 2004. 320 pp. $19.95. Firefly Books, Toronto, Ontario. ISBN: 1552979431. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Whenever a lesson centers on classification, the room seems to fill with...

The Joy of Chemistry: The Amazing Science of Familiar Things.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... The Joy of Chemistry: The Amazing Science of Familiar Things Cathy Cobb and Monty L. Fetterolf. 2005. 393 pp. $26. Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY. ISBN: 1591022312. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Joy of Chemistry is a real joy to...

Groundbreaking Scientific Experiments, Inventions, & Discoveries of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... Groundbreaking Scientific Experiments, Inventions, & Discoveries of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance Robert E. Krebs. 2004. 315 pp. $65. Greenwood Press, Westport, CT. ISBN: 0313324336. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The history of...

Guide to the Human Body.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... Guide to the Human Body Richard Walker. 2004. 192 pp. $14.95. Firefly Books, Toronto, Ontario. ISBN: 1552978796. Most books on human anatomy, physiology, and medicine are large and heavy, filled with pages of information. That's...

Guide to the Oceans.(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... Guide to the Oceans John Pernetta. 2004. 240 pp. $19.95. Firefly Books, Toronto, Ontario. ISBN: 1552979423. Perhaps our planet Earth is misnamed; 70% is covered with water. Guide to the Oceans provides a comprehensive review of...

Annus Mirabilis: 1905, Albert Einstein, and the Theory of Relativity.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... Annus Mirabilis: 1905, Albert Einstein, and the Theory of Relativity John Gribbin and Mary Gribbin. 2005. 310 pp. $25.95. Penguin Books, New York, NY. ISBN: 1596091444. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Annus Mirabilis provides an...

Circuits in the Sea: The Men, The Ships, and the Atlantic Cable.(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... Circuits in the Sea: The Men, The Ships, and the Atlantic Cable Chester G. Hearn. 2004. 280 pp. $39.95. Praeger, Westport, CT. ISBN: 0275982319. All historical accounts are selective. Since the laying of the first transatlantic...

Ninth Circle: A Memoir of Life and Death in Antarctica, 1960-1962.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... Ninth Circle: A Memoir of Life and Death in Antarctica, 1960-1962 John C. Behrendt. 2005. 240 pp. $29.95. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, NM. ISBN: 0826334253. Students see scientists in laboratories performing...

Copies in Seconds.(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... Copies in Seconds David Owen. 2005. 306 pp. $13. Simon and Schuster, New York, NY. ISBN: 0743251180. American inventor Chester Carlson (1906-1968) is the subject of this new biography, which describes the development of the plain...

Journey to Planet Earth: Future Conditional.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... Journey to Planet Earth: Future Conditional Screenscope. 2005. $149. Screenscope, Washington, DC. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Humans will be faced with enormous challenges in the future and environmental success depends on the...

Announcing a new era in science learning for tomorrow's science teaching ...
November 1, 2005... For 53 years, we've invited science educators to join the National Science Teachers Association at our annual convention... for the sessions, the speakers, the networking, the exhibit hall, the field trips, the short courses, the meetings, and...