National Center for Science Education
NCSE's Branch becomes a Fellow of the International Society for Science & Religion
The latest on public opinion about climate change from the Pew Research Center
Michael Dean Bechtel
Michael Dean Bechtel (commonly referred to as Bec) is an associate professor of science education at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. His courses focus on the scientific disciplines, content heutagogy, and teaching practices necessary for preparing future educators. His lessons integrate a cross-curricular approach to the STEAM disciplines, with the added “A” referencing agriculture. His classroom practices focus on rhizomatic learning, metacognition, sense making, positive student-teacher relationship building, self-efficacy, and very long-term concept retention. Community outreach has always been an emphasis throughout his career and can be seen in his creation of after-school science programs, presentations at multiple venues (libraries, nature centers, retirement homes, conventions, conferences, STEM events, and pK-16 classrooms), and mentoring support for groups. Bechtel was a secondary science educator for 19 years in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. During the first two decades in his career, he taught almost every high school science course and was adjunct at five higher education institutions. Bechtel's current research includes undergraduate endeavors in biophilia, aquaponics, blatticomposting, terrarium creation, tropical chiropteran housing, and captive herptile husbandry. Bechtel and his students have presented their research at multiple state and national conferences around the country. His ultimate goals are to make science understandable, teachable, and exciting so lessons can be replicated in future classrooms.
545Lisa Martin-Hansen
Lisa Martin-Hansen is professor of science education at California State University, Long Beach, former executive director of the National Association for Research in Science Education (NARST, 2021-2024), and former president of the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE, 2015). Martin-Hansen earned a Ph.D. in science education with an emphasis on curriculum and instruction and nature of science at The University of Iowa after a career teaching elementary grades and middle school science in public schools.
545Jessica Stephenson Reaves
Jessica Stephenson Reaves is an assistant professor of science education at Kennesaw State University. She received her bachelor of science in environmental science from Virginia Tech University, her master's degree in science education from the University of Virginia, and her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction, science education, from Virginia Tech. Stephenson Reaves has over 20 years of experience in science education — as a teacher in middle and high school classrooms in rural areas and in metropolitan classrooms in New York and Abu Dhabi; as a curriculum writer and professional development provider; as a pre-service teacher educator; and as an educational researcher. Throughout her career, her focus has been the intersection between science, society, and equity through a lens of environmental education. In her current role at Kennesaw State University, Stephenson Reaves teaches undergraduate level earth and life science content courses for pre-service elementary teachers, and graduate courses in STEM education and Curriculum and Instruction for master of education and master of arts in teaching students. She also conducts STEM outreach at local K-12 school districts and creates professional development workshops for in-service teachers. Stephenson Reaves’s research interests center on the use of place-based education to address global socioscientific issues, like water quality, biodiversity, and climate resilience.
545Ian C. Binns
Ian C. Binns is an associate professor of elementary science education in the Department of Reading and Elementary Education at the Cato College of Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is also a member of CIPHER, which stands for Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks. One area of Binns’s research focuses on the interaction between science and religion with the goal of helping people understand science and religion, what makes them unique, and how they both benefit society. Specifically, his research looks at how preservice elementary teachers’ scientific literacy and faith-based beliefs influence their perceptions of how evolution should be taught in the classroom. As a member of CIPHER, Binns focuses on ways to build and support relationships with various community partners as well as promoting the work done by CIPHER researchers. He is a co-host of the podcast, Down the Wormhole, a show exploring the “strange and fascinating relationship between science and religion,” and the host of the podcast, de-CIPHERing Infectious Disease.
545Ramesh Laungani
Ramesh Laungani is an associate professor of environmental science at Marist College, with expertise in climate change, nutrient cycling, and science communication. He holds a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and has dedicated his career to exploring the impacts of climate change on ecosystems, particularly the role of plants in carbon cycling and sequestration. At Marist, Laungani emphasizes hands-on learning experiences that allow students to apply classroom knowledge to real-world challenges, such as solutions to climate change. His research focuses on the ecological impacts of climate change mitigation strategies, carbon storage, and sustainable practices, such as the use of biochar. A passionate advocate for science communication, Laungani founded the 1000 STEM Women Project, a video library of scientist introductions designed to inspire K-12 students with diverse role models. He strongly believes that exploring scientific unknowns is not exclusively the realm of those with doctorates; it is a space whose only requirements are curiosity, fascination, and organized thinking. He wants his students to become agents of change by developing both their scientific thinking skills and science communication skills. He wants his students to feel empowered to probe unknowns with their own ideas and tackle these challenges to build a more equitable, just, and sustainable world. Prior to his position at Marist, Laungani served as an associate professor of biology at Doane University and as chair of the science department at Poly Prep Country Day School.
545Friend of Darwin and Friend of the Planet Awards ceremony 2024
How our views of science change
How our view of science changes: Study tracks attitudes from adolescence to adulthood
Molly Selba
Molly Selba is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, where she teaches advanced courses in anatomy, including Advanced Human Anatomy, Visceral Anatomy, Neuroscience, and Medical Imaging for the Physical Therapist. She also leads a summer Gross Anatomy Pre-Matriculation Preparation Workshop for incoming medical and allied health students. Her research blends comparative cranial morphology with pedagogical innovation. Her doctoral research at the University of Florida focused on facial reduction across multiple taxa using geometric morphometrics. She has published her findings in multiple journals and presented them at national and international conferences. Selba is also actively involved in pedagogical research focused on improving the teaching of complex anatomical concepts, with a particular emphasis on integrating evolutionary science to deepen students' understanding of human anatomy and our evolutionary history. As an advocate for science outreach, Selba has worked extensively with K-12 students, engaging over 1,200 learners in discussions about evolution — specifically human evolution — and our modern human anatomy. Her outreach efforts focus on making evolutionary science clear and accessible, highlighting its importance in shaping our understanding of biological sciences and what it means to be human. Selba is excited to contribute to the National Center for Science Education’s Sound Science Fellowship, where she aims to help develop strategies for effectively teaching "controversial" scientific topics, particularly evolution and climate change.
545Study Demonstrates Climate Program Office’s Impact on K-12 Climate Literacy
Science and Storytelling at NABT
Virginia set to approve new environmental science guidelines
NCSE comments on proposed environmental science standards in Virginia
Bringing Climate into the Classroom: New Hampshire Students Push for Increased Climate Literacy
A Tool to Tackle Climate Emotions
Texas to encourage teaching Genesis in kindergarten
Help wanted: science education specialist
Debbie French
Debbie French is an Associate Professor of Science Education, an Associate Director of the Graduate Education Program for the Department of Education, and the Bitove Family Faculty Fellow at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She teaches secondary and elementary science education methods courses, a course on instructional design, assessment, and technology, action research courses, and First Year Seminars on climate change. Her research interests include interdisciplinary climate change education, integrated science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, and identifying best practices for incorporating authentic scientific inquiry in science classes. She earned her undergraduate degree at Denison University, her masters degree at Miami University, and her Ph.D. at the University of Wyoming. She was an assistant professor of science education at Wilkes University before joining the faculty at Wake Forest. French is a former high school physics and engineering teacher where she incorporated authentic scientific inquiry and project-based learning throughout her classes. From 2010-2022, she served as co-Principal Investigator on three National Science Foundation grants for “The STEM Guitar Project” which funded faculty professional development institutes for K-16 STEM teachers on how to construct a guitar and how to use the guitar as an engaging vehicle to teach integrated STEM. She also provides professional development on integrating climate change concepts in core K-12 classes. She is an active member of the Association for Science Teacher Education, the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, and North Carolina Science Teachers Association.
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