How the NSF became an important yet controversial patron for the social sciences, influencing debates over their scientific status and social relevance. In the early Cold War years, the U.S. government established the National Science Foundation (NSF), a civilian agency that soon became widely known for its dedication to supporting first-rate science. The agency's 1950 enabling legislation made no mention of the social sciences, although it included a vague reference to "other sciences." Nevertheless, as Mark Solovey shows in this book, the NSF also soon became a major--albeit controversial--source of public funding for them.
This guide offers practical tips on science writing - from investigative reporting to pitching ideas to magazine editors. Some of the best known science witers in the US share their hard earned knowledge on how they do their job.
Humans, especially children, are naturally curious. Yet, people often balk at the thought of learning scienceâ€"the "eyes glazed over" syndrome. Teachers may find teaching science a major challenge in an era when science ranges from the hardly imaginable quark to the distant, blazing quasar. Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards is the book that educators have been waiting forâ€"a practical guide to teaching inquiry and teaching through inquiry, as recommended by the National Science Education Standards. This will be an important resource for educators who must help school boards, parents, and teachers understand "why we can't teach the way we used to." "Inquiry" refers to the diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world and in which students grasp science knowledge and the methods by which that knowledge is produced. This book explains and illustrates how inquiry helps students learn science content, master how to do science, and understand the nature of science. This book explores the dimensions of teaching and learning science as inquiry for K-12 students across a range of science topics. Detailed examples help clarify when teachers should use the inquiry-based approach and how much structure, guidance, and coaching they should provide. The book dispels myths that may have discouraged educators from the inquiry-based approach and illuminates the subtle interplay between concepts, processes, and science as it is experienced in the classroom. Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards shows how to bring the standards to life, with features such as classroom vignettes exploring different kinds of inquiries for elementary, middle, and high school and Frequently Asked Questions for teachers, responding to common concerns such as obtaining teaching supplies. Turning to assessment, the committee discusses why assessment is important, looks at existing schemes and formats, and addresses how to involve students in assessing their own learning achievements. In addition, this book discusses administrative assistance, communication with parents, appropriate teacher evaluation, and other avenues to promoting and supporting this new teaching paradigm.
Nineteenth-century scientist David Starr Jordan built one of the most important fish specimen collections ever seen, until the 1906 San Francisco earthquake shattered his life's work.
An “intriguing and accessible” (Publishers Weekly) interpretation of the life of Galileo Galilei, one of history’s greatest and most fascinating scientists, that sheds new light on his discoveries and how he was challenged by science deniers. “We really need this story now, because we’re living through the next chapter of science denial” (Bill McKibben). Galileo’s story may be more relevant today than ever before. At present, we face enormous crises—such as minimizing the dangers of climate change—because the science behind these threats is erroneously questioned or ignored. Galileo encountered this problem 400 years ago. His discoveries, based on careful observations and ingenious experiments, contradicted conventional wisdom and the teachings of the church at the time. Consequently, in a blatant assault on freedom of thought, his books were forbidden by church authorities. Astrophysicist and bestselling author Mario Livio draws on his own scientific expertise and uses his “gifts as a great storyteller” (The Washington Post) to provide a “refreshing perspective” (Booklist) into how Galileo reached his bold new conclusions about the cosmos and the laws of nature. A freethinker who followed the evidence wherever it led him, Galileo was one of the most significant figures behind the scientific revolution. He believed that every educated person should know science as well as literature, and insisted on reaching the widest audience possible, publishing his books in Italian rather than Latin. Galileo was put on trial with his life in the balance for refusing to renounce his scientific convictions. He remains a hero and inspiration to scientists and all of those who respect science—which, as Livio reminds us in this “admirably clear and concise” (The Times, London) book, remains threatened everyday.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has played a key role over the past several decades in advancing understanding of Earth's systems by funding research on atmospheric, ocean, hydrologic, geologic, polar, ecosystem, social, and engineering-related processes. Today, however, those systems are being driven like never before by human technologies and activities. Our understanding has struggled to keep pace with the rapidity and magnitude of human-driven changes, their impacts on human and ecosystem sustainability and resilience, and the effectiveness of different pathways to address those challenges. Given the urgency of understanding human-driven changes, NSF will need to sustain and expand its efforts to achieve greater impact. The time is ripe to create a next-generation Earth systems science initiative that emphasizes research on complex interconnections and feedbacks between natural and social processes. This will require NSF to place an increased emphasis on research inspired by real-world problems while maintaining their strong legacy of curiosity driven research across many disciplines ? as well as enhance the participation of social, engineering, and data scientists, and strengthen efforts to include diverse perspectives in research.
