MISE faculty and students presented at the The International History, Philosophy, and Science Teaching Group meeting held June 24-28. The Mallinson Institute for Science Education co-sponsored the tenth biennial meeting of The International History, Philosophy, and Science Teaching Group at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN.

• Renee Schwartz gave a presentation entitled "The Approach and Effectiveness of Integrating Nature of Science Instruction during an Undergraduate Biology Course".
• David W. Rudge gave a presentation co-authored by Phyllis Haugabook Pennock, and Eric M. Howe (both of whom were unable to attend the meeting) entitled "A Study on Using the History of Industrial Melanism to Teach the Nature of Science". David was also formally installed as President of IHPST for 2009-2011.

MISE graduate students Matthew Ludwig and Jeffrey Barney were honored at the April 16 Graduate College Honors Convocation. Matthew received the Institute’s Graduate Research and Creative Scholar Award, and Jeff received the Institute’s Graduate Teaching Effectiveness Award.

Associate Professor Charles Henderson has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to conduct research and work with graduate students at the University of Jyväskylä in Jyväskylä, Finland from January to May, 2010. His primary work will be with the University of Jyväskylä Institute for Educational Research where he plans to expand his current research on instructional reform in higher education. Dr. Henderson is one of approximately 1,100 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program during the 2009-2010 academic year. Please take a moment to congratulate Charles on this important accomplishment.

Dr. Henderson also has a new publication:

Henderson, C., Beach, A., and Famiano, M. (2009). Promoting Instructional Change via Co-Teaching. American Journal of Physics (Physics Education Research Section), 77 (3), 274-283.

Congratulations Eric Arsznov! Eric joins the growing list of MISE doctoral students who have successfully competed for external funding. Eric has received a $5,000 grant from the Michigan Space Grant Consortium in support of his research titled, "Motion, A Visual Conceptual Approach: Exploring Conceptual Physics Students' Representational Coherence in Kinematics." Well done, Eric.

Dr. Bob Poel was very active at the recent NSTA National Conference (New OrleansLA, March 21, 2009) making four presentations:

InterActions in Physical Science - Newly Revised, Exhibitors Workshop.

Physics for Everyday Thinking (PET) and Physical Science for Everyday thinking (PSET), Exhibitors Workshop

Physical Science Quickies, Session 9.

Can Middle School Students Think and Act Like Scientists? Building Scientific Communities in a Science Classroom, Workshop.

MISE/SAMPI Colleague Makes the News:
Our colleague and alumnus, Dr. Bob Ruhf, was recently interviewed by the Kalamazoo Gazette about his career and life.

Beginning November 1, 2008, Dr. Henderson became the Physics Education Research editor at the American Journal of Physics. Published by the American Association of Physics Teachers, the American Journal of Physics is an archival journal, edited to serve teachers of advanced-level physics instruction as well as researchers in the fields of physics and physics education. It is published monthly January through December and has a print circulation of 6,500 copies.

Dr. Henderson also has a new publication:

Froyd, J., Beach, A., Henderson, C., & Finkelstein, N. (2008). Improving Educational Change Agents’ Efficacy in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Education. In H. Hartman (ed.), Integrating the Sciences and Society: Challenges, Practices, and Potentials, Bingley, UK: JAI Press, pp. 227-256.

Well done, Charles.

Dr. Bob Poel continues with an impressive set of activities and accomplishments! Well done Bob! The latest are:

Goldberg, F., Bendal,S., Heller, P., & Poel, R. (2009), interActions in Physical Science (second edition), It's About Time, Herr Jones Education Division, Armonk, NY.

Poel, R. (2008), Exhibitor Workshop: InterActions in Physical Science, National Science Teachers Association, 2008 Area Conference on Science Education, Cincinnati OH, December 2008.

Poel, R. (2008), Exhibitor Workshop:  Physics & Everyday Thinking (PET) and Physical Science & Everyday Thinking (PSET), National Science Teachers Association, 2008 Area Conference on Science Education, Cincinnati OH, December 2008.

Poel, R. (2008), Can Your Students Think Like a Scientist?, National Science Teachers Association, 2008 Area Conference on Science Education, Cincinnati OH, December 2008.

Congratulations to Renee' Schwartz on her election to the National the National Research in Science Teaching Board. Well done Renee'!

David Rudge's invited essay "H.B.D. Kettlewell's Research 1934-1961: The Influence of J.W. Heslop Harrison" has been published as Chapter 12 of Joseph Cain's and Michael Ruse's edited volume Descended from Darwin: Insights into American Evolutionary Studies, 1925-1950.

.

Dr. Bill Cobern will be speaking in Cairo, Egypt on March 28 at the First Annual Conference of Educational Research Center on Educational Measurement. The theme of the conference is "Authentic assessment for meaningful learning and informed educational policy." The conference will address major issues that influence the integration of assessment in the learning process, especially from a technological perspective, and the impact of assessments, especially high-stakes exit exams, on secondary school graduates and society at large. Special attention will be devoted to e-assessment and automated item banks. After the conference Dr. Cobern will wrap up the trip by conducting a workshop on research at the Educational Research Center in Beirut.

Dr. Dave Rudge's "Kettlewell, H.B.D. (1907-1979)" has just been published as one of many short entries on evolutionary topics that appear in Michael Ruse and Joseph Travis (2009) Evolution: The First Four Billion Years. Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA.