Summer 2011 Issue
From the Editors
"But You Needed Me" Reflections on the Premises, Purposes, Lessons Learned, and Ethos of SENCER - Part 1
This article is based on the opening plenary address at the tenth annual SENCER (Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities) Summer Institute delivered by SENCER's co-founder, the article's author. More
Improving Students' Attitude Toward Science Through Blended Learning
Why Science is Important for Non-Science Majors
Regardless of one's major or profession, science plays an enormous role in everyone's life. From discovering cures for diseases, to creating innovative technologies, to teaching us how to think critically, science has become an indispensable feature of modern society. Controversial issues such as global warming, evolution, vaccination, HIV/AIDS, and the right to one's own DNA information are only a few of the issues being debated. More
The Hybrid Experience
As a student pursuing a degree in English, I was not looking forward to any science classes that I would be required to take. It's not that I don't like science. On the contrary, I have always been interested in the workings of the world and the universe around me. I've just never been very quick to learning and understanding the material presented in science classes. More
Transformative Learning and Teaching of Environmental Science, from College Sophomores to Urban Children
Introduction
Improving PK–12 science education, especially in under-resourced urban schools, is a clear social need in the United States today. This is particularly important during the early primary years when young children are first exposed to formal science instruction. Such improvements have the potential to enhance scientific literacy for all students (PK–12), while also creating a more diverse and robust stream of potential STEM majors. More
Lessons from the Past: Economic and Technological Impacts of U.S. Energy Policy
Introduction
In 1979, in the middle of an energy crisis, Jimmy Carter had solar panels installed on the roof of the White House. . . . "A generation from now," said President Carter, "this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken, or it can be a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people, harnessing the power of the sun to enrich our lives as we move from our crippling dependence on foreign oil." . . . Ronald Reagan had the panels taken down." (Herbert 2010). More
SENCER-ISE: Establishing Connections between Formal and Informal Science Educators to Advance STEM Learning through Civic Engagement
Introduction
On Sunday afternoon, March 6, 2011, more than fifty educators from the formal education (or higher education) and informal science education worlds gathered at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey, to engage in two days of discussion about how both communities could work together to advance STEM learning through the broad focus of civic engagement. The SENCER-ISE conference* was funded by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Noyce Foundation to the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement (NCSCE), the home of SENCER (Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities). More
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