Graphdiyne Discover the most cutting-edge developments in the study of graphdiyne from a pioneer of the field In Graphdiyne: Fundamentals and Applications in Renewable Energy and Electronics, accomplished chemist Dr. Yuliang Li delivers a practical and insightful compilation of theoretical and experimental developments in the study of graphdiyne. Of interest to both academics and industrial researchers in the fields of nanoscience, organic chemistry, carbon science, and renewable energies, the book systematically summarizes recent research into the exciting new material. Discover information about the properties of graphdiyne through theoretical simulations and experimental characterizations, as well as the development of graphdiyne with appropriate preparation technology. Learn to create new graphdiyne-based materials and better understand its intrinsic properties. Find out about synthetic methodologies, the controlled growth of aggregated state structures, and structural characterization. In addition to demonstrating the interdisciplinary potential and relevance of graphdiyne, the book also offers readers: A thorough introduction to basic structure and band gap engineering, including molecular and electronic structure, mechanical properties, and the layers structure of bulk graphdiyne Explorations of Graphdiyne synthesis and characterization, including films, nanotube arrays and nanowires, nanowalls, and nanosheets, as well as characterization methods Discussions of the functionalization of graphdiyne, including heteroatom doping, metal decoration, and absorption of guest molecules Rigorous treatments of Graphdiyne-based materials in catalytic applications, including photo- and electrocatalysts Perfect for organic chemists, electronics engineers, materials scientists, and physicists, Graphdiyne: Fundamentals and Applications in Renewable Energy and Electronics will also find its place on the bookshelves of surface and solid-state chemists, electrochemists, and catalytic chemists seeking a one-stop reference on this rising-star carbon material.
Volume 62 of Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry reviews the recent research in the geochemistry and mineral physics of hydrogen in the principal mineral phases of the Earth's crust and mantle. Contents: Analytical Methods for Measuring Water in Nominally Anhydrous Minerals The Structure of Hydrous Species in Nominally Anhydrous Minerals: Information from Polarized IR Spectroscopy Structural Studies of OH in Nominally Anhydrous Minerals Using NMR Atomistic Models of OH Defects in Nominally Anhydrous Minerals Hydrogen in High Pressure Silicate and Oxide Mineral Structures Water in Nominally Anhydrous Crustal Minerals: Speciation, Concentration, and Geologic Significance Water in Natural Mantle Minerals I: Pyroxenes Water in Natural Mantle Minerals II: Olivine, Garnet and Accessory Minerals Thermodynamics of Water Solubility and Partitioning The Partitioning of Water Between Nominally Anhydrous Minerals and Silicate Melts The Stability of Hydrous Mantle Phases Hydrous Phases and Water Transport in the Subducting Slab Diffusion of Hydrogen in Minerals Effect of Water on the Equation of State of Nominally Anhydrous Minerals Remote Sensing of Hydrogen in Earth's Mantle
This high school textbook introduces polymer science basics, properties, and uses. It starts with a broad overview of synthetic and natural polymers and then covers synthesis and preparation, processing methods, and demonstrations and experiments. The history of polymers is discussed alongside the s
This book examines the structure and operation of peer review as a family of quality control mechanisms and looks at the burdens placed on the various forms of peer review. Assuming that peer review is central to the functioning of U.S. science policy, Chubin and Hackett explore the symbolic and practical value of peer review in the making, implementing, and analysis of this policy.
