Science Education & Policy

Rules For Government Scientific Integrity

The politics of science is about more than just funding and science-based policy decisions: governments, and in particular the US Federal Government, are into science education in a big way, whether you like it or not. In fact, it's hard to see how th ...

Article - Michael White - May 19 2009 - 5:00pm

Creationism Down For Another Year In Missouri

Here in Missouri, the annual intelligent design bill has died with the end of the legislative session. Every year, several representatives from Missouri's rural areas introduce some sort of creationism bill. This year, the bill contained the latest an ...

Article - Michael White - May 22 2009 - 4:26pm

Gender Gap Closing In Science Faculties

When women  apply for faculty positions in math, science, and engineering at major research universities, they are interviewed and hired at rates equal to or higher than those for men, says a new report from the National Research Council.   Women are stil ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 2 2009 - 9:47am

Your Thoughts Needed on Blogs, Big Physics, and Breaking News

In four weeks I will speak at a very interesting session of the World Conference on Science Journalism 2009, an event that takes place in London from June 30th to July 4th. Together with James Gillies (head of Communication at the CERN laboratories) and Ma ...

Blog Post - Tommaso Dorigo - Jun 6 2009 - 8:43am

With All The Talk About Empowering Girls, Boys Are Getting Neglected

Both boys and girls have issues but boys are  getting a raw deal, according to Judith Kleinfeld, professor of psychology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the US. It's commonplace to hear about gender-specific issues involving girls but when th ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 8 2009 - 11:19am

Academic Science Careers Bad For Women?

This study on "Gender Differences at Critical Transitions in the Careers of Science" is now old news, but it hasn't answered many of the questions we're interested in about women in academic science careers. Women in 2004 and 2005 at t ...

Article - Michael White - Jun 12 2009 - 1:51pm

How Well Do You Know Anatomy?

A study of patients and members of the public has shown that most lack even basic knowledge of human anatomy. The research, featured in the journal BMC Family Practice, found that people were generally incapable of identifying the location of major organs, ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 11 2009 - 7:43pm

Science Journalism: Hype is the Problem

I largely agree with this (subscription required for full text): The media not only influence public perceptions but also shape and reflect the policy debate. Few decisions are made by policymakers and stakeholders without the media in mind. Given this rol ...

Blog Post - Michael White - Jun 16 2009 - 12:23pm

Nature Methods Gets Drosophila Wrong

Drosophila can't catch a break.  Even Nature, which never runs a press release about one of its studies without putting 'prestigious' in front of its name, fell prey to a glaring error regarding the little critter, as seen on the cover of Na ...

Blog Post - Hank Campbell - Oct 12 2010 - 8:04pm

Failing To Cure Cancer By Playing It Safe?

The biomedical community has become too risk-averse, according to a recent NY Times piece. I agree, although I don't agree with the dramatic presentation (it's not some dirty scientific secret- it's not hard to find scientists, and the leade ...

Article - Michael White - Jun 30 2009 - 5:38pm