Science Education & Policy

Science And Journalism: Scientists Engage Journalists More Than Is Perceived

Are scientists press shy?    Are researchers who engage journalists ridiculed by other researchers as not serious enough?    No, according to a new study by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers in Journalism&Mass Communication Quarterly- the dif ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 9 2009 - 7:02pm

Not Even Kafka Could Have Invented The Grant Review System

Peter Lawrence in PLoS Biology writes about the story of K.: ...

Article - Michael White - Sep 15 2009 - 4:06pm

Conservation Of Momentum For Pre-Schoolers

In creating a science site for kids (that would be Kids Science Zone- if you haven't written anything there, feel free to do so), the majority of comments I have gotten have been likely about the same as I would have gotten if I had opened up this sit ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Sep 16 2009 - 5:26pm

The Black Forest of Equations

Having returned from a Polymer Physics conference a couple of days ago, I felt the need to read one of the masters of the subject, Nobel laureate Pierre-Gilles de Gennes.   I came across this gem: Fragile Objects: Soft Matter, Hard Science and the Thrill o ...

Blog Post - Robert H Olley - Sep 18 2009 - 2:44pm

The Science Of Education- Is Human Interaction Better Than Videos?

There's no shortage of new theories about how kids help to learn better.   Unfortunately when it comes to kids and education, the only way to measure success is after the fact when it may already be too late. Recent work is focusing on social learning ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 23 2009 - 9:40am

In Language, 'Use It Or Lose It' More Like 'Riding A Bike'

If you learn a foreign language when you are young but the exposure to that language is brief and you don't get to hear or practice it subsequently, does the neglected language fade away from our memory? Yes, forgetting is forgetting, has been the bel ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 24 2009 - 9:59am

How To Be Einstein Without Being A Genius

Very sound advice from systems biologist Uri Alon: A common mistake made in choosing problems is taking the first problem that comes to mind. Since a typical project takes years even it if seems doable in months, rapid choice leads to much frustration and ...

Article - Michael White - Sep 25 2009 - 11:41pm

NIH Affirmative Action on R01s?

The NIH has made public how often they fund grants below the payline. 18% of R01s scored below the nominal cutoff get funded anyway. A good chunk of those are grants from new investigators. ...

Blog Post - Michael White - Sep 25 2009 - 11:54am

Encouraging Science With Our Children

So much science education happens in informal ways--outside of the classroom. These experiences can be so valuable and sometimes even more influential than the classic approaches taken for so long by the public school system of the American culture. ...

Article - Matthew T. Dearing - Sep 26 2009 - 1:46am

Learning Through Games... At Public School!

Ever play games in school?  Ever have the teacher suggest you play games?  Heck, ever had your entire middle and high school curricula be designed around games?   In a news piece titled "New York Launches Public School Curriculum on Playing Games" ...

Article - Alex "Sandy" Antunes - Oct 2 2009 - 10:03am