SMATE's Hanley, Borda & Warren receive a new NSF grant. The National Science Foundation has funded a study at Western Washington University, entitled Building educational theory through enacting reforms (BETTER) in STEM. BETTER in STEM is a $3 million collaborative research project across three institutions to embed the use of inclusive, research-based instructional strategies within undergraduate STEM courses and departments.

SMATE/Computer Science faculty Hao and Hardin, were successful in getting PESB to add a Computer Science Endorsement!!

May 5th and 6th saw our first Virtual Slesnick Symposium.  Dr. Bryan Dewsbury gave an exceptional keynote and workshop attended by over 100 participants.  Watch the recording of the keynote or explore Dr. Dewsbury's resource list for faculty development and improving campus practices on inclusion.

A team of SMATE faculty lead by Debi Hanuscin have just published a paper in the International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, Supporting the Professional Development of Science Teacher Educators Through Shadowing. 

Annaliese Miller, 2020 recipient of the Summer Research scholarship and SMATE student employee, has published a paper in  Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific from her summer research. Check-out the abstract for Orbital and Stellar Parameters for 2M06464003+0109157: A Double-lined Eclipsing Binary of Spotted, Sub-solar Twins.

SMATE's Dimitri Dounas-Fraser and Teaching Assistant Isabel Mills have just co-authored an article for the American Physical Society (APS) Forum on Education (FEd) Spring 2021 Newsletter! The article describes a virtual panel in SCED 201

Erin Duffy (PI), Lina Dahlberg (co-PI), Dimitri Dounas-Frazer (co-PI), and Norda Stephenson (co-PI) will collaborate to study science practices in chemistry, physics, and biology labs.

A project aimed at improving K-6 Science education has been funded by the NSF.  This work will be done in partnership with with high needs schools in four districts in Northwest Washington: Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Nooksack, and Sedro-Wooley.  SMATE's director, Emily Borda, with Debi Hanuscin, Shannon Warren, Dan Hanley & Alejandro Acevedo-Gutierrez all colaborated on the proposal.

The book chapter submitted by Hanley, Miller, Sorensen, and Rogan-Klyve entitled, Preparing University Faculty for Clinically-oriented, Practice-based Teacher Education, for the book, Advancing Clinical Practice in Teacher Education, by Information Age Publishing was accepted!!

WWU Biologists to Study the Hunting Behavior of Local Seals From the Air

Debi has authored a chapter entitled "Considering the Classroom Assessment of Nature of Science " in the newly published book, Nature of Science in Science Instrution; Rationaled and Strategies, edited by William McComas.

Grant Title:

Collaborative Research: A Study of Socio-metacognition, Emotions, and Power Dynamics When Undergraduate Physics Students Engage in Collaborative Activities that Elicit Confusion

MIT student Emily Schumacher, Shannon Warren, Dan Hanley, Ed Geary, and Emily Borda have a new paper out in The International Journal of STEM Education about the work done on the Change at the Core grant.  Initial implementation of active learning strategies in large, lecture STEM courses: lessons learned from a multi-institutional, interdisciplinary STEM faculty development program