The paper describes an upper-division university course in Mars literature taught online since Fall 2013. The course readings comprise six novels relating to Mars. Authors include H.G. Wells, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Ray Bradbury, Phillip K. Dick, Greg Bear, and Kim Stanley Robinson. After an introduction, sections of the paper discuss course…

The term "weight" has multiple related meanings in both scientific and everyday usage. Even among experts and in textbooks, weight is ambiguously defined as either the gravitational force on an object or operationally as the magnitude of the force an object exerts on a measuring scale. This poses both conceptual and language difficulties…

Although the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are not federally mandated national standards or performance expectations for K-12 schools in the United States, they stand poised to become a de facto national science and education policy, as state governments, publishers of curriculum materials, and assessment providers across the country…

Background: Incorporating student voice into the science classroom has the potential to positively impact science teaching and learning. However, students are rarely consulted on school and classroom matters. This literature review examines the effects of including student voice in the science classroom. Purpose: The purpose of this literature…

In response to calls for research into effective instruction in the Earth and space sciences, and to identify directions for future research, this systematic review of the literature explores research into instructional approaches designed to facilitate conceptual change. In total, 52 studies were identified and analyzed. Analysis focused on the…

Over the past 15 years, professional astronomers, their societies, and associated funding agencies have collaborated to improve astronomy teaching and learning at the introductory undergraduate level. Many nonscience majors and preservice teachers enroll in these introductory astronomy courses, thus meriting the focused attention. In this review…

Traces the efforts of Searching for Extraterrestrial Technological Intelligence (SETI) since 1960 when a radio-telescope was used to see if any messages were being sent from the vicinity of two nearby stars. Describes attempts to detect microwave/optical signals and technological modification of the cosmic environment. (Author/KHR)

Discussed are details of what is known about the composition, physical characteristics, and formation of the planet Pluto and its satellite, Charon. Alignments of these bodies and details of their rotations and revolutions are described. (CW)

The last two decades of collecting evidence to support the plate tectonic theory is reviewed. Discussion also involves how other terrestrial plants show evidence of once having been hot but with long-term stability and no continuing convection. (Author/SA)

As interplanetary travel by robot vehicles launched from earth becomes more sophisticated, the solar system neighborhood will be constantly rediscovered. This will lead to the maturation of the science of comparative planetology. This discipline, involved in study of the origin, evolution, and nature of planets, promises significant future…

This article reviews the historical and current observational status of searches for other planetary systems, discusses the nature of the observational problem, and indicates the prospects for success in the future. (DS)

This article focuses on discoveries in astronomy during the past 20 years using a wide range of observing techniques. The future is seen as a time when astronomers will learn more about the distribution of mass in the universe, the physics of energetic sources, and the intricate interconnections of astrophysical processes. (Author/SA)

This article illustrates the use of newspapers as a resource for teaching and learning about science. Science teachers in Northern Ireland have produced a special edition news magazine, "Space Science News," to support the teaching and learning of aspects of space science in secondary school. The resource is based on authentic newspaper…

Provides a review of science news stories reported in "Science News" during 1987. References each item to the volume and page number in which the subject was addressed. Contains references on astronomy, behavior, biology, biomedicine, chemistry, earth sciences, environment, mathematics and computers, paleontology and anthropology, physics, science…

Reviews major science news stories of 1988 as reported in the pages of Science News. Covers the areas of anthropology, astronomy, behavior, biology, biomedicine, chemistry, earth sciences, environment, food science, mathematics and computers, paleobiology, physics, science and society, space sciences, and technology. (YP)