For years engineering educators and researchers have tried to get more students from underrepresented groups interested in engineering as a career field and college major. Many interventions designed for high school students assume that students do not know about engineering careers and just need opportunities to learn about the field. The key may…

This article introduces the Critical Response Protocol (CRP), an arts-based technique that engages students in equitable critical discourse and aligns with the "Next Generation Science Standards" vision for providing students opportunities for language learning while advancing science learning (NGSS Lead States 2013). CRP helps teachers…

Science teachers are aware of many social issues that intersect with science. These socio-scientific issues (SSIs) are "open-ended problems without clear-cut solutions [that] can be informed by scientific principles, theories, and data, but…cannot be fully determined by [them]" (Sadler 2011, p. 4). This article describes the SSI lessons…

In recent years, citizen science projects have emerged as a means to involve students in scientific inquiry, particularly in the fields of ecology and environmental science. A citizen scientist is "a volunteer who collects and/or processes data as part of a scientific inquiry" (Silverton 2009, p. 467). Participation in citizen science…

To engage students in a real-world issue (Bransford, Brown, and Cocking 2000) that affects their communities, the author designed an entire unit to investigate air pollution in their home state, Connecticut. The unit's goal is to understand how the use of resources, such as fossil fuels, might affect their quality of life. Through this unit,…

The Ocean, Reefs, Aquariums, Literacy, and Stewardship (CORALS) research program helps students connect global environmental issues to local concerns and personal choices. During the 18-week program, students strengthen their understanding of coral reef decline through a classroom aquarium activity, communicate with science experts, and create…

As a "new science," nanotechnology has brought many nanoscale-based applications to the forefront of society. This article describes one such application--a nanosensor that can precisely detect a variety of chemical stimuli in the environment--and presents the science behind it as an interdisciplinary science topic. This article also provides…

Every day we are confronted with issues of varying degrees of complexity and importance. Which bags are better for the environment--paper, plastic, or neither? What precautions should be taken to reduce the spread of the H1N1 virus? Are there risks involved in eating genetically modified fruits and vegetables? What impact will the use of…

From media news coverage to fluctuating gas prices, the topic of energy is hard to ignore. However, little connection often exists between energy use in our daily lives and the presentation of energy-related concepts in the science classroom. The concepts of energy production and consumption bring together knowledge from several science…

Explains the origination of the present relationship between science and values and suggests that students be given guidelines in the process of infusing values into science. (LS)

Describes various threats to the stability of the ozone layer of the atmosphere, including freons emitted from aerosol cans, combustion products from jet aircraft engines, and nuclear explosions in the atmosphere. (MLH)

Describes the nuclear fuel cycle and the environmental and social problems which might result from United States or world dependence on nuclear power. (This is a continuation of SE 514 938.) (LS)