News Archive

News Archive

  • SMATE grad is awarded Instructional Innovation Award

    One of our General Science Elementary graduates (spring 2019) Garrett Feldtman, in his 2nd year of teaching at Lackamas Elementary in Yelm, WA was awarded the Instructional Innovation Award by his district as well as nominated for his School Bell Award.  Way to go Garrett!!!

  • WWU students present at October NSTA Conference

    WWU students and alumni presented a session titled “SPARK Discovery and Invention” with Abby Whatley from the SPARK Museum. The session showcased NGSS-aligned curriculum modules the team developed in 2019 in collaboration with SPARK, Bellingham Public Schools, and their SCED 480/490 course with Dr. Hanuscin.

  • PESB Grant Awarded to Hardin

    Caroline Hardin, Computer Science/SMATE, received a grant from PESB (Professional Educator Standards Board) to engage in-service teachers in professional development on teaching Computer Science! This grant will help SMATE build important partnerships with teachers that can help support the new CS BAE!

  • Better in STEM grant funded

    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.

  • New Computer Science endorsement approved by state board

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

  • Successful Slesnick Symposium

    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.

  • Eight SMATE Faculty author paper on our SMATE practice of supporting science teacher educators

    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, Summer research scholarhip recipient, publishes first paper in a peer reviewed journal

    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 Faculty and Teaching Assistant team up on article!

    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

  • NSF funds grant for Multi-Disciplinary Exploration of Student Engagement in Scientific Practices

    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.

  • Noyce Capacity Building Project Funded

    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.

  • SMATE's Dan Hanley has book chapter accepted

    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!!

  • Alejandro Acevedo-Gutierrez's research profiled in Western Today

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

  • Debi Hanuscin authors book chapter

    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.

  • Thanh Le, Physics/SMATE faculty member, awarded NSF Grant

    Grant Title:

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

     

  • SMATE's Hanuscin writes new book on 5E Learning Cycle

  • Slesnick Symposium Canceled Due to Coronavirus.

  • GoSkagit.com features a visit to SMATE

  • C-Core Paper

    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