Science education

Announcing Gizmodo’s Degrees of the Future

Honoring universities offering the best education in fields that will define the 21st century.

This Artist Reimagined Disney Princesses as Badass Earth Scientists

Growing up, I confess I wasn’t exactly a Disney princess fan. My quirky, nature-loving childhood self could relate to the mud-wallowing jungle creatures in The Lion King, but unattainably beautiful women in spectacular dresses with castles and suitors? Not so much. Disney princesses who are also Earth and environmental scientists, though, I can totally dig.…

Evolution Will No Longer Be Taught in Turkish Schools

Claiming that evolution is “debatable, controversial, and too complicated for students,” Turkey’s board of education has decided to stop teaching Darwinian natural selection in its schools. The move has infuriated the country’s secular opposition, but it could embolden other countries to do the same. The Guardian reports that Turkey’s senior education official, Alpaslan Durmuş, says…

Mammals ‘Battle’ for Greatness in March Madness for Science Nerds

Who among us hasn’t wondered who would win in a fight between a bear and an alligator? Or a ram and a tiger? A badger and a gopher? While these animals are all university mascots represented in the NCAA March Madness tournament, they’re also competitors in an imaginary Pokemon battle-style spinoff tournament playing out right now…

Destroying NASA’s Office of Education Fails Future Scientists

Today, President Donald Trump released a $1.1 trillion dollar draft budget for 2018, slashing EPA funds by 31 percent, the State Department by 28 percent, and zeroing out the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Endowment for the Arts, and more. He did propose $54 billion in defense spending, so at least future members of our…

Science Teachers on Why Betsy DeVos Is a ‘Monstrous Mistake’

Despite widespread resistance, today, Betsy DeVos was confirmed as Education Secretary in a 51-to-50 vote. Though 48 Democrats and two Republican senators voted against her, ultimately, vice president Mike Pence broke the tie. For public school educators, and particularly science teachers, her confirmation is a nightmare realized. While Devos has claimed she will be a…

Evolution and Climate Change to Be Taught in Alabama Classrooms

Starting next year, students in Alabama will be required to learn about evolution and climate change—a move that upends the state’s decade-old science standards. As reported in the Associated Press, public school students will be required to understand the theory of evolution, along with the rudiments of climate change, which wasn’t set as a science…

Interstellar Should Be Shown in Science Class, Say Physicists

Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar broke new ground in its scientifically accurate portrayal of black holes and wormholes. A scientific journal is now urging educators to feature the film in their classes when teaching such topics as general relativity. Inspired by such films as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Carl Sagan’s Contact, director Christopher Nolan sought to…

Why Zack Kopplin Is Losing Ground In The War Against Creationists

For the past eight years, 21-year-old Zack Kopplin has been fighting to keep creationism out of Louisiana’s science classrooms. Despite a series of setbacks and the feeling that he’s continually losing battles, Kopplin still feels he’ll win the war. We spoke with him to learn more. The latest effort to repeal the Louisiana Science Education…

This Space Quilt Was Used To Illustrate 19th Century Astronomy Lectures

Crafted in 1876 by Ellen Harding Baker of Cedar County, Iowa, this embroidered quilt is more than mere folk-art object or household item: it was actually used by Harding Baker as a visual aid for astronomy lectures she’d give in her community. It’s now part of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. From the…

What Should High School Students Learn About Science?

Would you focus your time on lab experiments? Expound on your own scientific career or field? Plan some activities? Tell us after the jump what it is you think secondary education could most use in its science classes!

Judge Dismisses Creationist Lawsuit Against School Science Standards

In September, a Kansas group filed a lawsuit attempting to block the state from adopting new science guidelines, saying it was an attempt to indoctrinate students into a “non-theistic worldview.” But a federal judge has dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that it failed to sufficiently demonstrate any specific injuries. Kansas is one of twelve states that…

What One Thing Can We Do To Make Science Education Better?

Is it the text books that need revamping? Does the curriculum need a refresh? Should we broaden the slate of experiments? Whatever you think the problem is, tell us what you think we could do to fix science education — and why it would work — in the comments now. Image: Racorn / SHUTTERSTOCK.

How Can We Improve Scientific Literacy?

Being able to understand and interpret basic scientific concepts and methods is incredibly important, and it’s also become increasingly controversial. So what should we be doing to improve scientific literacy? Should we be focusing on science in schools or working on creating more opportunities to explore science outside of schools? What about those who are…

Using Camera Traps To Teach Nicaraguan Kids About Big Cat Conservation

Camera traps are just the coolest. In Nicaragua, scientist Miguel Ordeñana uses them to study carnivores, like jaguars and ocelots. And now the organization that he works with, Paso Pacifico, is teaching local kids to use them as well. Camera traps are rapidly becoming an indispensable part of the field biologist’s toolkit. For one thing,…

Anthropomorphic Animals Make It Harder To Learn Science

“Yum, these grass and plants are delicious!” Mother cavy thinks as she eats her breakfast. “I will feed some to my baby cavies too!” she says. The baby cavies love to play in the grass! But they’ve gotten all dirty! “Time for your bath,” Mother cavy says. Mother cavy and her babies like to spend…

Who First Got You interested In Science?

Who was the person who first sparked your interest in science? It could be someone from your own life, a fictional character with a penchant for the lab, or a scientist whose work caught your interest. Tell us about the person, along with how he or she got you interested in science, in the comments…

Watch Bill Nye Reminisce About Carl Sagan’s College Astronomy Class

Before either Bill Nye or Carl Sagan were on television, Nye was a student in Sagan’s astronomy class at Cornell. Here’s Nye reminiscing about that class — and the advice Sagan gave him before he started his own show. The clip comes from Nova’s Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers. Nye wasn’t the only future…

Brian Greene is here to answer your questions about string theory!

Renowned physicist Brian Greene is here to answer all your questions about theoretical physics, superstring theory, and his new online science education website, World Science U, launching today. Greene is a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University and the co-director of Columbia’s Institute for Strings, Cosmology, and Astroparticle Physics, where he specializes in…

What do you do when a student asks for advice on how to pick up girls instead of answering a biology exam question? After reading this teacher’s response, I’d say he nailed it. [Via The Poke]